2020 – a new decade – is here! Per tradition, here’s the post of my review of last year and goals to accomplish this year.
I try not to say this all the time but it feels like it was yesterday I was writing the recap for 2018. The year flew by and it was full of wedding planning, honeymoon planning, and all the life things in between.
And a new decade! The 10 years of 2010-2020, like most years if you think about it, were hard and beautiful. My first 10 years of being a “real” adult involved learning about the real world, experiencing freedom, and becoming myself. What started tumultuous finally found some peace in understanding who I am and what I want. I’m relieved and thankful!
My 2019 Highlight Reel
What. A. Year! 2019 was a big year with a lot of life changes, many in the last couple of months.
First, here are some of the high points of my year:
- Took 13 flights
- Stayed in seven hotels, two vacation homes, and one boat
- Traveled to:
- Fredericksburg for a memorable wine dinner
- Las Vegas for our friends’ wedding
- Georgetown for a day trip
- Bonaire for a week of diving and eating with friends
- San Antonio for my bachelorette party
- Indonesia for our honeymoon and loved our Komodo liveaboard
- Had some memorable meals, including:
- Served my first year as the PR chair for Austin Food Blogger Alliance
- Read 64 books, including all seven Harry Potter books. See my reading recap post here
- Hosted a Crawfish Boil, Succulent Native party, and Holiday Cookie Party
- Went to Cider Fest and the Texas Monthly BBQ Fest
- Celebrated new babies with our friends (yay, Henry, Violet, and Milo!)
- Worked out a lot, including running a half-marathon and starting training for a marathon
- Logged my 100th dive
- Celebrated summer with days on the lake and a river float
- Saw Hamilton
- Planned our wedding all year long and our big day in September was a blast
- Adopted our rescue pup Kaira in November
- Learned lots and ate good food with my farm-to-table, local monthly challenge. It involved hanging out with baby goats, volunteering on a farm, and picking peaches
- Partnered with some cool brands, including HEB, Cabernet Grill, Cuvee Coffee, Treaty Oak, Woko Loko, Me So Poke, Big Swig, Georgetown CVB, Paddywax Candle Bar, Mighty Swell, 101 by TeaHaus, RAYS Spirits, Teo Gelato, Art of Green, and Still Austin
- Published 107 posts on Fearless Captivations
Speaking of blog posts, here are some of my favorite and most popular posts of the year:
- The Ultimate Austin Foodie Bucket List
- Custom Candle Making at Paddywax Candle Bar
- Eating Pitchfork Pretty’s Tasting Menu
- Planting Party at Succulent Native
- Eating and Drinking in Bonaire
- Chinese Wedding Traditions at Our Wedding
- Farm-to-Table Challenge: Pure Luck Farm & Dairy
Hello from the top! This was my year of mastery, a year I was blessed with so many great things. Getting married and adding Kaira to our family were big life changes. Planning a wedding and going on a dream vacation to Indonesia were big checks off the list. Time with friends, a raise at my job, and so many cool experiences were welcomed with gratitude. Every part of my life felt good and then some. Can I live in this year forever? I’m so thankful.
But as the cycle of years go, there will come some unrest. It’s an uncomfortable time, but it helps build bigger things in the future. I’ll ask “what’s next?” and start on some new goals and journeys. It’s natural to have this unrest continuously in life and I welcome it knowing years like 2019 exist and will come again.
My biggest lessons learned/reminded this year:
- It’s ok to let go. Expectations, friendships, desires, potentials.
- I am always healing and growing. Healing is not a light switch.
- The grass is greener where you water it.
My 2020 Goals
Last year, I focused on feeling confident, flourishing, connected, and thankful. I built my skills and relationships and continuously recognized the good in my life. I think I’ll always want to feel those things, so I’m taking those desires into my new year.
For this year, I was drawn to two words – wild and brave.
First, wild. In one sense, being wild means exploring my connection with the outdoors and being kinder to the earth. I want to breathe more fresh air, take long walks, and appreciate the natural world. In another sense, wild is a reminder to be fierce, curious, natural, and untamed. It makes me question the boxes I put myself in and the boundaries I allow to please others. It reminds me to dream and find wonder. What does it look like to be true to your own wants and desires? Where is my potential, the height, my best self? To me, that is wild.
And then, brave. The word connects perfectly with wild. Recognizing my wildness, how can I act with bravery? How do I go beyond my fear and push the limits? When I am true to my wildness, where will my bravery take me?
There are the general, constant annual goals of growing in our marriage, saving more money, giving to charity, working out, and drinking more water. In addition, these are some of the specific things I’m looking forward to accomplishing this year:
- Journal regularly
- Complete five craft projects
- Cook through a cookbook
- Spend time outdoors weekly
- Visit three state parks
- Run a marathon
- Start a garden
- Learn how to curl my hair
- Take a photography class
- Read 65 books
- Complete the Chinese Duolingo course
- Do yoga twice a month
- Complete three house tasks and one house project monthly
- Go on a unique monthly date
Overall, it’s hard not to be excited about a new year and all the promise it holds. I know there will be plenty of food, travel, and celebrations, and I hope you will be along for the ride!
What are you hoping to accomplish this year?
P.S. If you’re curious, here are my recaps and goals from 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015.
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