2024: Year in Review

 1. What did you do in 2024 that you’d never done before?

2024 has been quite a year! I had a busy, but fulfilling year. The past few years have felt like a dialing-up of life, and 2024 was a bit of a scale-back.

 

Professionally, I am enjoying my third year as a reading teacher. I am working with students in K-2, and it has been a great change for me. This school year, I resigned from my "extra" professional associations. I found that they brought me more stress than engagement, and I really just wanted to work with the kids. I am enjoying LETR-S training and teaching this year. With a narrower grade-level focus, I am better able to dig in deeply with my curriculum. I don't feel spread as thinly as I have in the past year. I learned that saying no to some things allowed me to say yes to more meaningful things. My main focus is teaching, and I am glad to have removed the other aspects.

I continue to serve on the board of our local Little League, but even that is scaling back. L has aged out and C is playing currently. I am not sure how long C will play, but I will be a part of the reorganization as long as she is.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? 

I wanted to spend more one-on-one time with the kids, and I did! I can't take too much credit for this because it mostly happened as a result of their differing interests, but I am still calling it a win. I have two very unique and cool kids, and I am so happy to be a part of their journey.

3. What places did you visit? 

We went to North Carolina in April, Maine and New Hampshire in June, and Cape Cod in August. I also went to North Carolina in February for my neice's baptism. We visited Niagara Falls for the first time.

For baseball, went to Maryland, Delaware, and Newburgh, NY. 

4. What would you like to have in 2025 that you lacked in 2024?

I would like to have more time doing fun things with Dave. We are deep in the business of parenting, but we need to carve out pockets of time for ourselves. This should get a bit easier as the kids get older, but I also don't wish them to get older! 

5. What dates from 2024 will remain etched upon your memory?

So this may sound crazy, but this year lacked high highs and low lows. 

6. What were your biggest achievements of the year? 

I am feeling happier and more grounded. I made some lifestyle changes that are helping me feel like my best self. 

7. What were your biggest failures?

I am still not exercising enough, and I still like to eat sweets. That said, I am working on incorporating exercise that I enjoy, such as walking with a friend.  

8. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I had Covid for the second time in September, but I recovered quickly.

9. What did you get really, really, really excited about? 

I love watching my do what they love doing. For L, I love to watch him run and play baseball. For C, I love watching her ride horses and participate in activities at the library. Seeing them come into their own is beautiful. 

Also, I will never stop being excited about the week in Cape Cod. 

10. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder?
happier
b) thinner or fatter? 
fatter
c) richer or poorer? 

poorer 

11. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Spending quality time as a family. This seems silly because we are always together, but I feel like time is moving faster as they are getting older. I remember someone saying how the days are long but the years are short. I am feeling this big time right now. I love who the kids are becoming as they age, but it is hard too to know that they are moving toward middle and high school. 

12. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Laundry!

13.  What were your favorite TV programs?

Gossip Girl

Virgin River

NFL 

Podcasts:

Going West

  
14.  What did you do for your birthday in 2024?

I ended up taking a half day on my birthday. It was Open House at C's school and L baseball. We had cake late in the evening, but it was all good. 

15.  What is a valuable life lesson you learned in 2024?

Lean into who you are and don't apologize for it. Embrace your strengths and use them to help others. Do what you need to do to be happy.

16.  My goals for 2025:   

I want to spend more one-on-one time with each of the kids. I want to say YES to new experiences. As always, I want to travel to new places.

Happy New Year!