This was easily one of the best years of my life and feels like it came and went in a flash. It wasn't the best because of a lack of struggle or hard days, but it was the best because I was able to travel and explore, and I was able to grow as a person through work, school, and cultivating relationships that matter to me.
I traveled around the states quite a bit this year, like going to southern California, Utah, Idaho, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York. I had fun traveling with Ryan and with friends and I really treasure these adventures.
According to Strava, I had 110 active days this year and I totaled a distance of 424 miles, with running being my top sport. This is actually less than I ran in 2020, but I am still happy I showed up for myself in that way. Part of why I ran less in 2021 is because I was doing Orange Theory fitness!
My new years resolution for 2021 was to buy my clothing second hand. I only partly succeeded in this. I bought more second hand than before, which wasn't hard to do because I never used to shop second hand. The reason for the goal was to be mindful of my consumption and wastefulness, and I feel that I was able to succeed in this. I still bought clothing new, but I did much less mindless shopping in 2021. When I went to the store it was for a purpose, and not just because I was bored or stressed and wanting to feel better in the moment.
I started my journey as a CASA volunteer and I have continued to pursue a higher education. I have had plenty of mental roadblocks and I am not always as productive as I wish I was, but overall I feel I am on the track I want to be on.
In July 2021, Ryan and I adopted our cat, Willie. We kept the name given to him by the humane society. He is such a fun addition to our home and we love him. It has been fun learning about his personality and having something to take care of other than myself.
One of the best experiences this year was going to New England in October to visit my friend Michelle. I have always wanted to see the east coast in the fall, and it was incredible to spend a long weekend in Boston with my best friend!
If I had to pick just one more top experience from 2021, I would pick our New York trip. Ryan and I met up with his sister and her husband in New York City in early December. We ate delicious food and had a blast. We went to the Comedy Cellar and we were extremely lucky to get surprise visits by Aziz Anzari and Chris Rock in the same night.
In 2022, I want to finalize my graduation plan with BYU-Idaho and focus on that part of my life. I want to maintain my volunteer position as a CASA and do my part to advocate for youth in foster care. I want to work on not making promises I cannot keep, and be dependable to myself and others.
My actual 2022 new years resolution is going to be to run a half-marathon in San Francisco. It has been two years since I have ran any race other than a 5k. I thought I wanted to train for another full-marathon but I think a half sounds like the right distance for me right now! I got so lazy after 2020 happened and I lost my streak of running 1 marathon per year. Oh well!
This year is going to be interesting because I am at a point in my life where I am ready to start a family and everything I do will work around that. I would like to do one big trip this year, like to Europe or Hawaii, but that is a flexible goal. I have financial goals to work toward with Ryan, like saving more than we did last year. I don't necessarily want to buy a house in 2022, but I want to make sure we continue to save and invest so we can keep our options as open as possible!
