A Look Back at 2013...

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone!

I can't believe that the end of 2013 is already here... it went by crazy fast, right?

I'm not sure about you, but 2013 was an interesting year for me. Nothing all that "big" happened in our lives this year, but I feel like that might be life's way of preparing us for some really momentous events and changes in 2014. There a few big things on the horizon that we are expecting: some great travel opportunities, visits with family and friends to celebrate weddings and graduations, and hopefully dipping our toes in the waters of home and dog ownership. And then, there is always the unexpected... and we are no strangers to that! So while it hasn't even started, 2014 is already shaping up to be a busy year. And I can't wait!

Goodbye 2013 and cheers to 2014!

Just for fun, here's a look back at our resolutions for 2013-- and a little progress report. I'm not going to be putting one of these together for next year. I think owning a home is goal enough. :)


1. Run one more marathon (Alex's goal for his 30th birthday year). He did it! Alex completed the Chicago Marathon in October and finished with his personal best time. So proud!
2. Be more financially responsible by saving more aggressively for a house and keeping our credit card debt at a low/manageable level ALL year. Not to toot my own horn (toot toot!), but I feel like we really killed this one in 2013... we have been incredibly conscious of spending, budgeting, and managing our debt and I think it has really paid off. Homeownership, here we come!
3. Read more books and watch less TV (one of my goals from last year that I didn't do so well with). I'm reading more books, but still watching tons of TV... how is this possible? My goal has been to try and read 1 book per month and I have been somewhat on track with that. I'm finishing up the new Bridget Jones book now!
4. Stay organized, purge unnecessary stuff, and keep both my work and living spaces clutter free. An ongoing project. I've become a master of purging. However, I am still a master of shopping so the two seem to cancel one another out.
5. Spend more time with friends and family-- near and far. We had the opportunity to visit with both of our families more than once this year, which we can't often say is the case. We have welcomed old friends back to Chicago and visited even older friends to celebrate weddings this year. However, with 3 weddings of very good friends on the horizon next year, 2014 will definitely be the year of the reunion!
6. Cut more junk food out of our diet (like that nasty high fructose corn syrup), eat healthy, and make exercise more of a priority. Another ongoing project. Are we working on it? Yes. Are we there yet? No.
7. Stay employed at the same firm for the entire year and start plugging away at the ARE to become a licensed architect (Alex). Happy to say that Alex is still working for the same office, although studying for his licensing exams has taken a backseat to his busy work schedule. We can't complain though. Busy is good.
8. Travel as much as we can on as little money as possible. A lofty goal, but I will try to make it work! We got to do some amazing travel this year-- together and apart, for work and for pleasure: We collectively made it to Las Vegas, Rhode Island, Buffalo, Erie, Dallas, Baton Rouge, Milwaukee, Kohler, St. Simon's Island, Madison, San Diego, Newport Beach, and northern Michigan... not bad.
9. Explore the Chicago suburbs (since we hardly ever get out of the city) to get some clarity about where we'd like to move in the future. Well, this is an interesting one. We didn't explore the suburbs at all (except for the few times we had to be out there for work or we were making a run to the outlet mall) because the more we thought about it, the more we don't want to leave Chicago... yet. So instead, we have continued to explore Chicago with the hope that we'll be able to buy our first home (a condo) in the city.
10. Stress less, live in the moment, and enjoy life with each other. Another ongoing project. Life is busy (and just gets busier), so it's difficult to not stress-- especially for someone as prone to anxiety as I am... but life is good.

Have a safe and happy new year!