Goodnight 2018

  I'm not going to say goodbye or good riddance to 2018.  I'm just going to say goodnight.  I have learned a lot this year and although a majority of it was not positive I appreciate the good experiences I had.

  I will say goodnight as I put the memories to rest.  I will say goodnight because I will not forget but will move on towards the future.  I will say goodnight because when I woke up I made some really good friends along the way.

  2018 you didn't have to be so rough but I guess I needed some lessons taught, learn to be humble, learn to trust friends and learn that I am stronger then I think.

 2019 I ask that you be gentle.  I will follow your lead but I also know I need to eventually take my own path.  I look forward to be a stronger individual both mentally, physically and emotionally!  I know I will be a better person at the end.

 For 2019 I want to continue on my path of health and fitness.  I want to continue to volunteer when I can. I want to be a positive role model for my kids. As well as continue to grow in my faith.  I want to be happier and I am in charge of that!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you follow me into the new year and enjoy my journey. I look forward to hearing your adventures too and we can motivate each other.

2017 recap

  I can't say that I have never had a year I wanted to hold onto and this was definitely not one either.

  I started 2017 out with some bad health news in my family and then problems just continued after that.  You know that saying, "When it rains it pours."  I don't want to over exaggerate my problems because there is worse out there but, I did have doubts of how much I could tolerate at one time.

  Thankfully some issues have resolved themselves and others I'm carrying with me into 2018 sadly.  I have nonetheless also accomplished some goals and had proud moments.

  In 2018 I crossed off 2 bucket list items!
Stand up Paddle Boarding and Zip line in addition to hanging out in a tree obstacle course!  Of course what I didn't get around to doing just gets rolled over and hopefully some will get crossed off again this year.

  I read a total of 40 books and went to the movies at least 16 times.

  I shared firsts with my kids like a hockey game, a carriage ride and laid wreaths.

  I had more collaborations both paid and with complimentary products compared to my previous year (this was my 2nd year blogging).  I even was selected for the Chick Fil A moms panel!

  Kudos to me for even donating blood for the first time!

I also tried aerial yoga and that wasn't even on my list! Bonus!

  So I can sit back and smile with satisfaction of my success as a blogger.  I can't wait to see how I grow in this new year.  I have a few blogging goals I would like to accomplish so amongst everything else like my bucket list and resolutions. I'll be working towards those too.

  Happy New Year everyone and I wish much success on everyone. 

1st Day Hike

  Sunday I took advantage of the 1st day hike at my local state park here in VA.  I already hold a pass for free entry which was another lure for people but I wanted to start the year off on foot and fresh air!

  In addition to the free entry fee a variety of parks offered guided tours or encouraged unaccompanied tours.  I was running late so I hiked alone.

  I choose a local park versus one I really wanted to go to that was several hours away.  Chippokes State Park is one of my favorites.  I have been here a few times and nothing gets better then finding a new trail and exploring more!

  Chippokes Park is locates in Surry, VA and offers a unique experience in addition to the pool and cabins.  This park has working farm as well as an antebellum mansion.

  I have toured the house and the kitchen located in a separate quarters but I love the walk to the mansion and the view!

  I had a great day.  A solo day had so many rewards and gave me a lot of time to think and reflect on myself, the new year and explore my surroundings.

  I always use Map My Run as I'm the only one without a Fitbit to keep track of my miles but the phone battery died so on the way back it stopped calculating.

  Not too bad if you take into account stopping to take a ton of pictures!

  I can't wait to take my family back to show them the new path I found!  Keep following as we have a fee more state parks to explore before we have seen all of them in the state! 

For more information about this park check it out here.

Goodbye 2016

  2016 is gone, right?  It can't come back, right?  Because I would hate for it to come back just so I could make the same mistakes again.  In all actuality it just sometimes takes a couple tries to get it right.

  Some good things that happened this year:

-one child got her braces removed (yeah it's been a few years).

- I completed 30 days of fitness (another yeah).

-I turned 40 (I have yet to feel if that was a good thing or not but I can't go back with that so I'm just dealing with it).

-I read more books (I did lose count  maybe 15-20 but I'm going to keep track this year).

-joined 3 social groups which greatly help my hermit self come out.

-I did more things solo.  Lol, now after the hermit part you may be confused but, let me tell you I have no problem seeing a movie, hiking, cycling or going out to eat by myself.  I'm scared of people talking to me.  I can go hang out with them as a wallflower.

-cycled 50 miles one day.

A few things I WON'T miss from 2016:

-my lack of patience in everything from kids, driving, life etc.

-anxiety before, during and after events that I attended.  I'm working on getting out there and being more approachable as well as making conversation with people.

-stress fracture I had at the beginning of the year which started at the end of 2015.

-turning 40.

-a few too many arguments with a few too many people.

What did you like the most in 2016?  What did you least like from 2016?