It didn’t hit until recently that a new decade is beginning, I guess because we’ve already experienced so many new beginnings recently. 2019 was a big year for us, with an interstate move, our first big family vacation together, and injuries that impacted both travel and our day-to-day quality of life. With these changes, it was kind of a weird travel year as well, and I think we visited fewer destinations than we have in recent years. Still, we managed to squeeze in trips to Alabama, New Orleans, Mexico City, Lafayette, Minneapolis, St. Pete, Cartagena, Raleigh, Spain, and Italy. And now that we’ve moved, I can’t wait to start using Charlotte Douglas for our flights to new destinations.
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I just read through my resolutions for 2019, and I was surprised at how many I’d worked on and/or accomplished almost subconsciously without re-reading my list during the year. How about a quick recap?
Looking Back at 2019
Go dry for January | We did this, and we survived! I was surprised at how much we saved on each visit to the grocery store, and how much more well-rested I felt each morning. But I did find that we sort of replaced one vice with another: sugar. By the end of the month, we were ready to celebrate with a bottle of chilled Champagne, and I think we’ve found a better balance of both alcohol and sugar.
Be more intentional | This will forever be my struggle, but progress over perfection, right? I noticed a huge decline in feeling connected to the world around me and the current moment when my yoga teacher retired; finding a new routine here in Charlotte is going to be high on my list.
Be kinder to myself | I’m not sure if I’ve undergone some kind of internal change, or maybe it’s just a part of getting older, but I think I’ve made strides in being kinder to my mind and body.
Take a giant leap | We did it – we made that leap! Back in November, we moved from our hometown of Gainesville, Florida to Charlotte, North Carolina – and while it hasn’t been easy, we are embracing these confusing, stressful, and sometimes awkward moments. I’m not quite sure I’ll ever learn my way around, but I’m positive I won’t get bored here.
Keep downsizing | This was fairly well-accomplished as a by-product of moving homes twice in the last year, but we still have a way to go with balancing the number of things in our home. This year I want to keep downsizing some of our possessions, but I do want to ensure our home is filled with things that enhance our life. This means we’ve purchased a few new things for our home, but slowly – picking out items that will function well and are pleasant to look at. So far I’m enjoying our peg rails and electric fireplace (okay, especially the electric fireplace).
Nature-focused travel | This one was a total failure! But there’s always next year this year.
Getting social while traveling | Still a work in progress, but I’m getting better at it! I’ve always struggled a bit with making conversation with strangers (seriously, I didn’t start answering the home phone until I was sixteen or so), but I do really enjoy it and I find I learn a lot from it. We’ve had some really insightful conversations this year with owners of local businesses in the places we travel. I want to continue making a conscious effort to do so, and also chat up other travelers, too!
Start a newsletter | I did finally start a newsletter (you can sign up for it here), but frankly, I’ve lost a bit of steam in writing my blog and sending out the emails. Hoping to pick that up again for 2020!
Dive in deeper on my posts | This is something I want to continue working on, honing my writing skills and making sure the content my readers are looking for is in the posts. As always, if there’s something you’d like to know more about, please let me know!
Perform some site updates | I’ve Michael has made a few changes, most notably the map in the sidebar and the layout of the Destinations page, but I’d still like to streamline things some more.
A New Year
I know it’s no longer “cool” to make resolutions, and I don’t really need a calendar to tell me when to change, but at this moment, I truly do want to evolve and grow.
This year I want to:
Blog more, and strike a better balance between treating it like a job (believe it or not, blogging is a lot of work) and a fun hobby | I still haven’t found my sweet spot of writing consistently and getting ahead on posts, and I think it’s time to set a writing & photographing schedule for myself. However, I find myself thinking in snippets of things to write here and not remembering them by the time I sit down to write a post, so I also need to find a way to jot those ideas down. I may just have to resort to recording voice memos on my phone (awkward) or typing them in my notes, along with keeping a notebook by the bed for jotting down late-night inspiration. What are your favorite ways to record your thoughts?
Wear my dang retainer | Less because my parents love to remind me how expensive my braces were, and more because the shifting is starting to get uncomfortable. It’s no fun trying to shove my teeth into a mold in which they no longer fit, but it certainly must be easier than getting braces as an adult (and paying for them myself this time).
Explore our new home state and surrounding areas | I’ve already devoured the new Visit NC guide, and I’m so excited to get to know the area more! Two years ago we completed a “year of Florida,” where we set out to explore a new Florida destination each month. I look forward to repeating that challenge in our new area. Where should we go first?
Travel more outside our comfort zone | Though I don’t regret any of our travels (except maybe Luxembourg), sometimes I feel embarrassed looking at our travel map. It’s very clearly North America and Western/Northern/Southern European-centric. I mean, we were just barely on the shores of South America while visiting Cartagena last summer. This year I want to make a conscious effort to visit at least one location in a different region (looking at you South America, Eastern Europe, and Asia) and/or where Spanish (or another romance language) or English is not widely spoken. That’s a big and potentially costly resolution, but it’s an important one.
Be on it | Much to the frustration of some of my family, I am decidedly not a Type-A person. Unless the deadlines are external or it’s something work-related, I’m pretty relaxed with my task load. Sure, I like things to be done, but I also enjoy my leisure time and the ability to go out and do fun things. This year I want to find more of a balance between the things I want and need to happen.
Exercise, and not just at the gym | We’re maintaining our YMCA membership here in Charlotte, and I love having so many branches to choose from, but we’ve also purchased an annual membership to the U.S. National Whitewater Center and I’m looking forward to getting moving outside too.
Buy more secondhand | Secondhand is becoming more and more my go-to for clothes, but I also want to make sure when we’re buying things for our home that we search for used items as well. There are so many items out there that need new homes – and many of them are still in the box at a fraction of the cost!
Keep reducing our footprint | I’ll never be able to store all of my annual waste in a mason jar (but more power to those trailblazers!), however, I can keep making small, easy changes that add up, one at a time. Most recently we’ve switched to linen napkins instead of paper ones, and we’re going to join this local composting effort this month. I find it’s easiest to turn these single changes into a habit before starting a new one; I’m more likely to stick with it rather than burn out.
Form new friendships | We’re fortunate enough to have a small community of friends who already live in Charlotte, but I’d really like to step outside of my comfort zone to meet new people here too. We live in a neighborhood with an active community board, and I also want to try to connect with others through platforms like Meetup as well.
Tell people about the blog (maybe) | This is tough – I’ve done it a little bit, and it’s so incredibly hard for me to share that information/market myself (especially after this many years!). Perhaps 2020 will be the year!
What are you looking forward to this decade? Are you hoping to evolve, or have you found contentment with where you are at the moment? And most importantly – where will you travel in 2020?!
