2015 Resolutions Review

New Year's goals time! Most of you know I love setting goals, and tracking my progress is probably my favorite part. It's time to evaluate my progress from last year.

2015 has actually been a really hard year for a variety of reasons. I've had some experiences this year that have challenged me on a very nuclear level - I've done a lot of thinking about what I really believe, what I do, and what I want. Lest you become worried, I'm fine, but I think these kinds of years come along every so often that make you really evaluate where you are and where you want to be. I'd like to say it's been a huge growth year and I've come out on the other side stronger and better, but I'm not sure I've really come out on the other side yet. But I'm still working through things and I'm optimistic about what 2016 holds for me. I've also had some really great experiences this year with wonderful people. But like, actually, good riddance 2015. That being said, here are the goals I set last year.

Physical
1. Lose 30 Before 30...ish. Umm...not really.  I set this goal at my last birthday. Then I went ahead and gained 10 pounds over the holidays so I was really looking at 40 pounds. It's been a year-long effort and I did lose 28 pounds at my lowest. After the holidays, I'm up a few so I'm still about 15 pounds from my goal weight, but I've made huge progress and I feel confident that I can finish up those last 15 by this summer. It's been so fun to fit back into old clothes again and I feel much better. It's been hard getting back into the swing of things after the holidays, but I'll get it. I'm still committed to this goal, even though it's taking longer than originally planned. I started running regularly this year and I've really come to love that.

Financial
2. Get out of debt, other than my car. I accomplished this goal this past summer, I think, paying off my student loan and credit card. I unexpectedly had another loan to pay back after getting a much heftier tax bill than anticipated, and I paid that off this past fall. I'm sitting on a balance on my credit card again, though, but I'll get that taken care of within the next couple of months. If anyone has any tips for how to use a credit card (for rewards) without ending up with a balance, I'm open to hearing those. It seems so simple - just pay it off every time you use it - but somehow that never ends up happening. I also mentioned buying a house this year but I decided pretty early on that that's not really what I wanted. I have no interest in being responsible for maintenance issues and I would rather spend money on trips than house costs. I've never regretted that decision. Sure, I'll buy a house someday, hopefully when I have a family to live in it with me, but I'm a very satisfied renter for now.

Personal
3. Visit all 50 states. Done! This summer, Jaime and I road-tripped from Utah up through the Dakotas and down to Indiana, hitting North Dakota and Wisconsin - my 48th and 49th states. It was a wonderful trip and we had so much fun. Who knew there were such fun things in the northern states? Then this fall we finished off my list with a dream trip to Hawai'i. I still can't believe how beautiful that place is. It was a perfect crowning finish to my fifty states. Now that that goal's accomplished, I'm looking forward to visiting new cities and places within the states as well other countries.

Spiritual
4. Memorize 1 scripture each month, and review each of them every week. This one was rough. I did choose a scripture each month and I reviewed them pretty regularly in the beginning of the year, but I lost the drive towards the end. Turns out I just really hate memorizing things. I enjoyed the concept of ponderizing presented in this past October's General Conference, though, and I'm thinking something like that is more realistic for me - choose scriptures to review frequently and become familiar with without the pressure of memorizing them word-for-word.

I didn't do nearly as well with these goals as I had expected, but I have certainly accomplished a lot of other things and the progress I did make in these goals was more than I would have if I hadn't set them in the first place, so that's a positive! I'm excited to make some adjustments for 2016 and make it better!