35 BEFORE 35: One-Year Check-In

Last year, having finished off my 32 Before 32 Bucket list, I came up with a new list of goals to accomplish by the time I turn 35. Today just so happens to be my 33rd birthday, so although this blog sits collecting dust, I love doing these recap posts and checking in on my goals. At the time, I came up with my list, we were about 1-month in to pandemic life and had no idea what the next year would look like. My list of goals is a reflection of that unknown, but also optimism that eventually life would return to some semblance of normal. Here's what I managed to do during the Year of COVID:

35 Before 35: One-Year Check-In

1. Take an international trip | Ha.

2. Earn a second professional designation | COMPLETED (4/21) | Oh my goodness, I fit this one in just under the wire! This past Saturday, Chuck took the boys off my hands and I spent all day at home cramming and took the leap and PASSED my final exam on the first try! The test requires a 70% passing score so I was shocked when I got an 81%. Studying at home during the pandemic with two kids at home was sooo difficult, so I feel particularly proud of this one. My 3-year work anniversary is just over a month away and it's absolutely bonkers how much I've learned and achieved in that time. I can't wait to see where the next 3 years take me!

3. Pay off ALL student loans | IN PROGRESS | In 2020, I paid off THREE private student loans thanks in large part to the government stimulus checks. I'm hopeful that we'll have paid off another private student loan by July and though it will definitely be a stretch, it's not outside the realm of possibility that we'll have all of my private loans paid off by the end of the year!

4. Renovate basement half bathroom to a full bathroom | Originally, we planned to tackle this project this year. However, after a year of being cooped up at home, we decided we'd rather spend what we'd put toward tearing up our basement floor to take a family trip to Walt Disney World. Hopefully, we'll get to this in the next year or two.

5. Schedule a monthly family day trip

6. Join a nonprofit board | Not necessarily a non-profit board, but I am serving on a committee at church which is similar, so I'm not sure whether to count this one or not.

7. Install new kitchen and basement flooring

8. Open Roth IRAs for Chuck and me | This won't happen for another few years until we pay all our debt off.

9. Host a foreign exchange student

10. Deliver 35 meals to someone who needs it (1/35) | IN PROGRESS | Unfortunately, I kind of stunk at this in the past year. It was already too much work just trying to feed my own family!

11. Run a half marathon

12. Teach Charlie + Crosby how to swim | IN PROGRESS | We re-enrolled the boys' in weekly swimming lessons at Goldfish Swim School-Dayton and have marveled at their progress!! 

13. Replace our back porch

14. Visit Frankie's grave

15. Attend a cooking class

16. Deliver my Daddy's ashes

17. Take a romantic vacation for our 10th anniversary

18. Get a fourth tattoo

19. Install planter boxes in our front yard

20. Run a 5k with Charlie

21. Purchase a minivan | COMPLETED (12/20) | Almost on a whim, I decided to snag an awesome deal on a 2018 Toyota Sienna I'd been following on CarFax on the last day of 2020. It worked out great and becoming a minivan family has been everything I'd hoped for and more!

22. Run a race in 3 different states (1/3) | IN PROGRESS | I've run a virtual Ohio-based race, but don't anticipate running outside of my home state any time soon.

23. Plan an annual sister weekend

24. Refinance our mortgage

25. Attend a concert with Chuck

26. Replace living room furniture | COMPLETED (9/20) | Although our sectional took nearly FOUR months to arrive due to COVID-related delays, we finally got her in September of 2020 and have treasured it every day since then. We couldn't be happier with our purchase and are so glad we waited it out rather than going with a Plan B couch.

27. Take a Mommy + Me class with Crosby

28. Learn how to can veggies

29. Replace backyard fence and repair driveway

30. Visit my BFNSCF

31. Host an annual ladies' brunch

32. Paint and install new counters and kitchen backsplash

33. Decide whether to grow our family | I'm not sure what and whether to share about this one right now. This past year has been hard and weird, but hopefully I'll be ready to share at some point in the not too distant future.

34. Increase our tithing by 10% each year | IN PROGRESS | So far, so good! I've increased the amount of our monthly tithe by 25% from 2020 to 2021 and we've continued to give to our church every month.

35. Send 35 birthday/thank you/etc. cards (19/35) | IN PROGRESS | An unintended consequence of pandemic life- I live for mailing cards to my loved ones! I've probably sent more than 19, but haven't been super diligent about keeping track.

Considering the last year has taken place during "unprecendented times" (who else is sick of that word?), I'd honestly say that my progress hasn't been completely terrible. It will be interesting to see what the next year holds for me and my family. We can only hope for more travel, more friends, and less worry.

FINANCIAL PEACE: 2020 Debt Paid & 2021 Goals

Oh, boy. Where to start? 2020 was a year. I'll spare you the platitudes that include phrases such as "pandemic," "unprecendented," and "dumpster fire." You've heard them. We all collectively experienced 2020 and I imagine we all collectively did not meet the goals we planned for ourselves.

That being said, if 2020 had a silver lining at all for my family, it was that not doing anything or going anywhere lent itself well to our debt-free journey. Before I share what we accomplished in the last year, I thought I'd recap the goals I shared eons ago in January 2020:

Recap of my 2020 financial goals

In January, we celebrated paying a total of $37,250 toward debt in 2019 (a 22% increase from the year before). This total included wiping out medical debt, as well as our credit card debt. We were elated with the progress we made and ready to maintain our financial discipline and set our sights on new hurdles:

GOAL #1: Payoff my auto loan- COMPLETE! | In February, we knocked out the auto loan on my 2012 Kia Forte. We then got to enjoy the remainder of the year with just one car payment which felt pretty amazing.

GOAL #2: Purchase a new car- INCOMPLETE! | Technically, this is an "incomplete," but for a very good reason- I didn't purchase a new vehicle, because I didn't need to! Starting the new year, we assumed we'd have to replace my little Kia that's been with me since before we were married. What we weren't anticipating was the fact that my weekly mileage would go from 400+ miles per week to probably less than 20 miles per week when I began working remotely from home due to the pandemic. The only thing I used my car for in the last 9 months was school drop-off and pick-up. And did I mention how much I loved not having a car payment?

GOAL #3: Payoff a student loan- COMPLETED! | I am so excited to share that not only did I payoff a student loan...I paid off THREE! That being said, in the interest of full disclosure, the CARES Act stimulus check and forbearance of Federal loans allowed me to put a lot more money toward my high-interest private loans than I would have been able to in a "typical" year.

GOAL #4: Payoff personal debt- COMPLETED! | We had a couple small miscellaneous debts that we carried over from 2019 and were able to knock out by February. However, we did add debt to this category when I financed my Peloton in August. It's 0% APR so I think of it less as a debt than a payment plan, but still keep track of my payments along with my other debts.

GOAL #5: Cash flow our family trip- COMPLETED! | One of my best friends was supposed to get married in May and we were going to tack on a family trip to Washington DC. Obviously, that was cancelled and she postponed her wedding until September. Since the school year had started by that point, our family trip became a solo weekend. My trip expenses were significantly less traveling by myself, but I'm still proud to have saved up and had plenty on hand to pay for unexpected expenses that popped up.

So, how'd we do in 2020?

Last year, we paid a total of $43,308.17 (a 16% increase from 2019) toward debt! Here's how it broke down:

It's hard for me to believe that we were able to put so much toward my student loan debt this year. The last few years, our focus has been on our "Debt Snowball" and getting rid of all of our smaller debts so that we'd have more income freed up to apply toward our biggest debt- student loans! We began 2020 with SIX FIGURES worth of student loan debt- it was literally more than our mortgage because of the egregiously high interest rates. This was the year we made actual progress in reducing the principal amount rather than just paying interest in the form of minimum payments. 

2020 was the year that we shifted tactics from debt snowballing to debt "avalanching." One of the three student loans that we paid in full had an 11.25% interest rate (which had actually decreased from over 13% in 2019). It felt so good to kick that one to the curb!

In looking forward to the year ahead, 2020 has taught me to keep my expectations low. I know that we're nowhere near the end of this pandemic and anything can happen. However, I also know that in the midst of life's uncertainties focusing my energy on goal-setting genuinely brings me joy when the world feels entirely out of my control. 

I have reason to believe that we won't exceed our 2020 debt payoff total in 2021 for a few reasons: 1) Presumably, I will be returning to the office (and my 45+ minute commute) at some point and will actually need a new vehicle, 2) Due to the way health insurance is structured through my employer my income has exceeded a certain tier and my healthcare costs will triple next year (not excited), 3) I don't expect any more COVID-related supplemental income, but it will be interesting to see if President-elect Biden and/or Congress make any movement toward student loan relief.

So, with those variables in mind and with the mentality that all of these could wind up being irrelevant and/or replaced with other priorities, here are my financial goals for 2021:

5 Financial Goals for 2021

GOAL #1: Payoff my next highest-interest (10.25%) student loan. 

GOAL #2: Finally purchase my minivan. 

GOAL #3: Save and cash flow our family trip to Walt Disney World!

GOAL #4: Increase my monthly tithe by 25%.

GOAL #5: Increase our Emergency Fund savings to $10,000.

Ideally, I would love to pay off all my remaining private student loans, but between the car purchase and the family trip we have some bigger expenses to save for so I think our priorities are going to shift in that regard. And yes, one could argue that student loan repayment should come before Disney World- but my children are only going to be this age once and honestly, I want us to enjoy a little reward for the hard work we've put in to dramatically reduce our debt. We are not entitled to a family vacation, but for the first time in our 8-year marriage we are in a position to do so. The trade-off feels more than worth it. 

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What are your financial goals for the next year?!

35 BEFORE 35

35 Before 35: A 3-Year Bucket List

*1. Take an international trip | This is a carryover from my 32 Before 32 bucket list. I haven't traveled out of the country since our Jamaican honeymoon in 2012!

2. Earn a second professional designation | I earned my first professional designation in 2019 and had planned to work toward a second in 2020. I think this is totally within reach, but perhaps not as soon as I had planned due to the Coronavirus.

3. Pay off ALL student loans | | This probably won't happen within the next three years. I've calculated out our debt snowball and we're realistically looking at a 4-year timeline unless our household income dramatically increases. It's unlikely, but who knows what the future has in store.

4. Renovate basement half bathroom to a full bathroom | I think we're all ready to stop fighting over our single shared bathroom. It's long overdue to turn our non-functional basement half bathroom into a bathroom people actually use!

5. Schedule a monthly family day trip | Before the stay-at-home order, we were actually doing a good job of this. In February, we paid a visit to the Newport Aquarium and we in early March we took a day trip to the COSI museum in Columbus with Chuck's brother and his family. I like being intentional about spending time together as a foursome and introducing our boys to new experiences.

6. Join a nonprofit board | This has been something I've been interested in for awhile, but the timing has never worked out. 

7. Install new kitchen and basement flooring | Our basement carpet and grimy kitchen tile has got to go.

8. Open Roth IRAs for Chuck and Me | Debt payoff is the name of our game right now, so we're not in a place to begin investing and saving for retirement (outside of our 401ks) just yet. Hopefully, this will change in a couple years' time.

*9. Host a foreign exchange student | This is another carryover from my 32 Before 32 list. I've always wanted to host a foreign exchange student because my own study abroad experience was so impactful. Chuck has been supportive, but continues to remind me that the timing isn't right quite yet. He's been right, of course, but it's only a matter of time before I wear him down.

10. Deliver 35 meals to someone who needs it (0/35) | Loving on people with food is one of my favorite things to do. I make a mean veggie lasagna and I love blessing new Mamas and friends going through tough times when I'm able to. It's something I'd like to do more frequently. 

*11. Run a half marathon | I trained in 2018 and 2019, but due to work obligations and a heat advisory, my Half never happened. I have two scheduled in 2020- in August and October. They're far enough out that I still have time to train, but running definitely hasn't been a top priority during lockdown.

12. Teach Charlie + Crosby how to swim | For a couple years, we took the boys to weekly lessons at Goldfish Swim School in Dayton and loved our experience there. However, when I returned to work full-time, it just became too logistically difficult for us to continue. We have a local community pool that opens in the summers and at some point I'd like to get our boys back in the water and swimming independently.

*13. Replace our back porch | Our back porch is in rough shape and we've had to have broken stairs repaired more than once. Eventually, we'd like to replace it, reconfigure the stairs, and add some built in planter beds.

*14. Visit Frankie's grave | It feels impossible to believe my fake big brother has been gone for 7 years. We were actually supposed to be headed to DC at the end of April on a family trip en route to a friend's Maryland wedding and I planned to visit Arlington National Cemetery while we were in the area. Due to COVID, her wedding has been rescheduled for September so hopefully I can visit my Frankie G once and for all.

*15. Attend a cooking class | Cooking has become one of my favorite weekend activities. Getting meal subscription boxes like Purple Carrot has been so useful in teaching me new skills, but I'd really like to up my game by taking a class.

16. Deliver my Daddy's ashes | When my Daddy passed in 2018, his Last Will & Testament stipulated that he wanted half of his ashes spread over his Mom's grave in Upstate NY and half of his ashes were to be delivered to his best friend in California to be spread in the Pacific Ocean. My sister haven't had the means to deliver his ashes to the West Coast...yet. But I'm hopeful that we'll be able to do so in the next year or two.

17. Take a romantic vacation for our 10th anniversary | Our 10th anniversary will fall on September 2, 2022. Honestly, our bar for a romantic vacation is so low at this point. We'd take a long jaunt to a Taco Bell if it meant we got some alone time! Ideally, we'd like to do a Caribbean trip of some kind reminiscent of our Jamaican honeymoon.

*18. Get a fourth tattoo | I've had a tattoo idea I've wanted to do for several years now, but could never justify spending the money when there are childcare and student loan payments to be made! 

*19. Install planter boxes in our front yard | In 2018 while we were out of town, Ohio was hit with a huge ice storm and we lost both of the beautiful trees in our front yard. Since then, our house has lacked any curb appeal. I'd really like to build wooden planter boxes to plant some flowering perennials and add some color to our property!

20. Run a 5k with Charlie | Charlie is quickly becoming my little running buddy! He's accompanied me on his bike on a few of my trail runs and always wants to come with me when I head out. The kid has got some serious speed and I think it would be such a fun bonding activity to do together.

*21. Purchase a minivan | We paid off my car in February 2020, so right now I'm enjoying having no car payments for as long as possible before we take the plunge into minivan ownership.

*22. Run a race in 3 different states (1/3) | This is a carryover from my previous bucket list. So far, I've only raced in my home state of Ohio!

23. Plan an annual sister weekend | A few months ago, I called my sister and asked her, "Do you feel like we've been growing apart?" It was a heartbreaking realization to come to that as we've been getting older and creating lives that are states apart, we're just not involved in each other's day-to-day the way we were as kids. We decided to commit to an annual sister weekend and had even made plans for a weekend in Denver in July...before COVID hit. 

24. Refinance our mortgage | Once we've built up a little more equity, we'd like to refinance so we can get a better rate and expedite our payoff. 

25. Attend a concert with Chuck | It's been years since Chuck and I attended a concert together which is insane because we're both huge fans of live music. Obviously, I don't foresee any large gatherings in our immediate future, but I look forward to this day when life returns to some semblance of normal.

26. Replace living room furniture | Having two toddlers and a puppy has not been kind to our sofa. It's gotten to the point where we rarely even use our living room because the furniture is in such terrible shape. I want to change this ASAP because our living room was my favorite room in the house until recently.

27. Take a Mommy + Me class with Crosby | While running is an easy bonding activity for Charlie and me, I also want to find a one-on-one activity for Crosby and I to enjoy together- whether, it's art, music, cooking. I cherish spending quality individual time with my kiddos. 

28. Learn how to can veggies | Chuck lovingly bought me a hot water bath for Christmas several years ago that still hasn't seen any use. I've always wanted to learn how to can veggies in the summer, but have either been too intimidated or just plain lacked the time. As my kids age and become less dependent on me, I'm hoping I'll have some more time to pick up a couple new hobbies. 

29. Replace backyard fence and repair driveway | I'm thankful to have an enclosed backyard to contain our energetic pup, but the chain link and patchy asphalt is really unattractive. I want to continue making our backyard a place we want to be in. 

30. Visit my BFNSCF | My high school best friend and I have lived states apart for our entire adult life and have not seen nearly enough of each other in that time. The last time we saw each other in-person was when Crosby was six weeks old and I made the spontaneous decision to spend a week of my maternity leave with my bestie in North Carolina. 

31. Host an annual ladies' brunch | Since moving back to Chuck's hometown in 2013, I've found myself in a group of terrific women. I've held a couple Galentine's Day and Christmas Cookie exchanges since then, but I'd like to be more intentional about hosting my friends. In a house full of boys, having time with female friends has become so important to me. 

*32. Paint and install new counters and kitchen backsplash | Since the day we bought it in 2015, my kitchen has been my least favorite room in the house. It's a small, dark galley-style kitchen that is in desperate need of a coat of paint. If I'm going to spend hours of my day cooking for my family, I want it to be a happy, welcoming space!

33. Decide whether to grow our family | I shared the state of our family a few months ago, but the truth is, we still don't know what the future holds for us. Will we remain a family of four or will we grow in number either biologically or through adoption? We somehow still don't feel confident in the answer, but I'm hoping we'll know someday soon. 

34. Increase our tithing by 10% each year | I've only recently begin a habit of monthly giving versus sporadically giving when we happen to show up to church on Sunday mornings. It's a small amount until we're debt-free, but I'd love to give more to the faith community that has given me so much. 

35. Send 35 birthday/thank you/etc. cards (0/35) | I feel like this is such an easy goal to embark upon during the time of COVID. I've kept every card I've ever received since the 6th grade and I want to do a better job of sending little parcels of TLC to my friends and family.

*Indicates a carryover from my 32 Before 32 bucket list


During this time of anxiety and uncertainty, it feels good to have hope in better days to come. I don't know what the next year has in store for me, my family or my country, but I'm hopeful that by my 35th birthday, I will have some accomplishments to reflect back on and celebrate. 

What is something you're looking forward to if and when life returns to normal?

32 BEFORE 32: Final Check-In

Yesterday was my 32nd birthday. It was not the birthday I envisioned- I wasn't able to enjoy the typical warm, sunny April weather I've become accustomed to. And of course, throwing Ohio's stay-at-home order into the mix added a whole other unprecedented dynamic. But all-in-all it was a good day. This isolation life has been exhausting and my sweet hubby treated me to a day of relaxing and recuperating.

He brought me my morning coffee, locked my bedroom door and kept the boys at bay all day while I read to my bookworm heart's content. I emerged just long enough to eat, shower and do a quick 30-minute yoga class via the Peloton app before I retreated back to my hermit cave and proceeded to continue reading. After nearly a decade together, what can I say? My man knows what I like!

My sister and Mom both called in the morning and we had a nice little video chat. My mom hilariously asked "So, how old are you?" and when I responded she replied, "Oh my God, you're old! I thought you were only 30." I pretty much feel the same way. Thirty two feels very...thirties? 

Despite my weird thing with odd numbers, thirty-one was a good year for me. I passed my second registration exam and earned a professional designation. Not to mention, our family really got our debt snowball rolling! I'm hoping thirty-two brings with it more financial stability and professional accomplishment. But being that we're in the midst of a global pandemic, I'm keeping my expectations low.

Thirty-two will also be the year that Charlie goes to Kindergarten and Crosby will head to his first year in Pre-K. I'm honestly really excited for the next season of parenthood. I'm rarely the Mom who laments about the passing years (I'm sure that will change when they're 18). I love watching my kiddos grow into their personalities. Quality time is my love language so I feel at my most fulfilled as a Mommy when I can spend one-on-one time with them sharing a mutual interest- whether it's running, reading, yoga, etc. That is significantly easier with older kids than it is with babies and toddlers!

Since yesterday was the day I turned the big 3-2, I figured it was a good time to check in on my 32 Before 32 goals and see how I did. I started this bucket list around my 30th birthday and my last check-in was this time last year so there's a lot of ground to make up!

32 Before 32: A 2-Year Bucket List

1. Take an international trip | INCOMPLETE

2. Host a foreign exchange student | INCOMPLETE

3. Pay off a student loan | | INCOMPLETE And to think, if my stimulus check had come a week or two earlier I could have crossed this one off!

4. Return to work full-time | COMPLETE! (June 4, 2018) This goal feels silly now, but was heavy on my mind as a 30-year old stay-at-home/part-time working Mama.

5. Visit a new state | INCOMPLETE Clearly, no travel goals were met as we focused on paying down our debt

6. Convert attic to a fourth bedroom | IN PROGRESS  It is legitimately insane how long this project is taking us. Although the bulk of the room is done- window, new lighting, and shiplap wall have been installed by our friend. I still need to paint and we need to install a closet to make it a real bedroom.

7. Take an anniversary trip | COMPLETE! (September 1, 2018) Chuck and I took a quick, overnight trip to Louisville, KY. It wasn't the best experience- we couldn't get into the distillery tour we were hoping to and our hotel wasn't the best. But we still enjoyed a kid-free evening together at a dueling piano bar.

8. Adopt a four-legged friend | COMPLETE! (December 21, 2019) Of all the items on my list, this one honestly surprises me the most! Chuck and I knew we wanted to get a family dog, but since we both work full-time and commute we just didn't feel like the timing was right. Then in a sleep-deprived haze shortly before Christmas I submitted an adoption application and the next day, Reggie was ours!

9. Run a half marathon | INCOMPLETE And of all the items on my list, this one disappoints me the most! I trained in 2018 and 2019, but due to work obligations and a heat advisory, my Half never happened. I have two scheduled in 2020- in August and October. They're far enough out that I still have time to train, but running definitely hasn't been a top priority during lockdown.

10. Replace our back porch | INCOMPLETE

11. Visit Frankie's grave | INCOMPLETE We were actually supposed to be headed to DC this week on a family trip en route to a friend's Maryland wedding. I had planned to visit Arlington National Cemetery while we were in the area. Of course, her wedding has been postponed to later in the year so this one hasn't happened yet, but I wouldn't have made the cutoff date anyway.

12. Attend a cooking class | INCOMPLETE This is definitely one I'd like to rollover to my next bucket list!

13. Pay off all credit cards (3/3) | COMPLETE! (May 2019) All I can say is- WOOHOOOOO!!!

14. Renovate our kitchen | INCOMPLETE 

15. Get a fourth tattoo | INCOMPLETE 

16. Take a family camping trip | INCOMPLETE 

17. Update my wardrobe | IN PROGRESS Since starting at my current job back in June of 2018, I've slowly been building up my professional wardrobe primarily through ThredUp with the occasional Stitch Fix thrown in when I can justify the splurge. There are still things I could use- new jeans and more shoes, but my closet is in better shape than it's ever been.

18. Add a railing to our front porch | COMPLETE! (October 23, 2018) 

19. Try 10 new restaurants (2/10) | INCOMPLETE  I didn't do a very good job of tracking this so I'm not positive what the final tally is. But I know it's not 10. We tried maybe 2 or 3 new restaurants, but typically stuck to more local places on our rare date nights since we never felt like driving and wanted to be close to the kids.

20. Enroll Charlie in preschool | COMPLETE! (June 2018) He "graduates" next month and will head to Kindergarten in the Fall!

21. Landscape our front yard | IN PROGRESS I'm going to call this one "in progress" even though it's been ages since we last did anything to our front yard and won't be doing anything in the foreseeable future. In November of 2018 while we were out of town enjoying Pre-Thanksgiving, Ohio was hit with a huge ice storm and we lost both our beautiful trees. After having hideously unattractive stumps for almost a year, we had a landscaping company come out and grind them and lay down grass seed. It fixed the stump problem but our yard still leaves much to be desired.

22. Meet a blogging friend | INCOMPLETE  #MomLife?

23. Plan something for Chuck's 30th birthday | COMPLETE! (April 15, 2019) Chuck celebrated his 30th birthday last week by taking a weekend trip to visit his sister in Kansas City, MO. It required very little planning on my part, but it was what he wanted, so we were both happy. On his actual birthday, I picked up a Chocolate Peanut Butter cake from a cute little bakery that recently opened in our town and had pizza delivered. It was a low-key, simple way to celebrate my low-key, simple man!

24. Purchase a minivan | INCOMPLETE  We paid off my car in February 2020, so right now I'm enjoying having no car payments for as long as possible before we take the plunge into minivan ownership.

25. Take a photography class | COMPLETE! (January 2019)  Our family photographer offered an Intro to Photography class and I was so excited to kick off the new year by completing an item on my bucket list. It wound up being just the two of us and I was so appreciative of the time we spent together.

26. Pay off all medical bills from Crosby's birth (3/3) | COMPLETE! (June 2019) We made the final payment on our outstanding medical bills from Crosby's birth just months before his third birthday. Ugh!

27. Run a race in 3 different states (1/3) | INCOMPLETE  Just in my home state of Ohio!

28. Visit the American Sign Museum | INCOMPLETE 

29. Paint and finish decorating our master bedroom | COMPLETE! (January 2020) I have no recollection of when I was finished with our master bedroom so I'm going off of the date I rearranged it to its current setup when I was stir crazy this past winter.

30. Take the boys to an amusement park | INCOMPLETE 

31. Visit Old Man's Cave in Hocking Hills | INCOMPLETE 

32. Attend a concert | COMPLETE! (July 13, 2018) My sister-in-law and I have made a tradition out of an annual country concert. In 2018 we saw Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town. Last year we attended Outlaw Music Festival which included Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt and Luke Combs (who I was unfamiliar with, but she adores).

TOTAL GOALS ACCOMPLISHED: 11/32

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My batting average wasn't great the last two years, but I'm proud of the things I did accomplish and look forward to rolling several of these into my 35 Before 35 list. Stay tuned!

19 GOALS IN 2019: The Final Recap

I think it's fair to say that 2019 was the year blogging sat on my back burner. I was working full-time, studying for exams, and using my spare time to try and keep up with two energetic little men. As my brain soaked up as much finance-related information as it could, it left no room for reading or writing.

Now that we're over a month into 2020, I'm thankfully not as over-committed as I was last year, but it's admittedly been difficult to get back into the swing of writing. Blogging is at best a dying art, but I've poured so much of my life into this silly pastime that it breaks my heart even thinking about giving it up. I started writing here just before I boarded a plane to Uganda in January of 2009. Over a decade of my life is chronicled here and I sincerely hope to do a better job of documenting the next 10 years. Not to mention, if I want to call myself a writer, I kind of need to write...

Anyway, I did a piss poor job of checking in on my 2019 yearly goals, but I want to wrap up so I can move forward with a fresh set of goals for 2020.

Here is my final 2019 BUCKET LIST recap: 

PROFESSIONAL
As a full-time working Mama again (in a brand new-to-me industry), there was so much professional development for me to conquer in 2019!

1. Pass my registration exams. COMPLETE! I passed my first exam on December 31, 2018 so it didn't technically count for 2019. But I passed my second exam in May and then earned a professional designation in December! I'm really proud of the fact that I went into this job and those exams with no prior experience in the financial world and I passed all three on the first try!

READING
In my heart of hearts, I will always be a bookworm. But with everything I had going on, I wasn't putting any pressure on myself to participate in book challenges or spend all my spare time with my nose in a book.

1. Read 35 books. NOT COMPLETED (26/35) I still averaged over two books a month which wasn't terrible- my Top 3 favorites would probably have to be Searching for Sunday, Little Fires Everywhere, and Educated.
2. Read 3 books published before 1990. NOT COMPLETED (0/3) Not a single book published before 2010.

FINANCIAL
2019 was the year we really dug in our heels and began making some progress with our debt snowball. 

1. Increase my credit score by 5%. NOT COMPLETED My credit score was a rollercoaster over the course of the year and I wound up about where I started. Womp, womp...
2. Save up enough to buy a minivan in cash. NOT COMPLETED Ha! Not even close, though I did pay down a lot of my current auto loan.
3. Contribute at least $500 each to Charlie and Crosby's 529 college savings accounts. NOT COMPLETED The boys got some birthday money to put toward their college savings, but I didn't contribute much extra to their 529s as we have more pressing short-term financial goals
4. Pay off remaining credit card debt. COMPLETE! Finally! One I can proudly say we crossed off in May.
5. Pay off remaining medical bills. COMPLETE! A couple months later, we paid off all our medical debt in July!

HEALTH

I wanted to continue working on living a healthier lifestyle with manageable and realistic goals for my busy schedule. It went okay...

1. Go to the gym at least 2 mornings per week. NOT COMPLETED In fact, I cancelled my gym membership pretty early on in the year.
2. Run a half marathon. NOT COMPLETED Ugh, I was so close but due to a heat advisory I wound up running a 10k instead of my planned half marathon.
3. Attend yoga class at least once per month. NOT COMPLETED Also, nope.
4. Plan one vegetarian meal per week. COMPLETE! I did this pretty informally. I wasn't tracking, but I did a pretty been decent job eating vegetarian a couple times per week, even if it was just eggs and toast.

HOME

I love, love, love my house and making it more of a home is one of my favorite things to do. I had big aspirations (bigger than my wallet!) for 2019.

1. Finish converting upstairs room to a fourth bedroom. NOT COMPLETED Although it wasn't completed, we did make progress! Our friend installed a window, new lighting, and some shiplap-type siding for the accent wall. We still need to install a closet, paint, and purchase the bunk bed, mattresses, and bedding.
2. Convert downstairs bedroom into an office/guest room. NOT COMPLETED Not yet.
3. Remodel downstairs half bathroom into a full bathroom. NOT COMPLETED Not even close.
4. Landscape the front yard. COMPLETE! It still doesn't look great, but we did have a local landscaping company grind the stumps leftover from when we lost all our front trees to an ice storm in 2018 and planted some grass seed.

LIFE

These were the few random, miscellaneous things that I wanted to see happen in 2019 for me and my little family.

1. Adopt a four-legged friend. COMPLETE! We did it, we did it! Reggie joined our family just a few days before Christmas. 
2. Take a kid-free weekend getaway. COMPLETE! Over Labor Day weekend, Chuck and I dropped the boys off to go camping with Grandma while we stayed in Watkins Glen, NY and attended a friend's wedding. It was the perfect way to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary.
3. Take a photography or cooking class. COMPLETE! Back in January, our favorite family photographer offered an Intro to Photography class. It wound up being just the two of us and I was so appreciative of the time we spent together. I haven't practiced much, but at the very least, I can now take pictures in manual mode.

2019 TOTAL GOALS COMPLETE: 8/19

We didn't do a lot of the house things we wanted to and my half marathon medal remains elusive, but at the end of the day- 2019 brought us some major professional and financial wins, so I'm calling it a success!

32 BEFORE 32: One-Year Check-In

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to meeeeee! Today is my 31st birthday and you can absolutely tell I am officially in my 30's by how I've chosen to spend my week. Since we're saving up for a minivan, we won't be taking a vacation this year. I decided the best use of my vacation time would be to take a birthday Stay-cation and do all of the house projects that I never have the time for.

So, all this week I've been dropping the boys off at daycare and returning home to clean out my basement and garage, scrub all my floors, do some painting, study for my upcoming test- all of the things that I never have the time to do as a full-time working mom. And let me tell you, it's been glorious.

I know that with young kids, you have to lower your expectations for the cleanliness level of your home, but the truth is- I like a clean house. A chaotic, messy house = a chaotic, messy mind for me. So while it probably doesn't sound very exciting to most- it's been a huge blessing to me!

Since today is the day I turn the big 3-1, I figured it was a good time to check in on my 32 Before 32 goals:

32 Before 32: A 2-Year Bucket List

1. Take an international trip

2. Host a foreign exchange student

3. Pay off a student loan

4. Return to work full-time | COMPLETE! (June 4, 2018)

5. Visit a new state

6. Convert attic to a fourth bedroom | IN PROGRESS! This is literally happening as we speak. Part of my Stay-cation goals were to have our handyman friend Dale finally install a window in our spare, attic room as a bedroom for Charlie. He finished all the exterior work, and is now working on the interior. I have such a cute vision for this space and I can't wait to share it when it's finished! You can see "before" pictures of the room here.

This is what my driveway looked like on Monday!

7. Take an anniversary trip | COMPLETE! (September 1, 2018)

8. Adopt a four-legged friend 

9. Run a half marathon | IN PROGRESS! As you may or may not remember, I was supposed to run my first half marathon last summer. Due to circumstances outside of my control, I had to cancel the marathon in order to work at our local Farmers' Market. Thankfully, I was able to defer my registration until this year, so training has begun for my Half Marathon in July (and by training I mean I've gone out for one three-mile run. Wish me luck!)

10. Replace our back porch

11. Visit Frankie's grave

12. Attend a cooking class

13. Pay off all credit cards (2/3) | IN PROGRESS Our last credit card will be paid off next month, which means our family will have ZERO DOLLARS in credit card debt. This also may not seem like a big deal to some people, but this will be the first time this has happened in our married life and we have no desire to go back to our impulsive, debt-filled days!

14. Renovate our kitchen

15. Get a fourth tattoo

16. Take a family camping trip 

17. Update my wardrobe | IN PROGRESS Since starting at my current job back in June, I've been slowly using Stitch Fix to upgrade my lacking professional wardrobe. I generally only get 1-2 new pieces per month so it's been a slow and steady journey to creating a closet fit for a grown-up!

18. Add a railing to our front porch | COMPLETE! (October 23, 2018) 

19. Try 10 new restaurants (2/10) IN PROGRESS | We really haven't done much eating out in the last year. I think there's things, especially house things, that we'd rather spend our money on.

20. Enroll Charlie in preschool | COMPLETE! (June 2018) He graduates next month!

21. Landscape our front yard

22. Meet a blogging friend

23. Plan something for Chuck's 30th birthday | COMPLETE! (April 15, 2019) Chuck celebrated his 30th birthday last week by taking a weekend trip to visit his sister in Kansas City, MO. It required very little planning on my part, but it was what he wanted, so we were both happy. On his actual birthday, I picked up a Chocolate Peanut Butter cake from a cute little bakery that recently opened in our town and had pizza delivered. It was a low-key, simple way to celebrate my low-key, simple man!

24. Purchase a minivan | IN PROGRESS Saving, saving, saving! We're nowhere near close to where we want to be, but we're working on it!

25. Take a photography class | COMPLETE! (January 2019)  Our family photographer offered an Intro to Photography class and I was so excited to kick off the new year by completing an item on my bucket list. It wound up being just the two of us and I was so appreciative of the time we spent together. I haven't had much time to practice, but at the very least, I can now take pictures in manual mode!

26. Pay off all medical bills from Crosby's birth (1/3) IN PROGRESS We are so stinkin' close to being paid off- just in time for Crosby's third birthday... *eyeroll*

27. Run a race in 3 different states (0/3)

28. Visit the American Sign Museum

29. Paint and finish decorating our master bedroom IN PROGRESS | It's pretty much done after I painted it last August, but it does need some new curtains. Once I get those hung up, I'll hopefully get around to sharing on the blog!

30. Take the boys to an amusement park

31. Visit Old Man's Cave in Hocking Hills

32. Attend a concert | COMPLETE! (July 13, 2018) 

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Honestly, I've accomplished more than I anticipated I would. Not a bad way to spend the first year of my 30's!

19 Goals in 2019: 1st Quarter Check-In

Friends! It's been so long! My sweet hubby gave me a kid-free Saturday afternoon to spend studying, so of course I used my study break to throw together a quick blog post. My second and final licensing exam is scheduled for May 6, so these last few weeks are 24/7 crunch time. I'm using this weekend to finish reading my textbook and from here on out I'll be taking practice exams before the big day.

I've been working on becoming registered at my job since I started back in June and I honestly don't even know what I'll do with myself once I'm done studying, but suffice to say that I am very much looking forward to some actual free time. Since we're already halfway into April, I thought I'd take a minute to check-in on my 2019 bucket list progress!

Here are my 19 Goals for 2019:

PROFESSIONAL
Now that I am a full-time working Mama again (in a brand new-to-me industry), there is so much professional development for me to conquer over the next year.

1. Pass my registration exams. IN PROGRESS. I've already made it halfway through this goal because I passed my first exam on December 31, 2018. My second exam is scheduled for next month, so wish me luck!

READING
In my heart of hearts, I will always be a bookworm. But with everything I have going on, I'm not putting any pressure on myself to participate in book challenges or spend all my spare time with my nose in a book. I've been reading as it makes sense to and I read the books that I want to read.

1. Read 35 books. IN PROGRESS (8/35) Recent faves have been The Road Back To You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery and Educated (go read it, immediately!)
2. Read 3 books published before 1990. (0/3) Not even close.

FINANCIAL
2019 is the year I really want to dig our heels in to making some progress with our debt snowball. These are just a few of the things I want to accomplish this year.

1. Increase my credit score by 5%. IN PROGRESS Because I was an independent contractor for part of last year, we had a HUGE tax bill and I was late making a student loan payment. I started out the year making great progress, but because of that late payment my credit score has gone down even more, unfortunately. 
2. Save up enough to buy a minivan in cash. IN PROGRESS ($1,150). I dipped into our savings because of the aforementioned tax bill, so I'm not where I hoped I'd be four months into the year.
3. Contribute at least $500 each to Charlie and Crosby's 529 college savings accounts. IN PROGRESS ($100/$1,000) 
4. Pay off remaining credit card debt. IN PROGRESS (2/3) We paid Chuck's second credit card off in January and our third will be paid off in just a couple more months!!
5. Pay off remaining medical bills. IN PROGRESS We have a couple smaller bills that will also hopefully be paid off in a few more months.

HEALTH

I want to continue working on living a healthier lifestyle with manageable and realistic goals for my busy schedule.

1. Go to the gym at least 2 mornings per week. Nope.
2. Run a half marathon. It's scheduled for July 20, but I haven't even begun training yet. Eek!
3. Attend yoga class at least once per month. Also, nope.
4. Plan one vegetarian meal per week. IN PROGRESS. I've been doing this pretty informally. I haven't been tracking, but I've been decent about eating vegetarian a couple times per week, even if it's just eggs and toast.

HOME

I love, love, love my house and making it more of a home is one of my favorite things to do.

1. Finish converting upstairs room to a fourth bedroom. We're having our friend install the window that will "officially" make this a bedroom in a couple weeks!
2. Convert downstairs bedroom into an office/guest room. Not yet.
3. Remodel downstairs half bathroom into a full bathroom. Not even close.
4. Landscape the front yard. Nope. Nope. Nope.

LIFE

These are a few of the random, miscellaneous things that I'd like to see happen in 2019 for me and my little family.

1. Adopt a four-legged friend. I'll be honest- this probably won't happen this year. With both of us working out of town, as much as I may want a doggo, it would be unfair to get one and make it spend its days at home alone all day.
2. Take a kid-free weekend getaway. Nothing planned as of yet, but we still have time.
3. Take a photography or cooking class. COMPLETE! Whoo! One off my list! Back in January, our favorite family photographer offered an Intro to Photography class and I was so excited to kick off the new year by completing an item on my bucket list. It wound up being just the two of us and I was so appreciative of the time we spent together. I haven't had much time to practice, but at the very least, I can now take pictures in manual mode!

1st QUARTER GOALS COMPLETED: 1
2019 TOTAL GOALS COMPLETE: 1

19 GOALS IN 2019

Last week, I recapped my 18 Goals in 2018. Although I only achieved half of my list,  I'm happy with where I stand. I don't really believe in making resolutions so I have strict to-do list to follow. But I like to constantly dream and aspire to improving myself and the world around me. So, if at year's end I completed my list, hooray for me! If I didn't, no harm or foul- I just have goals for next year!

Here are my 19 Goals for 2019:

PROFESSIONAL
Now that I am a full-time working Mama again (in a brand new-to-me industry), there is so much professional development for me to conquer over the next year.

1. Pass my Series 7 and Series 66 licensing exams. I've already made it halfway through this goal because I passed my Series 7 on December 31, 2018!!! Once I pass my Series 66, I'll become an official "registered representative."

READING
In my heart of hearts, I will always be a bookworm. But with everything I have going on, I'm not putting any pressure on myself to participate in book challenges or spend all my spare time with my nose in a book. I will continue to read as it makes sense to and I'll read the books that I want to read.

1. Read 35 books. Last year, I set what I thought was a realistic reading goal for myself of 42 books. I finished the year with 36 books read, so this year I'm being cautiously optimistic. Work and parenthood leaves little time nor mental energy to read, so we'll see..
2. Read 3 books published before 1990. Last year, I set a goal to read 3 books written before the year 2000 and two of the three of them happened to be published in the late 1990's which feels like I completed this category by a technicality. To challenge myself further, I'm moving down the timeline.

FINANCIAL
2019 is the year I really want to dig our heels in to making some progress with our debt snowball. These are just a few of the things I want to accomplish this year.

1. Increase my credit score by 5%. I have a number in mind, but it will take awhile to get there, so if I can increase my credit score by at least 5% in 2019, I'll consider it a win.
2. Save up enough to buy a minivan in cash. I don't anticipate being able to purchase my new car within the year, but I think it's possible within the next 18 months. My goal is to end 2019 with at least $12,000 saved. I cannot begin to tell you how long I've longed for my very own soccer Mom van (literally since high school). I already have the exact make and model picked out, but because my credit is not the best I'd like to avoid taking out a loan and paying thousands in interest.
3. Contribute at least $500 each to Charlie and Crosby's 529 college savings accounts. One of the awesome benefits I have at my new job is a modest childcare reimbursement. It doesn't amount to enough for me to factor it into our monthly income. Instead, I've been funneling it into the boys' 529 college savings accounts. If I keep it up in 2019, I can definitely hit $500 in each of their accounts. 
4. Pay off remaining credit card debt. We paid one of three cards off in 2018 and have two left to go. We made really great progress last year and if we're disciplined, I think we can pay off our remaining two balances within the first six months of the year!
5. Pay off remaining medical bills. We have a couple smaller bills, mostly leftover from Crosby's birth. We made good progress on these in 2018, so I think we can probably knock these out toward the middle of 2019 too!

HEALTH

I want to continue working on living a healthier lifestyle with manageable and realistic goals for my busy schedule.

1. Go to the gym at least 2 mornings per week. Guys, there is a Crunch gym in my office building. I literally have no excuses.
2. Run a half marathon. I genuinely thought this was going to be one that I crossed off my list in 2018. A week before my scheduled half marathon in July, I found out I was going to have to start running my Farmers' Market single-handedly so I had to drop out. Thankfully, I was able to defer my registration until the following year's race, so here's hoping I can get my butt in shape to run it this summer!
3. Attend yoga class at least once per month. We have a really great little yoga studio in my town that offers a "Wednesday Midweek Unwind." The few times I've managed to make it there, I've absolutely loved it. I'd like to try getting there at least once per month and if I can get into that habit, maybe making it a weekly thing!
4. Plan one vegetarian meal per week. I've done a really good job the last two years of figuring out what foods work for my body and which ones don't. Although I definitely splurged around Christmas, for the most part I avoid eating grains and sugar. I'd also like to start reducing my meat intake. I was vegetarian for five years before Chuck and I got married and I'd like to get back to my plant-based roots.

HOME

I love, love, love my house and making it more of a home is one of my favorite things to do.

1. Finish converting upstairs room to a fourth bedroom. I wrote a post in 2015 about how this was the first house project I wanted to tackle and 3 years later, it still hasn't happened. There are a lot of cosmetic upgrades I'd like to make over the years, but honestly the only thing that needs to happen from a structural standpoint is to install a window.
2. Convert downstairs bedroom into an office/guest room. Once we get Charlie moved from his downstairs bedroom to the renovated upstairs room, I'd like to make our downstairs bedroom more habitable for when my Mom and sister come to visit.
3. Remodel downstairs half bathroom into a full bathroom. Right now we only have one usable bathroom in our house. It's mildly annoying in the mornings with all four of us, but is downright inconvenient when we have guests. We have a powder room in our basement, but the toilet leaks so we've stopped using it and I'd really like to add a stall shower so that we have another usable bathroom for guests. 
4. Landscape the front yard. One of my favorite parts of our house when we bought it were the two trees in our front yard that bloomed every spring. They were so stinkin' pretty, but unfortunately we lost them both in November when Ohio got hit with a nasty ice storm. Our front yard now looks totally awful and bare, so we need to do some work to bring back its curb appeal. I don't know if we can afford to hire a professional landscaping company, but at the very least, I know there are little things that we can take on ourselves to make it more aesthetically pleasing. 

LIFE

These are a few of the random, miscellaneous things that I'd like to see happen in 2019 for me and my little family.

1. Adopt a four-legged friend. I have puppy fever!! Both my boys are very skittish around bigger dogs so I think it's really important for them to grow up with a pet and learn a healthy respect for animals. Because I've developed pet allergy as I've gotten older, we would need to get a hypoallergenic breed. Right now, I'm looking at schnauzers and goldendoodles, but it will probably just depend on whatever pup happens to be available when it's time for us to commit. 
2. Take a kid-free weekend getaway. I know my Mom wants to take the boys at some point during the summer, so hopefully Mommy and Daddy can have some time for a pre-anniversary trip!
3. Take a photography or cooking class. I finally got my DSLR, but I still don't know how to use it. I'm clueless when it comes to photography, but I'd like to learn the basics so I can take better pictures of our family. I've also learned over the last few years that I really love to cook. I attended a cooking class with the Dayton Moms Blog team last winter and had a blast. I think it would be really fun to do another girls' night out or even a date night with Chuck.

The category that completely fell off my list from 2018 to 2019 was blogging. Now that I'm working full-time, I'm not desperately trying to pimp out my blog for side income. And quite frankly, with everything going on in life, it's fallen down my list of priorities. I can't see myself ever truly giving up blogging, But I'm done trying to make my blog into a side hustle and I'm ready to return to just writing for the fun of it.

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So tell me, do we share any of the same goals for 2019?