January 2024 Recap

Whew, February already! 1 month in to the new year.

(Everyone always says January feels so long, but it just felt… average, I think, to me. Possibly because we were out of town until January 6th?)

I love the rapid-fire style recaps I’ve seen this week (Coco and Sarah) and have done these myself in the past, too.

So, in no specific order, my January 2024 highlights:

• Finished up our Mexico trip (until January 5th, but flight delayed and ended up with unexpected overnight in Guadalajara until January 6th)

• Enjoyed watching a bunch of football! Great post-season this year, including our Green Bay Packers pulling off a spot in the playoffs!

• Started a new lifting program (Lift with Sohee– though her name has now changed to Momentum By Sohee. At first I was unsure about this (isn’t the focus a lifting program?) but received this in my email today explaining the reasoning behind the name change:

“Momentum” embodies the idea that doing something each week, even if you feel that it’s super slow, is still better than coming to a screeching halt for months at a time. It reflects the importance of doing what you can to get things going rather than worrying about perfection or grandiose gestures. It’s about working with whatever life throws at you to still show up, even if it looks different than what you’d initially envisioned.”

(I love this! And I really 🧡Sohee. She’s awesome.)

• After struggling to get in a good, consistent workout groove since we got Charlie (new puppy) in October, I have finally landed on a schedule that works! It feels realistic, balanced and I’m so glad. (And yes, it involves some early mornings.)

• I ran a total of 32.84 miles this month. Very low compared to some, but hey. Also probably very high compared to others! It’s all good. 🙂

• I settled in to some new responsibilities/ a role shift at work, and while there has been a learning curve, it’s going well.

• We survived several big snowstorms and a loooong stretch of FRIGID below zero weather, including a couple no-school days.

• I made several phone calls and found a new vet for Charlie; we have a consult next week (prior to getting him neutered in the near-ish future. Sorry bud.)

• I scheduled some overdue appts for myself and took Asher to a follow-up Orthodontist consult. Looks like he’s finally about ready to get rolling on braces. Great! Now we’ll have three in braces….. 😩 (Ivan, Ethan, and now Asher.)

• I had a 1:1 Culver’s dinner date + shopping with Ethan on a weeknight.

• We celebrated a belated Christmas with my parents!

• I did some high school planning with Asher (Course expo, picking freshman classes) and did similar again with Ethan for sophomore year next year.

• I read 2 books: The Second Mrs. Astor and Building a Second Brain.

• On that note, I did some tweaking and optimizing of my “second brain” (Google Keep) this month.

• I “un-decorated” our entire house from Christmas, finally. (My mom was a big help on this, too. 😊)

• We enjoyed a pretty lazy, relaxing 3 day weekend over MLK Jr. Day weekend.

• Work resumed on the remodel of the boys’ bathroom. It’s coming along!

• I watched a lot of Emily in Paris. LOVE that show!! So, so fun.

• I cooked a decent amount including a couple of new recipes: I made a Loaded Potato Soup recipe which was amazing, highly recommend (if you try this, don’t leave out the ancho chili powder!! It’s subtle but delicious.) Also made a Chicken and Rice soup that was really good!

• As soon as the maintenance light came on, I immediately scheduled and took my van for an oil change! No procrastination. 🎉

• I started looking at flights and rental car options for our June Hawaii trip. Nothing booked yet, but made some progress on figuring out options, etc.

• I was a guest on a podcast for the first time!!!

• I snuggled by the fire many times. Gotta lean into winter when you live in Wisconsin…. right, Charlie?

On to February!! And a bonus day this year, woo-hoo!

Daily Gratitude:

I am grateful for some new reflective gear I got for Christmas + a headlamp for walking Charlie in the dark! WOW, what a difference (and I feel much safer). It’s great.