2016 in review

With the year winding up, it's that time again to look at how far I came in achieving my 2016 goals. I feel like this year has been a really busy year, but that I haven't spent that time well at all. I have not completed several of my goals and I've been completely lax at blogging here at at WITK. 

Let's see how I've done...

1. Visit 3 new places in the world - This was an easy one to check off of my list! The boyfriend and I did quite a bit of travelling in the first half of the year (posts to come in 2017). If you follow my on Instagram, you will know that in 2016 I visited Thailand, Vietnam, Bolivia and Peru. I've previously been to Thailand, our trip this year took us to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. I've also been to Peru, but this time we visited Cusco and Machu Picchu!

2. Complete my 2015 WITK Junk @ Home Challenge - Ugh, this is still a total fail. I was able to complete 4 more recipes from the original list. This is sadly going to continue into a third year. I vow that I will complete this challenge in 2017!

3. Start on my Chocolates & Confections Challenge at WITK - If I didn't work on the 2015 challenge in 2016, you know that I made zero progress on the actual 2016 challenge. The good news is that I'm working at a new job now. This job has many many people to feed candy! I plan to test out some recipes and then leave them in the lunch room to disappear.

4. Take 3 courses - COMPLETED! I took three courses this year and they were all excellent. If you are ever in NYC, I would recommend you taking any of the following classes.

Tube Setting @ Liloveve - I learned how to set gems in tubes for a clean look. After two full days in the Brooklyn studio, I completed three simple stacking rings. I would definitely go back for the full silversmithing course series.

Digital Photography II: Mastering Manual Mode at Night - Taught in a small group setting in Lincoln Center, Mindy does an excellent job of teaching you how to shoot at night without a tripod! My evening photos have never looked to vibrant.

Doughnuts! @ Montclair Bread - Montclair Bread Company is the super popular place for doughnuts in my town. The owner, Rachel, started running classes this year to share her knowledge and love of dough. I came home from the class smelling like doughnuts, laden down with two dozen doughnuts and a whole bunch of knowledge!

Laura Hooper Calligraphy - This full day workshop was held in an adorable building in SOHO. Laura Hooper holds classes all over the country. If she is in your neighborhood, I would high recommend signing up. You can also purchase calligraphy supplies on the cheap during the class. I have some rose gold ink that I'm dying to try out! Goal for 2017 - practice more calligraphy.

5. Spend less on nonsense - COMPLETED-ish. I definitely have spent less money on nonsense Amazon purchases this year. I also bought way less clothing this year and have made a conscious effort to wear what I have. I realized that I have plenty of things and I really made it a point to buy less in 2016. I would like to continue into 2017 by only buying items that I need.

6. Blog consistently - FAIL. No way around that. Try again.

7. Get back into BodyStep - I have been consistently doing BodyStep at home once a week (with the exception of the holiday season. Holidays = laziness). I haven't found a gym that runs this program, but did join a gym that has several other favorite classes.

8. Eat more vegetables and blog more veggie recipes - I don't know if I even remembered this as being a goal of mine. I think that I wrote it down with the hope that vegetables would sneak into my menus. Surprise, surprise - they did not. In 2017 I will have to actually make plans of how to introduce more fruit and veg into my diet.

9. Finish decorating our home - We have come really close to completing our home. We have to remodel one bathroom and hang a few more pieces of art, but it is so much closer than it was last year. Although currently it is a giant mess. We haven't spent much time at home in December and the house has become a dumping ground for our stuff.  Goal for 2017 - clean the house, then finish hanging the art. I'll share the before and after once we've completed the overhaul!

I'll be back in a few days with my 2017 goals. Let's see if I can make them more realistic this coming year. Maybe I need to keep it simple with only three goals?

2016 Goals

January is the month to make resolutions, changes and goals. With the new year, I also like to take a look at thing that I may like to change about myself. Looking back at a very busy 2015, I realized that I need to make active strides toward my goals. With an incredibly busy travel schedule last year, most of my goals fell by the wayside and I only achieved half of my goals.

2016 is going to be another busy year, professionally, but I still want to progress in my personal life. Here are my goals to help me grow and improve this year!

1. Visit 3 new places in the world - This should be an easy goal to reach this year. I have a packed travel calendar for work in 2016. I just hope to have a few hours on those trips to enjoy the locations.

2. Complete my 2015 WITK Junk @ Home Challenge - Poor planning lead to the downfall of this challenges schedule. There are still 14 unfinished recipes in this challenge. I think I can manage to complete one challenge per month!

3. Start on my Chocolates & Confections Challenge at WITK - I've been slowly making my way through this cookbook. I would love to try every recipe in this book. I don't expect to complete the entire thing this year. This goal is to make 12 more recipes and continue improving my candy-making skills.

4. Take 3 courses - I would love to learn how to decorate a cake, speak Mandarin and make my own jewelry. With New York City only a short train ride away, I have access to so many schools, kitchens and artisans. The trick with this goal will be to purchase the class and put it in my calendar. Once the class is paid for, I'm more likely to go!

5. Spend less on nonsense - I don't want to make a budget, but I would like to curb my frivolous spending. This means fewer trips to the mall, uninstalling the shopping apps from my phone and avoiding Amazon while at work. I bet I could save a few thousand dollars in 2016, if I can just stop buying more clothes, make-up and stationary. I already have enough of it all!

6. Blog consistently - I've been working behind the scenes for the past few months on this website. Working on blot post ideas, building up social media and generally working on my voice. I'd love to see this site grow in 2016 to something I can be extremely proud of. You will see more going on here at WITW as I block time each day to work on blogging.

7. Get back into BodyStep - When I was a graduate student and postdoc I taught BodyStep and I loved it. I recently visited my friends in Colorado and got to take some BodyStep classes. Being on the step again reminded me of how much fun it was and how great it made me feel. I don't plan on teaching the class, since my work schedule is crazy, but I would be so happy to do it at home once a week.

8. Eat more vegetables and blog more veggie recipes - The boyfriend is a veggie-ophobe. He makes it a little difficult to incorporate more vegetables into our evening meals. Rather than continue to cater to a single palette, I think we will both be enjoying more vegetables this year! I have a feeling that I will be seeing lots of vegetable left in someones bowl...

9. Finish decorating our home - With most of the renovations and furniture buying completed, 2016 will be the year of decor. Our walls are still mostly bare and the tables could use some artsy bits and bobs. I would love to decorate with more personal items, rather than just putting up a canvas from TJ Maxx that says "Keep calm and..." Flea markets, Etsy sellers and NYC craft fairs are my destination of choice for our wall and table decor.