One of our friends asked Mark how I was adjusting to living in Germany. While often sought out, overseas assignments can often take a toll on spouses. Many are under or unemployed (like myself), and that can severely affect one’s feelings of worth and identity. It can feel incredibly lonely because some spouses feel like they can’t voice these feelings because 1) many would love to swap places with them and 2) they’ll be told they knew what they signed up for. [Side note: if you ever think of saying this to a person, military or not, just don’t. No one is able to accurately predict their future unless they live a limited, stagnant life.]

Mark responded that I was doing really great and was the healthiest mentally and physically he’s ever seen me, and it’s honestly the highest compliment I can think of following this year. Deep down, I think a lot of this external change has to do with my 22 for 2022 list.

So what is this 22 for 2022? For the uninitiated, I’m a huge fan of the Happier podcast with Gretchen Rubin and Elizabeth Craft. At the beginning of every year, they create a list of x number of things to get done in the coming year. 18 for 2018, 19 for 2019… you get the idea. Along with these items, they choose a one-word theme for the year to inspire and help shape their goals.

Here’s what I chose for my one-word theme for 2022:

After deeply reflecting how the past few years of life have been and what’s drifted out of my immediate focus, the one-word theme for this year came through loud and clear: HEALTHIER. Essentially since the pandemic started, I’ve found myself drifting further and further from taking care of my overall health. I’ve been caught up in surviving the here and the now, or straight up ignoring what my body and soul tell me. As you’ll see below, my main focus this year is to rejuvenate my whole health—mind, body and spirit.

And girl, did I DO THE DAMN THING! Make sure you read alllllllllll the way to the bottom for the biggest achievement of the year. But first, here’s how the rest of the list went:

1. STRETCH GOAL: run 2 miles a day or 14 cumulative miles per week 🔁
This was too much running for where I was at. The reality is that I wanted to build up my cardio again instead of just walking at a leisurely pace for exercise, and at this, I did succeed. My running buddy and I made our return to racing after a two-year hiatus and finished the Bruges half marathon in October. It was one of my worst races to date, but we can only go up from here! We also got a spin bike in July and that has helped me diversify my workouts.

2. Get a 90 day streak on Headspace⭐️
I think I made it 115 days (even practicing while I had COVID) until I lost my streak. Streak aside, I put in more mindful minutes than I did last year and it has helped so much. I think my next step is figuring out a way to keep this habit when I’m out of my routine, like when we’re traveling.

3. Strength train 2 times a week ⭐️
I lost my way a little bit here during half marathon training, but I got more sessions in than last year with the help of the Peleton app. They have so many good workouts that are only 20-30 minutes long, which is perfect when I’m stacking it with the cardio focus.

4. Closet review & secondhand first ⭐️
This one is quasi-done. I identified what was needed pretty early in the year and got rid of everything that wasn’t in active rotation. I’ve slowly been building what I need, but I’m being mindful about the purchases so I don’t have them all yet. I’m done buying clothes that I only feel lukewarm about. There’s something I will love out there and I’m willing to wait.

5. Read 52 books ⭐️
Flew past my goal this year and ended with 63 books, though it felt like more since It by Stephen King and it’s whopping 1,116 pages is included in that total. I also want to give a big shoutout to my brother and his wife for surpassing their reading goals as well. Over the past couple of years we’ve been sharing reads and it’s made my heart so happy.

6. Learn how to crochet ⭐️
My friends taught me how on our Polish pottery road-trip over the summer, but I haven’t committed the time to getting proficient at it. Just like knitting, it’s going to take some time for it to feel easy and natural.

7. Get a 22 day yoga streak 🚫
I did a lot more yoga and mobility training this year than I’ve ever done, but I never got a streak. I am happy that I’ve gotten into the habit of stretching after doing cardio.

8. Drive 2 times a month 🚫
Missed this one by a little bit and ended with 17 roundtrips. The main reason behind the goal was to be less nervous driving around Stuttgart, and that was a success, so I’m okay if it’s a little short. That just means I used public transit more than anticipated and that’s a win for the environment.

9. Try Evernote ⭐️
Tried it and didn’t like it. Guess the current system stays for now.

10. Do a stride analysis ⭐️
Did this pretty early in the year and wow, was it helpful. I found out that I am pigeon-toed on my left side only and that my hips and glutes were weak. I ended up getting custom insoles to help balance me out and exercises to strengthen weak muscles. I’m still working on my form, but here’s to more pain-free running in 2023!

11. Go on 22 solo adventures 🚫
I fell extremely short on this one for the best possible reason: I ended up adventuring a lot during the week with friends! I did (kinda) go on my first trip alone to Amsterdam for a few days. As a friend told me, traveling solo is a completely different experience and I enjoyed my time before Mark met up with me.

12. Use the DSLR camera 22 times ⭐️
Really picked it up at the end of the year for this goal. As always, the struggle is actually editing all of the photos (looking at you 23 for 2023 goals).

13. Edit and print photos for empty frames 🚫
Sigh. See above point.

14. Note 2 items of gratitude per day 🚫
I did this most days. I started a journaling habit about halfway through the year and started each day with gratitude. The only problem is that I haven’t found a way to incorporate these types of activities into a non-routine day yet.

15. Make 22 new recipes ⭐️
I made big strides in the kitchen this year and ended up making 29 new recipes! Most of them were hits too, with Mark asking for many to be made again. Particular favorites were: Beyond Beef Shepard’s Pie, Guinness Stew, Spicy Peanut Soup, and Pumpkin Cake with Homemade Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting. For this aim, I’m most proud that I successfully learned how to make a roux! I’m excited to continue learning more in the kitchen in the coming year.

16. Finish German Duolingo course ⭐️
A bit of a cheat on this one: I aced the final exam for the course but didn’t complete all of the lessons. I’m still working on my Deutsch and probably will for a long time.

17. Try Gua Sha ⭐️
This is another one I got on right away. I think I only did it once since it’s a 20 minute endeavor, BUT the set I bought also came with a jade roller which I started using day and night. I feel like it helps my skin look brighter if that makes sense. Either way, it makes me feel cared for and that’s what matters most.

18. Eat at 22 new restaurants in Stuttgart ⭐️
This ended up being more difficult than I thought it would be, mainly because we traveled so much in 2022, but we did end the year at exactly 22 new restaurants. My personal favorite was finally trying the Michelin star restaurant that is in a random house in our neighborhood. It was so good, we made a return visit with our foodie friends.

19. Rest for 22 minutes in 2022 [#Rest22] 🚫
Boo. This one ended up being too loose for me to consistently do. I “allowed” myself to take naps more than I have in the past, so I think that’s a win, but overall I wouldn’t say I rested most days.

20. Participate in NaNoWriMo 🚫
Tear. I chickened out and made excuses to not start working on my book. I’m trying not to beat myself up about it and have already strategized ways to make work on this in 2023.

21. Visit 2 new countries ⭐️
If you read the 2022 Review, you know we went A LOT of places in 2022. Prior to moving to Germany, we had only been to Europe twice, so we’re trying our hardest to make the most of our short amount of time abroad and see as much as we can. This year I checked off six new countries and a whole bunch of new cities in countries we’ve previously visited. I’ve already outlined where I want to go in 2023, so expect another big review!

22. FREE SPACE: LOST 10% of my body weight! (18.5 pounds for the curious) ⭐️
Since my one-word theme of the year was HEALTHIER, it seems only right to highlight the outcome of those efforts. I’m still just a couple of pounds away (so frustrating) from the normal BMI category for my height, but this is a solid step in the direction I want to go and the pandemmy weight plus some is gone. Adopting an intermittent fasting lifestyle has helped tremendously. I don’t even log food anymore; I just follow a 18:6 fast most days of the week (usually 5-6 days). When we’re on vacation, I try my best to keep a window, but I don’t stress if most days end up being 12:12 (which they do).

And with that, 2022 is officially over. I think this may be the most successful year I’ve had with my list thus far. By building concrete goals and scheduling a review period each month, I was able to keep my goals in the forefront of my mind. I’m so excited for the new year and a whole new list of possibilities!