And just like that, another year has rolled by, leaving us with memories, lessons, and stories to tell. Other than my annual year in review, these update posts have become a fan favorite, and I'm thrilled to share this journey with you once again. Whether you've been part of this adventure for years or you're just joining us, welcome to my little corner of the internet – a place where we aim high, embrace the falls, and learn from every step along the way.

So what is this 23 for 2023? 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 2023:

Last year may have been the most successful year I’ve had thus far in living my word. I made so many strides toward living a healthier life, both physically and mentally, that I knew the 2023 word would have to reflect the desire to be a masterpiece and a work-in-progress at the same time. With that the one-word theme for 2023 was born: BUILD.

If you recall, (or if you don’t and need a refresh) I had a pretty aggressive list this year. Instead of playing it safe, I decided to shoot for the stars and see where everything landed… and spoiler alert, I didn’t get as many checked off as I hoped to this year. That said, I’m still proud of what I did accomplish and am excited for a fresh year of growth in 2024. But before we get ahead of ourselves, here’s how everything went, item by item:

1. Organize our life files ▶️
I thought this would be my easy knock-out for the year, but it ended up taking much longer than anticipated and is about 75 percent finished. What I really needed for this was a better organizational system, but since we were supposed to move in summer 2024, we decided it would be better to purchase whatever furniture was needed once we arrived at our new location. If you read the 2023 Year in Review, you already know that in November we learned we would have a bonus year in Germany. Given the new circumstances, I ordered something for the office from IKEA… only to have the order canceled. After reordering and putting together the piece (thanks, Mark!), I got the camera gear organized but ran out of time to go through all of our papers and get them in order. I probably only have a solid 5 hours left of this project (if even that much), so it’s almost there.

2. Dedicate 1 hour per day during the workweek to writing ❌
It’s tough to give an x on this one because while I absolutely did not dedicate 1 hour per work day to writing, I did get a lot more writing done than I did last year, so it almost feels like a mini win. I’m thinking of ways to restructure this aim for 2024. According to my Streaks app (more on this helpful tool later), I completed this goal 54 percent of the time with the longest streak of 35 days. I guess the story here is progress, not perfection.

3. Run another marathon ⭐
GAH! It makes me so happy to earn this gold star! To throw it way back, in 2019 I let anxiety win and cheated myself out of earning a gold star for this aim. Vowing not to make it a repeat, I added it to this year’s list and I’m proud to say that not only did the run buddy and I finish Prague, it was one of the best races I’ve ever had, finishing with a time of 5:19 (average pace 12:04/mile). I completely changed up my training style and reaped the benefits. I ended up running almost the entire race and only had to take walking breaks in the last three miles.

4. Cook with the seasons twice a month ⭐
I’m not sure I hit this exactly twice a month, but I did cook as seasonally as I could. The past couple of years have opened my eyes as to how much of a creative outlet cooking can be, and I find that I enjoy trying new challenges in this arena. Mark also loves my new interest in cooking as we now have two chefs in the house instead of just one. I think my proudest make for this aim was a Thanksgiving apple pie with a cinnamon roll crust that I made completely from scratch. German grocery stores don’t really have pre-made baking items, so I had to learn how to make the filling and crust from raw ingredients. It turned out wonderfully and will definitely be a holiday repeat!

5. Have a social media free wakeup ⭐
I used the Streaks app to track quite a few of my aims this year, which helped immensely with my social media habit. To structure this goal, I told myself I had to at least get out of bed before opening social media. Some mornings this meant I literally made coffee and scrolled on the couch. Other mornings, I jumped into all of my morning activities and didn’t even open a single app until close to noon. I’d like to move closer to the latter in the future, though I don’t know if I’m ready to put it on the list again quite yet. I ended the year completing this task 99 percent of the time. Not too shabby.

6. Make my own knitting design or do a test knit ▶️
This is another in progress item. In order to test knit, I decided I needed a dedicated crafting Instagram (please give it a follow!) since many designers ask for your handle when choosing test knitters. I’ve applied to multiple test knits at this point, but have not successfully been selected yet. I think this may be because my account is fairly new and I don’t have very many followers. I’m also a fairly common size, so there are a lot more applicants for the sizes I’m applying for. Regarding my own design, I have the concept and I think I know how I’m going to go about it, so I need to buy the yarn and do the math.

7. Connect with friends in person and across the ocean twice a week ⭐
I did much better on this than I thought I would, though I’m still missing some quality time with a few of my favorite people. In Deutschland, I connect with an evolving group of friends once a week for Kaffee and Kuchen (coffee and cake in English). This has been so much fun because we’ve gotten to try a ton of different coffee shops in Stuttgart. I also attend a monthly craft group at a local brewery which I love so much because I feel like I spent most of my little knitter life excitedly explaining the ins-and-outs of my craft to people who probably didn’t ask for that much detail and now I get to share with people who understand the unique challenges of each piece I’m working on. Across the ocean, I formed a much closer bond with my brother than I think I’ve ever had. We’ve always been fairly close, but this past year our relationship has evolved and it brings me a comfort I didn’t know I needed.

8. Eat one meal mindfully every day ❌
Tried this for about a month and removed it from my list. I am trying to be more mindful while I’m eating by not scrolling my phone, but to be honest tracking this goal required more mental load than I cared to expend.

9. Redesign my website ⭐
Thanks to ChatGPT, this was fairly easy to move everything from my old domain to my new one. I’ve also played around with some code to make the posts themselves a little easier to navigate, specifically my travel blogs. I love my new space. I hope you do too.

10. Eliminate photo backlog through 2022 ❌
I didn’t make a dent in the backlog, and honestly it’s not from a lack of trying. We are in a period of our lives where we are traveling at an insane rate and just adding more and more pictures to go through. Not only are we traveling more, we’re also just shooting more shots than ever before. In 2023, we took 35,545 pictures, which is almost triple the amount we took the previous year, and 7 times the amount we took in 2021. So basically, I was never going to make it to that backlog. What I am proud of is that I have stayed on top of this current year for the most part and only have to work through our Iceland pictures. Here are some of my favorites that we took this year (which I’m now realizing is fairly cow-heavy):

11. Create a family cookbook ❌
I didn’t start this at all, but I still want to have this so it may end up on the 2024 list.

12. Get a body composition and metabolic analysis ⭐
This one gets a few gold stars since I did both a couple of times. I did my first Bod Pod body composition reading and metabolic analysis in the beginning of February. Since I was in the middle of marathon training, they advised that I redo both after the race once my activity level was at a more normal level. I did another Bod Pod reading in May about a week after the marathon to gauge the impact of a cardio-heavy regimen. I did a final metabolic analysis and Bod Pod at the end of October to see the impact of incorporating weight training more into my routine. I gained so much insight into my physical fitness by using these tools and am slowly, but surely inching my way to an optimal body fat level.

13. Host a party ⭐
Got this star within the first week of the new year. Our friend group had talked multiple times about doing a traveling dinner party, (I’ve heard there’s an actual term for this, so if you know it, please leave a comment below!) but never moved past the ideation phase. I took it upon myself to get the ball rolling and created the group chat. Everyone was around the first weekend in January, so we traveled between four houses for apps (my house), mains, and dessert. It was so much fun and I would love to do another one, but our crew has dwindled significantly this year (tears).

14. Make a wreath ❌
I thought about this item, does that count? Kidding, I know it doesn’t. I have an idea for this and the supplies, it’s honestly just sitting down and doing it. I think the problem is that when I get a spare few hours, I usually spend the time knitting or reading. I really just need to schedule this type of stuff into my calendar.

15. Finish a crochet project ❌
Same song, second verse with this goal. I just love to knit and I know I’ll have to fumble through crochet before my tension is any good. I need something structured for this to happen, like a class setting.

16. Outside for 23 minutes in 2023 [#Outside23in23] ⭐
One hundred percent completion on this one and it filled my soul. I spent so much time outside that my blood panel revealed I was at 99 percent of the recommended vitamin D level, which is something many adults struggle to get within range. Prior to this year, I already spent a decent amount of time outside running and hiking, but by tracking it, I was nudged to spend time outdoors when it wasn’t so pleasant. This meant I usually took the dogs for a 30-45 minute walk at least once a day, if not twice. As predicted, two little puppies were pretty happy to help with this challenge. Some of my favorite outsides this year were: spending a whole week hiking in the Dolomites, experiencing the Ring Road in Iceland, searching for wooly coos in Scotland, enjoying a nature retreat in Slovenia, and hitting up as many Christmas markets as we possibly could the entire month of December.

17. Send holiday cards ❌
Much like my favorite podcast hosts, I didn’t start on this early enough and missed the boat this year. Keeping track of addresses is difficult when almost all of your friends move every two or three years. Spoiler: this one is probably getting kicked to next year.

18. Find a side hustle ⭐
My friend and I always talk about the importance of putting what you want out into the universe. Physically giving a voice to your intentions and seeing what happens. Every time I’ve done this, it has happened. The first was with the weight set we found for $FREE in DC, and the second time was with this goal. This very same friend started working her own side hustle this year and when a position opened up, she recommended me for the job. I was looking for something that I could do on my own time table that was about 10-15 hours a week and that’s exactly what this position offered. See? Manifested. Put your stuff out into the world, it works. Trust me.

19. Run a country ⭐
Did this! During the height of our marathon training, the run buddy and I booked a hotel in Liechtenstein and ran from the northern point (bordering Austria) to the southern tip (bordering Switzerland). This is a popular biking route so we were able to easily run on a trail along the Rhein the entire way. The only unfortunate part about this run was that it was unseasonably warm the day we did it, and we both ran out of water about three-quarters of the way through. Luckily, our spouses were waiting for us at the finish line with a bunch of water. This was a super fun way to visit this little micro country.

20. Manage Jackson’s leash reactivity ⭐
This was a difficult task, but I think he’s getting better on the leash. I follow a few dog trainers on Instagram, but the difficulty I’m running into is that I can only use positive reinforcement and it’s hard to just shove a treat in his face for not reacting. If anyone has any better suggestions, I would love to hear them. I just am not allowed to use a shock or prong collar for any training since they are banned in Germany.

21. Help Mark create a minimalist wardrobe ⭐
This one is a little vague so I don’t know if it gets a star or not. We did pick up a nice suit and fisherman’s sweater for him while we were in Edinburgh and I contributed to his knitwear by making him a scarf and a quarter zip sweater. I think in the future, I’m going to keep other people off my list. It’s easier for me to manage my own area.

22. Clean up blog backlog ⭐
Another difficult aim to award a star or not. While I didn’t blog any past trips, I did keep up with my monthly book blog and wrote significantly more travel blogs than I have ever in the past; it just takes much longer to draft posts than I think it will. If there is something you’d like to see me write about, either something you’ve seen on social media or something that you know we’ve done, please leave a comment below and I’ll move it to the top of the priority list!

23. FREE SPACE: I accomplished multiple past goals! ⭐
And this is the reason I make the yearly list. Even if something doesn’t happen in the year I set aside to do it, the goal is still in the universe (more manifesting, baby) and is therefore top of mind:

• Last year, I had set a stretch goal to run 2 miles per day or 14 miles per week, which would have resulted in 730 miles by the end of the year. This year, I ran 850 miles, blowing way past my old goal. To give this even more light, in 2017 my goal was 365 miles, which I fell short of by 141 miles. This is the most consistent I’ve ever been in my running life and I average about 15-20 miles per week, usually running three or four of the days. While I may not be the fastest runner, I’m still out there getting it done and that’s what matters. If nothing else convinces you that these lists work even if you initially fall short, I don’t know what will.

• I also aimed to get in two strength training sessions a week last year, which I carried into 2023 as well. After reading Outlive by Dr. Peter Attia, this is non-negotiable moving forward. I’m determined to keep my muscle mass so I can enjoy my later years.

• In 2021, I wanted to learn how our cameras worked a bit better and didn’t make much progress. This year, I really stepped up my game with Mark’s help and learned how to adjust the settings so that I can get the kinds of shots I want, and I think it really shows. I feel like our photography really took a leap this year, and I’m excited to keep experimenting.

• I spent most of 2023 sober. Instead of just doing dry January this year, I vowed to not drink while I was training for the marathon (which took place in May). From January to May, I had one beer and one cocktail (the night we thought Jackson might die from poisoning, if it makes a difference). By the time I crossed the finish line, I was feeling so good that the desire to drink just wasn’t there. I’ve done most activities sober this year, including Oktoberfest (yep, those were non-alcoholic mugs). I feel better and I get to focus so much more on what I care about, like my hobbies, that I don’t see myself slipping back to my old life any time soon.

Definitely not my most successful year in terms of items crossed off, but also not the worst. I love participating in this challenge every year. It truly helps me focus my energy and even when I come up short, I always accomplish more than I would have without the list. The 2024 list and the one-word theme are nearing their final forms and I can’t wait to share with you in the coming weeks!

What are you bringing into the new year? Are you making your own 24 for 2024, or have you chosen a one-word theme? Please share in the comments below! I would love to hear your thoughts.

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