2018! How'd that happen??

Here it is, 2018!!  I cannot believe how time flies.  Do you remember when you graduated from high school?  I do, 1986.  And now here we are in a whole new decade, thirty years later and wow, I am about to be 50!  That's right, half of 100.  If it seems like I am rambling, I am. 
Last year,  I looked at my life in a whole new light.  My beautiful and strong, sister in law was coming off of a diagnosis of colon cancer and my father in law had just died rather suddenly.  It shook me really, the fact that at any moment the life you once knew could be ripped away from you.  Now, I am not saying this to scare you, or to make you think the "sky is falling."  I am just saying, these two things really woke me up and caused me to answer one question.  "Am I really living?" The answer was "no, I was not."  I simply existed.  I was unhealthy and I was not doing all the things I dreamed of doing in my life.  I decided at that moment, my life would change.  I made a list of goals for 2017,  only this time, I didn't just say things like "I'm going to loose weight."  This time, I made the goals I wanted to achieve specific, with details about how I would accomplish each step.  I had read that "a goal is only a wish," if you don't write it down and make it measurable.   My process worked for me.  I had several goals,  including: weight loss, money to save, walking a half marathon, attending church weekly, etc.  At the end of 2017, I am happy to report that I have accomplished nearly 90% of what I set out to do. 2017 I enjoyed life to the fullest.  I zip-lined, hiked, re-kindled old friendships, photographed, read, wrote, traveled and lived!

Now that 2018 is here, I have written my goals once again.  This year, I made a vision board.  I included all the things I hope to accomplish in the coming year and I put that board on the desk in the kitchen so I can see it every day.  Our first task this year was to have a zero spend challenge in the month of January.   It is going incredibly well.  My husband who is a good sport, even let me cut his hair.  I did spend some money the weekend I took my daughter back to college for food and gas, but that was deemed necessary.  We had a nice date last weekend because of a Christmas gift.  January is a long month not to spend any money, but we don't feel like we are missing out on anything and after Christmas, it's a great way to reel in the spending for the new year.  Since this month is going so well, we may even try to include February in our no spend challenge.

My goals for 2018:

Reach my weight loss goal by my 50th birthday
Save for a new/used car
Clean out all the rooms in the house, one per month de-clutter
Huge garage sale and donate what's left in the spring
Zero spend January and June  (recently added February)
Blog monthly
Flicker
flying pig and queen bee half marathons ( I am already signed up for the Pig)
walk/run 3 times a week
strength and stretch 3 times a week
Church on Sunday
Read a book a month
Join or start a book club

"You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done.  It is what you haven't done that will torment you." Wayne Dyer

How about you?  What are your New Year's resolutions?  Share them here.
Follow me next month to read about how I lost 70 pounds.
Happy New Year!!