Hi friends! I hope you’re enjoying the new decade so far. What are you up to today? I’m going to get in an arms workout at the gym and start blasting through my editorial calendar for the new year. I have my new planner ready to go (major nerd vibes because new planners make me oddly excited) and am pumped to get content ideas together. Thank you again to those of you who took this year’s blog survey!

I thought I’d share a little look back on the past year and my goals for the upcoming year. I’d Love to hear about a highlight from your 2019 and any goals you’re going after this year!

Here are some of the major highlights from 2019:

– The Pilot came home after a 7-month deployment! He immediately was hired by the airlines, which I’ll share a bit more about below

– I attended my first Beautycounter conference (and we saw Michael Buble that weekend! AMAAAAZING)

– I launched HIIT Bootcamp

– Baby August was born! I love this little guy so much. 

– We explored Vancouver and took our first Disney cruise to Alaska

– I got to meet up with Julie and Anne at the NOW Foods trip to Chicago

– We went to San Diego for the 4th of July

– I launched my first pair of leggings with Four Athletics

– We got two guinea pigs, Donut and Lollipop, and we love them

– Did a Couple of Phoenix staycations (like the opening weekend of Great Wolf Lodge Scottsdale)

– Went back to San Diego and Disney for a fall trip

– I turned 35 (AH)

– I took Liv to NYC for her first time! We saw Frozen, Wicked, Aladdin, went ice skating at Bryant Park and ate the best pizza

– We celebrated our second year of holidays back in Tucson partying with the fam, but the Pilot was out of town

2019 ended up being a challenging year for me. It was studded with more beautiful memories than difficult, but I thought/hoped this year was going to be a bit of a “reset” and much-needed reprieve from the stress and tireless effort of the Pilot’s deployment. As it turns out, it became another solid year of trying to keep my head above water. See, the Pilot spent the down time of his deployment refining his airline applications and preparing for potential interviews, so when he got home, he immediately got his medical stuff updated and put in his apps while he finished separating from the active duty military. While everyone would’ve loved a little bit more of a break just living our normal lives here, there was no telling how long it would take to hear back from a major airline. As luck with have it, the Pilot had interviews lined up (and was hired) shortly after settling back into Tucson. Of course, for him, that meant traveling for a months of training and jumping into the first year’s schedule with both feet. For me, that meant an immediate return to being the full-time caretaker for the girls while also running a business from home. I absolutely love being with our babies and feel so thankful that I’m the one here and not away, but at the same time, you always have to be “on.” I also felt a lot of pressure from financially supporting the fam and keeping things afloat during the first year. I know it’s not always going to be like this, but for now, I just know it’s my time to hustle and I’m running with it. 

As far as the airlines go, I know I’m venting a lot here, but we do love the Pilot’s new job and his company, We couldn’t be more thankful to have the security of a great second career, and we expected an intense first year paying our dues, but it’s been tough. I feel more used to him being gone than here. Sometimes it’s very lonely, which is why I feel so happy we’re near the family and also to connect with all of you. 

I’ll definitely be ok if 2020 is a more low-key year than 2019. I have some goals set, but am trying to reduce some of the pressure I put on myself. I’m looking at these goals as concepts I’d love to work towards, but if they don’t all happen this year, that’s ok. Mostly I was to emphasize creating time for the things that make me feel fulfilled, and spending time together as a family of 4 whenever possible.  

Health and fitness:

– Continue to follow my gallbladder protocol so I have a good ultrasound in February. This protocol is totally self-imposed and I haven’t written about it in detail because I’m not a medical professional and I have no clue if it’s actually working. My next ultrasound is in February and if the polyps have grown, they want to take out my gallbladder. I can’t go into the ultrasound without doing everything in my power to have an awesome result. Obviously a lot of it is out of my control, but I’m all about taking every step I possibly can. I really, really don’t want to have another surgery for a very long time so I’m crossing my fingers that I can keep my gallbladder. 

– Stay consistent with my current routine. I feel like I’ve hit a stride with my workout routine and love the mix of classes I’m currently taking. Each week, it’s a mix of Orangetheory, Telos (CrossFit-ish), barre, hot yoga, Peloton, outdoor hikes, and Les Mills On Demand workouts I’ll do at home. It’sfun to mix it up depending on what I’m subbing and how I feel that week. Nutrition-wise, I stopped counting macros a while ago (I feel like it was too much for my gallbladder to eat when I wasn’t actually hungry) and am just trying to get in protein, produce, whole grains, healthy fats, and lots of water. 

Family:

Make it through the first year of airlines (and I’m not even the person flying the planes lol). Whooooaaaaaa we’re halfway there. We’re definitely having a party when we hit 2nd year!

Keep supporting our babies in any way possible. I just love them so much and want them to know I’m always their advocate.

Really start to figure out a budget and long-term plans. This is something we’re going to work on for the following year, especially since we have some big long-term financial goals. I guess I’ll dust off my old Excel skills and get a spreadsheet together. 

Focus on things that fulfill my soul:

– Audition for choir (again). You guys know the choir audition I bombed? I’m going for it again. If it doesn’t work out, there are a few other local options to explore. I think that singing again would make my heart happy and a choir feels like a safe bet. 

– Join a volunteer organization. I always say I want to volunteer more and end up feeling overwhelmed with options and don’t end up doing it as often as I’d like. We’re going to be joining a specific organization that has requirements and I’m excited because the Pilot and I are going to do it together, and will also be held accountable.

– Reading every night before bed. I enjoy it so much and sleep better when I read for even 15-20 minutes before crashing. 

– Meditate at some point each morning. I’ve been using the Calm app and love it! My tips for starting a meditation practice are here. 

– Make time to hang out with friends and other couples. We’re at a point in life where it can be tough to get together with friends. I was doing a cooking club here in Tucson, but after a couple of months, no one could make it because everyone is shuffling kids to dance class and sports practice/games. I’ve found that with young kiddos and such a busy schedule, you won’t hang out with friends if you don’t make the time and concrete plans. (Instead of “Let’s meet up this week!” it has to be something like, “Do you want to grab breakfast at 10 on Friday?”) Since I work from home and the Pilot is gone a lot, I feel a bit more sane and happy when I have time to meet up with friends.

Pick up some regular fitness classes to teach. I’ve been subbing classes at a couple of studios, but didn’t take any of my own classes mostly because of childcare. I put it out to the universe (= Facebook) that I wanted to start teaching a couple of my own classes in the new year and was offered a HIIT class where I’m subbing that will start in February. I’m excited to be teaching more regularly again!

Continue therapy. I started seeing an incredible therapist the morning my grandfather passed away. I had made the appointment over a month in advance and figured I couldn’t cancel it, because if you ever needed a therapy appointment, that would be the day you should take one. So I went, and sat in her office and sobbed for 30 minutes. She told me that her office loved tears and I needed to truly feel everything I was feeling, and since then, she’s wrapped me in so much kindness and compassion. She’s become an extremely valued member of my tribe and even though I only see her every couple of weeks, it’s changed my life. It’s helped so much with my anxiety and my relationships, and if you are on the fence about therapy in the New Year, do it. It’s so worth it. 

Travel: 

– Traveling is one of my very favorite things, so I’m hoping for more in 2020! It gives us a chance to fully be present and enjoy time with each other while exploring a new, or beloved place. We have a cruise planned already (YEAHHH) and I’m also hoping we can start planning our next Italy trip. 

Professional:

– Finally find time to focus on SEO. It’s a wonder that my blog has survived this long considering that I know nothing about SEO. I’ve picked up a couple of tips over the past couple of years but I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m going to take a course and also am looking to hire an SEO expert to help me update old posts that are performing well. 

– Hire an editorial assistant. I have a couple of amazing team members who help behind-the-scenes with Pinterest, editing (not this post since I’m writing it the night before it goes live so sorry for the typos…), and Beautycounter. I’m looking for someone local who can help with filming/editing and kitchen days so I can post more recipes in the new year. 

– Update the podcast more consistently and focus on producing video content more consistently. 

– Work on opening my own studio. It may be next year, it may be 5 years from now, but it’s a huge goal of mine. 

– Run more online challenges through the blog. HIIT Bootcamp was so much fun (we’re going to do another one towards the end of January!) and I’d love to create more video packs with full calendars to follow. 

– Hit Senior Director with Beautycounter. Beautycounter has become one of the best things I’ve added to my business, especially because it’s given me the opportunity to connect with some many incredible friends and women, while creating an additional income stream. I’d love to hit Senior Director this year! You can read more about what it’s like being a Beautycounter consultant here. 

– Finish my second book! I signed my second book deal in December and I’m so excited to get this one out into the world! I’ll share more details when I can, but it’s geared more towards my beginner friends who are just getting started. 

If you made it to the end of this post, here’s a high five because this was a long one! 

Thank you so much for being here with me on the crazy 2019 ride. Thank you for being here and being so amazing. I can’t help but feel like I dropped the ball a bit this year (especially on the podcast and posting as much as I’d like) but I have a feeling that 2020 is going to be a good one. Honestly, if I get lots of time with the fam, a good report on the gallbladder front, and make a lot of cheese boards, I’m calling it a win. 

Cheers to the new year! Tell me, friends: what goals do you have set? Please share a personal and professional goal with me in the comments – I’d love to hear them!

xoxo

Gina

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