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Fall is here and it’s time for another update on my 2022 goals. These past three months have been super busy, with plenty of travels at home and abroad. When I look outside and see the leaves changing, I can hardly believe it.
I’m always sad to see summer go because I know I’ll be counting down all winter to wearing shorts and t-shirts again. Secretly, though, I welcome the chill in the air that comes with fall. I love the crispy leaves, baking, knitting, glasses of zinfandel, and everything else cozy season brings.
I even recently wrote this fall bucket list, which was inspired by many years of being deprived of enjoying the best of my favorite season.
As far as my goals, I’ve continued to chip away at them these past few months, and yes, some of them are softballs. After the stress and uncertainty of the previous couple years, I needed to put some sure things into this list (puppy snuggles included).
If you’ve been following along, below is an update on all of my New Year’s goals. Thanks for being here and happy reading!
My 11 New Year’s Goals for 2022
1. Visit 8 New Places
The past two years brought so much uncertainty for travel. So rather than specifying new states and countries to visit, I decided any new place, near or far, would suffice. Plus, I think new places in previously visited destinations should count too!
- Ireland
- Northern Ireland
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Cherry Blossom Trees at Wade Lagoon in Cleveland
- Ice cave and glacier lagoon in Iceland
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Cape Cod, Massachusetts
- Plymouth, Massachusetts
- Montmartre, Paris
- Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte in France
- Provins, France
- Milos, Greece
- Paros, Greece
- Bari and surrounding villages of Puglia, Italy
- New Hampshire (near Lincoln)
- Vermont (near NH border)
2. Snuggle My Dog
This is more of a daily goal for me, so I can make sure no day goes by without dedicated Bennie snuggling time. I usually catch him before bed when he is too tired to wriggle away from me.
3. Paint Our Upstairs Hallway
Nope, this one is still not done. One of these weekends is just going to have to be devoted solely to painting and that’s the way it is.
4. Bake Homemade Bread
This is my husband’s hobby – not mine. However, I still put it on my list because I desire him to bake me homemade bread…
5. Bake French Pastries
Not only have I been trying to bake French pastries – I’ve also made it my mission to eat more French pastries. Aaron bought me a French pastry cookbook for Christmas last year, and to be honest, I barely knew what most of the things were in the book.
I had the opportunity to visit Paris for two weeks this year and I ate all the pastries I could. Even back in the US, I’ve been happening upon French pastries I’ve never tried. I mean, how can you properly bake something you’ve never eaten?
I’m just gonna go ahead and put it out there. My goal for this year is to bake a Croquembouche.
6. Continue Studying French
Finally, I can say with certainty that I’ve made progress with this goal. First of all, I traveled to Paris this year and spoke French every day. Second of all, I stayed with my good friend Christelle and her husband Aymeric for a few days, where I had an intense immersive experience when visiting her family.
To prepare for all of this, I did my usual Duolingo, plenty of flash cards, read about grammar in a text book, and spoke with locals over Italki. I also love Youtube for listening to native French speakers. I’ve written a detailed post about all of my favorite DIY French learning resources here.
7. Read 12 Books
I’ve finished four books and am in the middle of two others:
- Reread Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
- Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott – still reading
- The Way of Wanderlust by Don George
- How to Be A Travel Writer by Don George
- The Witches – still reading
8. Post 52 Blog Posts
This is my biggest goal for 2022. Consistency is so important in blogging, and I’ve never managed to publish one post a week over an entire year before.
That’s why I got rid of my old “post once a week” goal and instead am shooting for 52 total posts, regardless of when they are published. There are some times during the year when it’s very difficult to post regularly and others when I have much more time. I’m focusing on productivity over perfectionism.
This goal made leaps and bounds over spring and summer, where I managed to post for over twenty weeks in a row! Sadly, I got behind during the first three months of the year and haven’t quite been able to make up for it. While my busy fall has caused me to miss a few weeks, I stand at 28 or 53.85% of my goal. This one makes 29.
9. Take at Least One Solo Trip
So far this year, I have traveled solo in Copenhagen, Paris, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Before last year, I had never traveled solo at all, so it’s crazy to have done it so many times in 2022! Admittedly, I prefer to travel with my husband, but his schedule is not as flexible as mine.
10. Buy a New Phone
Done! This was so needed. I have a much better camera now and a lot more storage space than I did before. My old phone was starting to act up when doing just about anything, so I am happy to have an upgrade.
I have also invested in a new desk chair! Finally, I have a real chair with actual support, instead of the cute, flimsy one that was making my back hurt.
Maybe one day I’ll get my hands on a new computer, but that might have to wait for next year’s budget.
11. Visit One New State
Finally, I can mark this goal complete! In late September/early October I visited New Hampshire and Vermont. Part of the trip was with my husband and part of it was solo. We did a lot of hiking, leaf peeping, and exploring of charming small towns. We also purchased a lot of cheese and maple syrup, and I found an amazing yarn shop that spins their own fibers.
• • •
This year has been a continued exercise in focus and creating calm within chaos. I continue to grind and put work out there, but it’s always nice to take a moment and look at what I’ve accomplished. I’ve certainly learned this year how success is not linear, and keeping momentum up can be just as hard, if not harder, than getting there in the first place.
Wishing you peace and positive vibes as you celebrate fall and prepare for the holiday season.
What are your biggest goals for fall?
