2015 is on it’s last days. I think a look back at where we’ve been helps plan for what’s ahead to the extent we can control our lives. My husband and I had things we could control like retirement savings and events that we couldn’t like my company being acquired.
Here’s a look back at the memorable moments of 2015 for us whether they were good, bad or the jury’s still out.
Health
The first few months of the year I did well in my weight loss and fitness efforts.
Nutrition– I was on a Nutrisystem plan until June. The problem with this is that not only did I get tired of packaged/frozen food but my husband and I were never having the same meal.
I’ve started ordering meals from Dream Dinners and has been a great hit. It’s easy to prepare home-cooked meals after work that we enjoy together.
Fitness – I started the year off strong with Kaia Fit and have to say it got me fitter than anything I’ve done in decades. The problem is the cost. $120 a month is more than I want to spend on a fitness solution with limited hours (option of 3 times 4-5 days a week). If you can’t make that location during one of those times you’re out of luck.
Physical Health – I had oral surgery in March which went well but I didn’t know it would take so long to heal. The big health problem I have is weight gain. The scale has gone up 20 plus pounds since May. A lot is due to stress from work changes which I’ll explain later. But it is also a result of not finding the right exercise routine. This has got to change next year.
Wealth
A lot went right in 2015 here. I maxed out savings in my 401K and IRA. Plus we finally decided where to invest an inheritance. That was forced by the employer change and having to do something with the 401K account from my old company.
Nope, I didn’t change jobs but the company changed hands. The owner of the company I worked at for 20 plus years was ready to retire and sold. I think the acquisition is overall positive but there’s been a lot of changes for all employees (some more than others) whether it be vacation accrual, health plans or reporting relationships.
In terms of large purchases, we had one expected (trip to Italy) and a couple of unexpected. The first unexpected were never-ending vet bills (okay not that bad but it seemed like it at times). One cat had an ear infection that took multiple visits and medications to get resolved. Another ended up needing a tooth extracted. Charger made it through the year with just a couple of checkups. Yay!
The other big unplanned expenditure was a new car. My husband’s car wouldn’t pass the smog inspection without expensive repairs that would cost more than the car was worth.
Travel
There was a lot of travel in 2015 thanks to short trips whether for business or pleasure. In February a business trip took me to Danville, Kentucky. My grandparents were from Kentucky and I found myself thinking of them as I enjoyed driving through the beautiful countryside.
In April another business trip took me to Nashville for a few days. It’s where my new company is headquartered and I got to meet so many fellow employees. Outside of business, I learned Nashville is a fantastic city with wonderful entertainment, food and sights.
May brought us to our 20th anniversary trip to Italy. We enjoyed it thoroughly and speak of it often. You can read lots of detail about the sights we saw, the food we ate and more starting here.
Other business trips took me to Charlotte, Washington DC, Atlanta, Seattle and Spartanburg. I enjoyed all these cities!
Personal trips included fourth of July in Kansas with my sister, brother and other relatives. In June, I traveled to Denver for my third time attending FitBloggin’.
I also took a one night trip to Memphis to bring my grandson back to our home for two weeks. The one cruise this year was a 10 day Carnival Journeys sailing that I’m recapping on this blog.
My husband and I ended 2015 travels spending Christmas in San Francisco. No, we didn’t have family there but just enjoyed the city and being away for a few days.
Next week, I’ll share my goals for 2016. How was your 2015?
2015 has been such an up and down year; I definitely feel so much healthier than I did a year ago, though. I am inspired to continue the positive things I started and to press forward to make room for more happiness and health going forward. Let’s get together soon, before things go completely crazy again with work for both of us!
Denise, happy new year! You really turned it around in 2015 and that inspires me to do the same. We definitely need to plan something soon!