Happy New Year! It’s time for another “to-do” list. I enjoyed creating last year’s list so much that I am doing it again this year. Like our annual fall family photos, I’ve decided to continue my annual “to-do” list. As a life-long planner, creating a list for the year helps me focus on the grander goals I want to accomplish for myself and my family. Whenever I cross off a goal, I appreciate the goal that much more. For our family, 2022 was a year of educational growth for all of us: Alice started preschool. Ilse attended art camp and loved it. The hubs and I were both promoted at our respective jobs. Our weekday family schedules got a little more hectic as we got into the groove of two school drop-offs and pick-ups, more social activities, and more work travel for the hubs and me.
Determined.
For 2023, I am determined to get our family back on a plane for some serious travel. Now that we are all vaccinated, I feel good about air travel as a family. Some things from this list are the same as last year’s because I have yet to accomplish them. Some are new challenges for me, like editing my work wardrobe. I have difficulty parting with my shoes, but a few pairs are too painful to wear. Other goals are family ones; I love those goals the most. With annual goal-setting, I don’t have to worry about “what could have been.” To quote one of my favorite television series, “West Wing,” I have to think about “what’s next.”
Here is my list of 23 things I want to do this year.
- Picnic in a park in the Spring.
- Maintain my health and wellness regiment
- Potty train Alice
- Renew/apply for my daughters’ passports
- Chat with a financial advisor to figure out how to maximize my 401K contribution
- Take stock of my whole work wardrobe (including shoes) and edit/update.
- Visit a new museum with my family.
- Try baked goods from Twisted Donuts and Rize Up
- Start a grateful jar with Ilse to capture everything we are grateful for throughout the year.
- Do a baseball game date with my husband
- Participate in my second Chef’s Cycle with my company
- Attend a church service at a different church
- Bake ensaymada with my Tita Elsie’s recipe
- Clean out our closets after winter.
- Go out for dinner dates with my husband
- Develop a daily, weekly, and monthly household chore list for the family
- Maintain #16
- Take a random weekday off just for me.
- Schedule monthly friend dates
- Find a fitness activity we can do together as a family on the weekends.
- Travel for Spring Break
- Travel for Summer break
- Take a road trip somewhere in California (hint, hint, Hubs)
If 2022 was the year of educational growth and “just living,” 2023 will be the year of exploration: exploring other parts of California, another state, or learning a new skill. I can’t think of a better day to tackle a new set of goals than today. What are your goals for 2023? What do you want to accomplish?
