#Microblog Mondays: Reflecting on 2018

New Year's Eve is an opportunity to look back on the year and see what transpired over the past year, what's changed, what's evolved, what were successes, what were failures (or maybe just 'not yets')... what made 2018 the year it was. Tomorrow, for me, is about planning for the new year.

2018, thankfully, was a far sight better than 2017. 2017 was The Year of Urgent Care, The Year of Massive Change, The Year I Became Chrysalis Goo, and The Year We Redefined What Our Life Would Be. So, a hard year, a year of tremendous loss, but also a year of reconstituting and recovering.

2018 started with us knowing exactly where we stood on the family front, and looking to see what we could do with this new and exciting opportunity to embrace what is and let go of what was not.

- January was rough, with the whole fatty liver thing making PCOS obviously a lifelong issue, and being told I "only" needed to lose 15-20 pounds.
- But, I did end up losing 12 pounds over the year and have maintained that loss. Which is great.
- I took up tap dancing, and although I am decidedly NOT a prodigy, I enjoy it and can't wait to get back to it in January as the move made both that and Buti Yoga near impossible to get to.
- We did new things -- more concerts out at the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, a Bug Dinner, taking advantage of the art museum
- I wrote more, but didn't submit anything. File that under "not yet"
- I read a whopping 86 books. Less than 2016, which was 105, and the same as 2017 exactly. I think 2016 was a year of not doing as many things, and needing to escape a whole lot. I plan to do a separate post with my favorite books of the year. (To be fair, more than a few were for work, books my kids were reading so I could have meaningful conferences, so I wasn't reading 86 War and Peace-sized tomes.
- I hosted book club at our old house, which I had never felt I could do before we got all our new furniture and rearranged everything.
- I wrote 80 posts by the time this one goes up, my lowest since 2014 when I was in the 70s. I blame the move and a particularly challenging school year, but still not too shabby.
- I received my National Board certification, technically in December 2017, but it went into effect in 2018 and I have had it a whole year! I will say it is also nice to get the extra stipend, too.
- Bryce passed his Qualification Exam with flying colors and became an official PhD student/candidate.
- I tutored over the summer for the first time, and didn't hate it! It gave the summer structure, and gave me extra cash, and still allowed me to do all kinds of fun things on my own time.
- We decided to move after spending the summer evaluating the possibility of an addition/garage project.
- Moving took up much of the time between early September to now -- we had NO IDEA just how chaotic that process would be, to sell our existing home of 15 years (well, 12 for me) and move into a new house -- SO MUCH CLEANING AND ORGANIZING AND PURGING.
- But, the good news is that my annual "get the house organized and clean for the new year" craziness is going to be INCREDIBLY EASY this year. :)

That's a pretty damn good year, if I do say so myself!

I wish for you all the happiness in the world for 2019, and peace, and good health, and more of what makes you feel fulfilled.

Want to read more #Microblog Mondays? Ones that might actually be micro in nature? Go here and enjoy!