After reading Better than Before towards the end of last year, I am still a bit torn as to my tendency. I would say overall that I am an Obliger, though. For this reason, I don’t find that New Year’s resolutions always work great for me unless I have external accountability. For instance – I never miss my weekly yoga class. I’ve paid for it, it’s a small class so my teacher is aware if I’m not there, and I enjoy the commitment I’ve made to it. I almost NEVER do yoga at home though, even though I would like to. Last year, I signed up for a 5-race package and ran four of those five races (I missed one because I was across the country for my cousin’s wedding). Had I not signed up for this, I might not have signed up for any races or done nearly as much running.

Here are some things I am really looking forward to in 2017, in no particular order:

1) Taking a trip to Toronto in August to see COLDPLAY live in concert (we will likely take the girls, drive out, and make it a family trip – Brian’s sister lives near Toronto and so do my aunt and uncle). I am BEYOND excited for this.

2) Seeing Beauty & The Beast in theatres in March (the trailer looks amazing, I can’t wait)

3) Running 5 MEC races starting with a 5K this weekend

4) Continuing to work on yoga with my wonderful teacher

5) Reading at least 100 books again, including a great start with my choices for Erin’s book challenge 6.0. Focusing on quality over quantity but continuing to prioritize reading in my daily life. Work on better book tracking in my bullet journal & on Goodreads.

6) Lucy turning 3 and Molly turning 6 – Lucy might even get to start preschool in the fall

7) My sister, brother-in-law, and niece moving closer to us in June/July (right now they are an hour away but they’re moving to the city!)

8) Finding/starting a new job (my current position ends at the end of June) – I have mixed feelings about this, but I always knew it was coming and I am so fortunate to have had this experience in my position

9) My 10-year Homecoming Reunion at St. FX in October (I hope a lot of my classmates make the trip!)

10) My sister-in-law and her fiance’s wedding in May – this will be a fantastic family event, and I’m so excited for them. Her fiance has been “part of the family” for longer than I have, so it will be nice to celebrate it officially 🙂 The girls are both going to be flower girls too.

On another note, here are some of my goals and aspirations for 2017:

• Go on (at least) a weekend getaway with Brian and also focus on one date night a month
• Continue to work on being a calmer and more kind parent, wife, and friend 
• Continue to declutter our home
• Work on my posture with yoga, stretching, monthly massages, and my new posture corrector band that I got for Christmas 🙂
• Find a fulfilling and exciting new job to feel passionate about
• Continue to nurture my friendships with the women in my life
• Continue to pursue health and happiness by finding time to relax, eating healthy food, and exercising
• Attempt to publish blog posts at least twice a week including sharing more parenting thoughts, random writing, recipes, and more in-depth book reviews