Well, another year has sped past us. I’ve deemed 2023 as the year of slow progress and titled this post as such before even beginning to write out how the year unfolded. As mentioned in my last update post, my husband and I were hoping to complete a major house renovation in 2023 — however, we had higher expectations than reality! We are now almost ready to begin construction and recently moved into a temporary apartment, so I am excited to see it completed by the fall.

So what did I actually accomplish last year? Some of the things I’m most proud of include:

• Completing my exercise goals (except for 30 hours of ice skating — but I was close!)
• Getting back to the weekly runs with Fleet Feet Seattle after a long, several-year hiatus
• Serving my second year as the volunteer coordinator for the Run and Walk with Pride
• Traveling to Arizona, Hawaii, and NYC
• Reading 16 books

Another Year of Traveling: Arizona, Hawaii, & NYC

I obviously can’t mention my travels without posting at least a few photos from my adventures! The picture above was taken from a trip with my best friend in April 2023 to Arizona and the Antelope Canyon. The canyon was mesmerizing and the weather was perfect (as was the pool), especially after a long Seattle winter.

I wrote my 2021 post so late last year that it hardly feels like it’s time to write my 2022 recap, but here we are! When I think about the past year, there are a few major events that come to mind. If I had to summarize 2022, it was the year that my husband Tym and I:

• Adopted a second kitty (I mentioned this in my 2021 post, and I’m happy to share the news that our older kitty has finally adapted to the change!)
• Traveled to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
• Sold our first home

Vacation Fun Times & Overcoming Stress

I’ve worked for over a decade in the tech industry and in that time, my longest vacation had been 11 or 12 days. I took a full two weeks off over the summer to travel to Mexico and also visit my family, which meant that I had 16 restful days of time away from my job. I highly recommend doing this, as it really helped me to remember what my main priorities are in life; ever since that vacation, I have been much less stressed and have focused more on my well-being. I finally made the realization that while work is almost always busy, that doesn’t need to mean that work has to be stressful.

Being employed at a larger company has helped me disconnect more from my work as well, as I also came to realize that I’m only a single person at a company of thousands of employees: working an extra hour or two (or five) every week doesn’t really make that much of a difference overall, and only leads to burnout and less productivity over time.