Mid-Year Check in!

You can look back at my 2026 goals here. I'm not doing great on the pull-up training; I'm going to table that until late August when Cam goes back to school. 

I actually wrote much more detailed goals for the year in my planner. Not sure why they are different than what I posted on my blog (I guess I scaled down for the blog), but here are goals where I've been successful:

1. Go to gym 3-4 days per week

2. Potty Train Brooke

3. Have a monthly date with Brian

4. Renew passport

5. Condense all clothes down to one closet

I've also read 12 books, 8 books with Cam at night, and the first 9 books of the Old Testament. 

For the second half of the year, I want to focus on doing ONE PULL-UP (!!!), changing my gym routine and increasing intensity, re-doing Brooke's bedroom, and trying at least one new recipe each month. 

I think I am learning a lot about myself this year, and, more particularly, this summer. The potential job change did not pan out and I am feeling grateful that there was clarity on that and the decision ultimately ended up out of my hands. I think it will all work out for the best. Honestly, most days I don't understand how I actually have time for a job, lol. 

We had something going on every single night last week and I was feeling overwhelmed because my days were logistically challenging driving Cam back and forth to a camp in Hillsborough and I had felt sick with a terrible cold the previous week. To top if off, I had told my friend Brittany that I would go down to the beach for a day on Saturday, adding to my stress level because nothing had been done at home all week. I was feeling out of sorts and things were spiraling, ha! 

Despite the minor frustrations of going to the beach with a newly-potty-trained toddler (and coming home to 8 loads of laundry), the beach trip was worth it. We've done it most summers and it is always worth it. It was a great day. 

We ended up cancelling our trip to Busch Gardens this weekend, which I think was the right call. As much as I love to pack our weeks full of activities, I've found myself wanting to pull back lately. I want to take time this week to look ahead at the rest of the year and determine what areas I should prioritize. 

Overall, I feel I am in a really good place here at the half-way point of 2026. Writing and travelling are two personally fulfilling areas that have slipped to the backburner this year, but I'm confident I will shift those to the front again soon. 

I've been focused on my health and well-being. I've done so much with my friends and family. I feel stability at home and work. I'm having a lot of fun. And, if for nothing else, the mundane things - the laundry, the cooking, the cleaning, the bed making, the grocery shopping, the dishwasher loading, the pick ups, and the drop offs - serve as good reminders that my life is full.