Thirty One: Reviewing Last Year's Goals

Introduction

"October marks the new year for me. Specifically, my birthday on Oct. 8. Seasonally speaking, it has made sense for me to do my goal evaluation and creation around my birthday. As the temperature drops, sky changes, and trees shed leaves, it's an easy time for me to construct new goals for myself. It's also an important time to take stock of the last year, and how I achieved, or went about achieving those goals."

I didn't change anything about my goals process from the previous year. However, I had a few goals to clean up from last year, a couple of small—random—things to get done this year, and another set of goals that are similar from year to year.

Looking back at some of the goals on the list I have a hard time remembering when I checked it off, what I did, or how I completed the goal. There's something to be said there about getting older and my new pace of life.

This goal post will be similar to those of previous years. First, I'll go through each goal, describing what the goal was all about, how it went, and if I feel like I achieved it this year. Then, I may talk about some of my favorite things from the year, whether that be books, experiences, or podcasts. Finally, I'll discuss life changes, attitude changes, and, most likely, look ahead to the year to come.

Update Business Website

Updating my business website was one of the items I struggled to remember doing this past year. In the previous year, I aimed to have a business website designed for me. Then, I wanted to build it. Anyway, after a year or two, I decided to change a few things on the website from the original version.

I had a small list of copy and developer changes to make which I hadn't completed last year. Consequently, I wanted to make sure I go to it this year. Whatever they were (I've since deleted the list), I successfully accomplished the changes and updated my business site.

Update Upwork Profile

Similarly, I needed to update my Upwork profile with a few experience changes and check my hourly rates.

I made these changes quickly and crossed this goal off the list in good time.

Finish Side Yard

Last year I wanted to landscape the side yard in my backyard. It was a pretty big project and a few items were not completed. Without the finishing touches, I couldn't cross this goal of the list and call it done.

Therefore, I put the remaining items on the list of goals to complete this year. The last items left were:

Finish the roof for the wood stack
Stain roof for the wood stack
Get concrete edging installed.
Spread bark or mulch.

In October of 2023, I was in the process of finishing the roof and I was able to finish constructing the roof before staining it in time for winter. However, the concrete edging and mulch would have to wait till the spring.

As for the concrete edging, it was simply a matter of finding a contractor. We had two companies bid on the project and went with the cheaper of the two. They completed the work in a couple of hours and it totally transformed the look of our front and backyards.

During the winter I was able to research the type of mulch, or bark, that would be best for my landscaping situation. I went back and forth on a few vendors and options but, ultimately, went with a "dark fines" mulch. The mulch has been amazing this year. It looks great and has kept the weeds down.

My wife took the opportunity to replant a landscaping strip in the front yard and she did a great job.

With the mulch, roof, and concrete edging in I could safely say that this goal was finally ready to be crossed off the list.

Fix & Install Gutter Drainage

We finally had gutters put on the house last year (or was it the year before?). Unfortunately, I didn't foresee the additional task of handling where the water was going to go after it came out of the gutter and onto the ground.

I had to research and design gutter drainage solutions for our downspouts to effectively manage the increased amount of water that would hit various areas around the house.

In the beginning, I had planned to do 2-3 underground downspouts. However, after talking with some other homeowners, I decided keeping things above ground as much as possible would be the best long-term option.

Additionally, our house has a nice slope in many areas and the soil drains well, which means as long as we get the water out away from the house, the slope will do the rest.

Without the decision to not dig multiple underground downspouts this goal would not have been completed. I simply did not have the time for that big of a project. Hopefully, based on my research, the gutter downspout solutions I installed will prevent water from being a problem around the house. After installing the final gutter downspout drain on the west side of the house I considered this goal accomplished.

Plant Hawthorn

There's an infamous spot in our yard that's been a troublesome area for a few years now. Back in 2021, I tried planting arborvitae in the area: but they died. Then, I got very ambitious with a dogwood: that died too.

Undeterred I resolved to try a new approach this year:

Planting a hawthorn tree which is very resilient and grows well in my area
Running a drip line to the tree to resolve my wife's criticism that the plants in that area simply were not getting enough water.

I went to the nursery early in the spring and picked out a nice big hawthorn.

Throughout the summer it's looked really good and, fingers crossed, the third time is a charm in terms of planting a living organism in that area of the year.

After setting up the drip line and clearing the weeds around the base I crossed this goal off the list for this year.

Monthly Gists & Posts

A couple of years ago I made a goal to write Python articles for my blog every week. It was a bit of a pain but creating the blog articles was a helpful development practice.

I've found in the past that writing software, or completing a technical task, is better done when thinking about how some other person would understand it. It changes how I think about what I'm doing and allows me to write code with a purpose.

I wanted to get back into it this year because I hadn't written anything for quite a while. Adding to the goal of writing posts, or articles, I wanted to remember to add gists to my Github account because they're helpful for two reasons:

To show off some of your code
For remembering how to do a common task

I ended up writing twelve (12) articles that I published on my business blogs, some with supplemental gists:

I double-posted some articles on my business and personal blogs because they applied to backpacking and software development. Technically, I didn't publish a post every month, some of the Enchantments articles were published quickly, but I did write twelve posts for my business blog that spanned the whole year.

You could say this goal wasn't accomplished, to the "T", but I consider it a success.

Backpack 2+ Nights

I consider myself a backpacker. I went on my first trip back in 2017 and have been on ten (10) backpacking trips since then. Despite feeling like someone who backpacks, I've never done a trip longer than two nights. As a matter of fact, four of the trips have been one-nighters.

There's really nothing wrong with two-night, or one-night trips. They fit well into a weekend and many people are more willing to go on them because they are short.

But, short-trips and long trips are quite different. They require different gear needs and logistics. They also provide different experiences and because of these differences, I decided to make a longer trip a goal. I determined a longer trip is more than two nights.

It wasn't clear where, or for how many nights, the backpacking trip would be as I applied for the usual lotteries (Wonderland and Enchantments).

In April, I received the good news that I was given a window to build a trip for the Wonderland Trail. It was the last window but, still, it was a window. I began planning my multi-night itinerary and gear list.

Unbelievably, I haven't written the backpacking posts for the trip yet! There's a lot to write and we had a busy summer.

Well, very long story short, I ended up completing a six (6) night backpacking trip on the west and north sides of the Wonderland Trail in mid-July with my cousin, Uncle, and brother.

Predictably, the trip was incredible. We had amazing weather. So many things went well for us and I enjoyed every bit of being out there. I hope to write about it soon to detail the entire experience. For now, we'll just say this goal was a great success.

In addition to the six-night trip, I also went on a wonderful two-night trip with my cousin, Uncle, sister, and friend into the Stuart Lake Zone of the Enchantments after I snagged one of the unclaimed permits on recreation.gov in April. Again, I still haven't written the trip report but it was another great time.

Read Books

Every year or so I accumulate some books that I'm interested in. Unfailingly, they end up collecting dust on my shelf. After they've collected enough dust I decide it's time to put them on the goal list to finish. The books on the list this year were:

Glacial Lake Missoula and Its Humongous Floods, by David Alt
No Good Men Among the Living, by Anand Gopal

Both books were fun to read and I got pulled into each. I was happy to cross these books off the list for this year.

In addition to the books I wanted to read for goals, I also read:

Chief Seattle and the Town that Took His Name, by David M. Buerge
Designing Data-Intensive Applications, by Martin Kleppmann

It's hard to determine which was my favorite. No Good Men Among the Living was a crash course on the war in Afghanistan. I grew up with the war and subsequently didn't know that much about it, but became interested after the withdrawal of U.S. troops a few years ago.

Equally interesting were both books involving the history of Washington state. The effects of the Glacial Lake Missoula floods are everywhere on the east side of Washington and the history of the floods play a big role in understanding why the landscape is the way it is. Similarly, Chief Seattle and the Town that Took His Name detailed the pioneer and native history of Puget Sound. Both books were well worth the read and I was happy to complete this goal.

Walk 20 Miles in a Week

Last year, I bought an under-desk treadmill to use while I worked at home. It's sometimes hard to remember to break it out and use it regularly (even more so now). However, getting some steps in can be pretty easy at work and, apparently, can go a long way in reducing the effects of my sedentary lifestyle.

I had been walking a few miles a day and decided to walk 20 miles in one week while working.

It was a bit more work than I wanted because sometimes it's distracting to walk when I'm trying to focus on something challenging. Still, this goal didn't take much time to accomplish. Sometime in October of last year, I walked 20.7 miles in one week and quickly crossed this goal off the list.

No Drinking Jan. & Feb.

An annual goal, no drinking in January & February was extended to hopefully include all of March last year, as a bonus month, but I didn't make it all the way through March. Some family came into town the third weekend of March and I decided it was time to fall off the wagon or get back on, I don't really understand the expression.

Regardless, I was proud of not drinking for 2+ months and will place this goal back on the list for next year.

Get Masonry Quotes

A simple laundry list item. We needed some brick and chimney repair done and I had been failing to commit to getting the problem solved. Therefore, I made the goal to get some quotes this year.

One of the repair quotes came in pretty reasonable and we finally got some bricks replaced and I was able to cross this goal off.

Get Fence Quotes

Similarly, a couple of our fences are in bad shape and I was curious as to what a new one may cost. However, unlike the masonry quote, the fence quotes came in very high ($10k-$15k). This was a bit shocking and despite liking the people who came and gave me quotes the estimates were just too much.

Fortunately, this goal is about getting the quotes, not getting a new fence, so after I got the quotes I had done what I needed to do.

Save For New Hammock Quilts

I wanted to buy some new hammock quilts for my backpacking trips this summer so I needed to save a bit of money for them since they aren't cheap. Despite not being cheap, Hammock Gear has fantastic quilts for a very competitive price so I was able to get a great deal on some high-quality quilts.

The two quilts I wanted would help me with my backpacking hammock setup and reduce weight in my pack.

I was able to successfully save, buy, and use the quilts on both my trips this summer. I felt the top quilt and under quilt setup in a hammock is the way to go, compared to trying to use an air mattress in the hammock.

Replace Soft Close-in Broken Drawers

Replacing the soft-close in our kitchen and bathroom doors was a small home task I needed to find some time for last winter. Once I bought the replacements I found some time one weekend and made it through all the ones which were failing.

It was easier than I thought it would be and my wife was very happy after I completed this goal.

Find Frames for Three Posters

Two years ago now I bought a couple maps from a cool store in Seattle called Metsker Maps. Then, my sister gifted me an Enchantments poster. All were cool so I didn't want to just pin them up on the wall in my office destroying the corners.

Unfortunately, in the past, I've looked for frames to fit maps or pictures and it's been really frustrating. I either can't find frames or they're expensive. Furthermore, buying a frame that doesn't fit the poster perfectly looks bad. With all these considerations I just let the posters sit in storage. It was time to spend some time finding frames.

I ended up finding a custom frame service on Etsy that made simple, made-to-order frames at a price I could live with. I bought two frames from the Etsy service and a simpler magnetic frame for one of the posters which I didn't think was nice enough to require a custom frame.

After getting them all on the wall my office looks a lot better and this goa was done.

Start College Savings for Daughter

Starting a college savings can be easy depending on how you do it. We wanted to start a certain savings account that required an initial investment.

Then, we had to go through the process of finding a provider for the account and filling out all the paperwork. It wasn't a huge hurdle this year, but definitely something I wanted to do as soon as we were able. Safe to say this goal was a success.

Continue Training BJJ & Lifting Weights

Simply, I didn't want to stop going to my BJJ gym or lifting weights. This was a goal to not lose hold of the progress I had made from the previous year. But, of course, my body had other plans.

After enjoying good health through the winter, I injured my back while training in the spring. I hoped it would heal and not get worse: but it got worse.

In April, I realized I could no longer train or lift weights because of how bad my back was. Additionally, I had a six-night backpacking trip planned for mid-July and knew I wouldn't be able to go with my back in such bad shape. I sought help from my sister, again. She's a PT and helped me through some back issues last year. I was feeling pretty dejected after the injury but she was confident she could help. I decided to stop training BJJ for a few months as I fixed my back issue. I rested for a couple of weeks but then began the rehab process using weights.

I put 3-4 months into re-strengthening and getting some mobility back. I was surprised by how good I felt going into the backpacking trip in July. My sister, Reilly, had me walking on the treadmill with weight on my back to prepare for the trip. It made a huge difference in my enjoyment of the trip having the confidence that, not only my back would hold up, but I would have plenty of strength and endurance to enjoy the hikes and side trips.

By the end of August, my back felt normal. I returned to my BJJ gym and have been successfully lifting weights and training at the gym since then. I'm grateful I was able to get healthy. It's amazing what good health and strength can do for your life.

Weekend Dinner (when we're home)

This was a family-oriented goal. I wanted to help my wife out on the weekends with dinners. With our schedules, she takes care of dinners during the week. Additionally, she ends up handling dinners on the weekends as well. This year, I wanted to take it upon myself to offer, plan, and make dinners at least one night on weekends when we were home for the whole weekend.

Because I had to come up with things to make more often I couldn't just stick to my normal go-tos. Well, I couldn't stick to them all the time because I still relied on them heavily.

I made a few new dishes and worked with my wife when she had a suggestion or wanted to eat something other than what I wanted.

There were many weekends where I offered to make something but she already had a dinner in mind. In that case, I would just handle making the main course. This seemed to make a big difference. She mentioned many times how helpful it was that I made dinner on whatever night it was. Truthfully, this goal wasn't a success because I missed 4-5 weekends this year. Regardless, I think if you asked my wife she would say otherwise.

Notables

In this section, I'd like to mention a few other notables from this year.

Stuart Lake Backpacking Trip

I already mentioned I went on this trip in addition to the six-night trip in July. However, I wanted to put it down here again because it was an awesome trip. We had good weather, got the best campsite, and our whole group seemed to have a really good time. And, I caught a fish while backpacking for the first time!

Grand Park Hike

Back in October I canceled a backpacking trip and replaced it with a hike to Grand Park with my mom, sister, and cousin. The weather and views were perfect. We had such a great time. It was the best day hike I'd been on for a long time.

Chelan

We took a fun family trip to Lake Chelan this year. The house was great and spending a week with family, by the lake, golfing, fishing, and hanging out by the water was a blast. I, of course, had to make another photo album.

Camping

Last year, I made the goal to go camping at least two times with my family. We didn't make it camping as many times as the previous summer but we did do a four-night trip to the coast at Kalaloch. My family has been going to Kalalaoch for decades and it holds a special place in our family and our hearts.

It was the longest camping trip we had been on since our daughter was born. All the trips last year were two-nighters. Our good weather luck held up again and there was plenty of sun at the beach.

It's hard to imagine not going camping in the summer but getting sites at Kalaloch was really hard. We had some stressful mornings logging onto the website to try and click for reservations. Despite the odds, we persevered and got enough sites to have a big group. I don't know if we'll make it back to Kalaloch next year, just with how hard it was to get sites, but I hope we make it back soon.

Basalt Column

I've found basalt columns so cool for a while now. Many of them sit in the middle of roundabouts or as part of nice landscaping for businesses and homes. I've talked for a while about getting one for the backyard to finally have my own and last year my wife got family together to help pool some money so I could finally buy one. This summer, I got around to picking one out and figuring out how to get it to my house. Then, I hauled it into the backyard with the help of my neighbor, Andy. It was a beast of a rock.

I always thought I would have it vertical, but after seeing one laid down at a local business acting as a bench, I made other plans. Laying down isn't the most aesthetic way to display the rock but it's functional and still looks good, in my opinion. My daughter was pretty excited about it too. Eventually, I'll restack the rocks around it but that's for a different year.

Conclusion

Overall, another amazing and special year. One of the few things that didn't go my way was the back injury, but thankfully, I was able to get healthy and enjoy so many special family and travel moments during the summer and fall.

Our lives are changing so frequently with a daughter who's getting older. I certainly don't have the time I used to for things that I want to do. Consequently, at the end of this year, and looking to next year, I want to make things more simple. That means a few fewer goals. Similarly, many of the goals I have to accept a longer time horizon. Some things didn't make the list for next year but were put on a "nice to have" list. Still, there's plenty more I want to accomplish or start next year.