Happy New Year!! (Weekly Wrap-up Edition)

Happy New Year on this last day of 2017. 

This year I did not focus on running.  I took many breaks which has made coming back to running at the end of the year a lot more enjoyable.  I only ran 355.79 miles last year, which included 2 months of no running at all.  Despite the lack of running I did run 9 races and a triathlon.

Instead of running, I did do a good share of biking this past summer.  I got a brand new bike, which I completely am in love with.  I got 591.41 miles of biking in.  I was even in a parade!

On the non-run, non-bike front, I got a new job.  Well two new jobs.  I was laid off at the end of 2016 from a job that I had for 15 years.  After a few months off I got a new job as a contractor.  I helped them move letters from an old system to a new one.  Over the summer I added to my duties and got a title of Scrum Master.  A month ago, I was offered a job as a full time Scrum Master.  This is a job I have been trying to get for the past year an a half.  And after 3 weeks, it's exactly what I want to do.  I hope that it keeps up the fun and challenge.

My cats are still their crazy selves.  My old lady had some issues a few months back.  But she is much better and we found out that her kidney blood work is normal.  They did find a new friend.  I had an outdoor cat come visit almost every day.  She looks in at them and they look out at her.  For the first few months I didn't feed her and she kept coming back.  I saw the enjoyment that she gave my cats, so I started feeding her.  And I did end up name her Duibhe (pronounced Doobie).  It means black in Gaelic.  There is no chance that she will become an indoor cat, but with the freezing temps out there, I want to do what I can for her.

While I took time off from work at the beginning of the year, I did take a Sign Language class.  This is something that really interests me and I wish I could use it on a regular basis so I could really learn it.  Maybe one day....

For Valentine's Day we had a girls night out to do a Murder Mystery Dinner.  This was a lot of fun and we plan on doing it again at some point.

I was lucky enough to see the Eclipse this past year.  Granted it was only 86% of the Eclipse but it was so amazing that I didn't need to see the full thing.  It was a once in a lifetime view.  Though I'm tempted to make plans to see the full one in 7 years.

I did do a lot around my house.  While I had time off in the beginning of the year, I was able to clean out a lot of my house.  This included 10 trips to Goodwill.  While the house is not as clean as it was in March, it still is fairly organized.  I also power washed the side of my house, deck, and front porch.  As well as stained and painted my deck and porch.  The outside looks so nice now.  But there still are things that need to be done.  I also started upgrading some items in my house to start connecting and making my house Smart.  This includes automating my porch lights to go on and off with the sunrise and sunset, my thermostats, and my front door lock.  I have plans on a couple more things that I'd like to connect.

 

 This next year I don't have any grand plans.  I am signed up for two Disney races, but that's it.  I probably will be signing up for a St. Patrick's day race, but not sure if it will be a 5k or 10k.   I really don't have any other real plans.  I'd like to have a vacation where I'm not running.  I haven't had one of those in like 2-3 years.  Beyond that, no plans or goals for 2018.  I don't believe in resolutions, as I know if there is something I want to do, I don't want to wait till New Years.  And I don't want to half heartedly do something just because it's New Years.  

 

Though I have been thinking about doing the #365DaysOfHappy challenge on Instagram.  I don't know if it's something that I want to commit to every day, but I'd like to share what makes me happy each day.  We will see if it happens or not. :)

How was your year?  Any plans for 2018?

Linking up with Holly and Tricia's Weekly Wrap Up.