How My Life Has Changed in 2013

December filled up fast in my calendar, giving me little time to reflect upon 2013 and plan for 2014. My days were filled with work, and my evenings were filled with spending time with friends and family in preparation for the holidays. I scheduled some time, this morning, to reflect upon 2013 and all that was accomplished (or not). With the launch of Suburban Finance, and the every day pressures of being a young, busy professional, sometimes scheduled time is the only time I get.

I think about the goals that I set at the beginning of 2013; to lose ten pounds (check), to travel more (check), and to make $15,000 in side income (check). I think about how I reached these goals without a lot of effort, and my mind wanders.

I look outside and, against all odds, the drizzle that usually falls from the sky is replaced with fluffy white snowflakes, giving us hope for a white Christmas. My stomach is in knots as I brush off my car in anticipation of my treacherous morning commute. 

I take my dogs out while my car warms up; they are unsure of the cold, wet substance beneath their feet, but they do their business quickly so they can snuggle into their soft, warm beds again. Absentmindedly, as I wait for them to relieve themselves, I ball up a piece of snow into a snowball and throw it at the fence.

I think about how much my life has changed since just a year ago.

The ring on my finger presses up against the inside of my glove, reminding me that I need to send out invitations for our upcoming nuptials. I don’t know anything about paper types and our trip to Michael’s last weekend did nothing to clear it up.

The downstairs door slams and I peer around the corner of the house. I wave to my brother as he goes off to work. Seeing him reminds me that we need to replace a lightbulb in his suite.

I knock the snow off of my wellies before entering our first home; a big upgrade from the flea-infested apartment we lived in while we were saving money for our down payment. I shut off the lights and close my Macbook, giving the dogs one last cuddle before making my way down to my car, which is truly only mine.

I watch a woman, in her own car, sliding sideways down my un-plowed street (lower mainlanders have no need for snow tires, 99% of the time), and resign myself to being very late for work.

My commute has shortened substantially. I haven’t blogged about it, but I was transferred to a smaller worksite at the end of the summer when a team member transferred. I was supposed to be filling in the gaps but it looks as if I will be there permanently.

My life has changed so much in the past year, and I expect that it will change a lot in 2014, as well. 2013 was not without it’s frustrations and challenges, but my hope is that 2014, as the 3-4 years leading up to it, sees tremendous progress and growth, which will outweigh the struggles.

Happy New Year!