Well, here it is, my final blog post of 2019 and I am finishing up my yearly wrap up as I close out the year of F and get ready to move on to focusing on the letter G…

Fitness was a huge focus of this year. It was also a strange thing for me to transition through as I went from being in the best shape of my life and running a half marathon, saw things I would not have been able to otherwise rocking some yoga goals, and learning to stop being intimidated by weight training to being knocked flat by morning sickness and having little to no physical activity, to trying to slowly integrate running back into my pregnancy and just doing little by little steps to maintain my health as I wait for Baby #3 to arrive (and I plan on giving myself a generous post partum recovery and rest time because I think that is extremely important!) This was also the year I saw how my own personal fitness work could also be used as a way to give back and/or inspire others. I’ve had a lot of friends try out running and sign up for their first race (or their first race back after a long time away!) after all my posts about it. I moved my feet for kids who needed clean water and getting out of my physical comfort zone with half marathon training made it easier to get out of my emotional comfort zone with fundraising. I put money towards charity funding through virtual races. I saw my own kids get excited about exercise and I started having discussions with others about healthier life choices that I just wouldn’t have had if fitness had not been a focus of 2019. I’m deeply proud of the intentional mileage I logged this year (that includes walks and hikes). I set a high goal for me- 300 miles in 2019 and once I got pregnant I wasn’t sure I’d still be able to reach it, but I did with over a month to spare and I am excited to share my final mileage number: 350.1 miles!

A highlight of May was getting to see my bestie… we are usually really terrible at getting pictures together so I made sure it happened this time. Hooray for long lasting friendships!

Friends: It has been a year of growing new friendships and strengthening old ones, but also a year of being grateful I have friends who understand when I disappear a bit when I’m feeling physically crappy or when I’m in a season of being crazy busy. This year included both of those things! I enjoyed celebrating Galentine’s Day and getting away on a MOPS retreat. I loved when I got to enjoy reunions with out of town friends and everything from artsy to over the top milkshake dates with in town friends. I even escaped for a day long adventure with my high school bestie, an indulgence that was oh so worth it! I know I’m about to focus deeply on family the beginning of 2020, but I’m also going into the newborn phase round 3 knowing that I need my friends to do motherhood well and bring out my best self.

Family: I hoped that by focusing on my family this year and what we needed and how we work best and are happiest that maybe I would get some clarity on adding another member… not sure if I had that clarity even once we found out we were expecting, but I do know the time and focus I put into family this year will pay off next year when we shake up the whole dynamic. We enjoyed time together with family movie nights, homemade halloween costumes and traditions, resetting the rhythms in our family to help my kids thrive at school and prepare for this new transition, and just choosing to forget the to-do lists and make more memories together. I keep thinking how very short this time all living under one roof is. How it is already flying by and it seems like just yesterday it was my firstborn in the newborn phase. I think about how if anything were to happen to me I want my kids to have memories to hold on to not just of family trips but everyday, quiet moments that I didn’t miss because my schedule was too packed or I was multitasking one thing too many. I have carved out quality time with each of my family members away from distraction, screens, and the always seductive pull for this recovering perfectionist of doing something productive. And I am going to try very hard to keep it that way as we move into the new year and soon become a family of five.

And that’s the 2019 wrap up! I’m finalizing my Powersheets prep work for my yearly goals and am excited to introduce my new focuses for 2020 once we celebrate the new year!