Sunday, December 29, 2019

A look back at 2019 :: What's next for 2020?

NYEOutfitIdeas_SydneysFashionDiary
2019 is coming to an end. At the end of each year, I like to take time to reflect on the past year and set goals for the new one. While the theme for 2018 was spendy, 2019 was all about friendship. We made a few new friends this past year and continue to build trust in existing friendships. 2019 has been an extremely busy year for us. Life has always been good but I honestly think 2019 was our best year yet. Looking back on a few highlights from 2019:
- I changed jobs (not once but twice): I took a big promotion in August and was lucky to able to double my income in less than a year.
- Took 2 international trips to Aruba and Peru and 2 weekend trips to Chicago and Kentucky: We finally crossed Machu Picchu off our travel bucket list.
- Celebrated our 10-year anniversary: It may sound cliche but I am incredibly proud of our marriage and the connection we have. Life can be tough sometimes but I know we'll always have each other's back.
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- Madelyn got selected to join a competitive gymnastics team: She's doing amazing well and ready for her very first competition next week! - Courtney continues to do an exceptional job at school: Being parents, there is nothing more satisfying than having a well-rounded teenager. I don't know what the future holds but whatever she does, I want her to be successful in life.
- We welcomed little Finn to our family: I have never been a pet person. My perception completely changed after having him. He's a total sweetheart. He brings so much joy to our family. There were many accidents in the house but thank goodness, he's fully potty trained by 5 months old
- Ran 2 half marathons
- Went to a Celine Dion concert
- Finally finished our backyard: It only took 2 years lol. It's been a long journey but now, it's time to sit back, relax and enjoy it. I will share my backyard in the upcoming Spring.
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What's next for 2020?
I typically have a pretty good idea of what I want to accomplish for the new year. However, strange as it may sound, I don't have much on my list for 2020 and I know why. My husband and I are probably are older than most of you. We've done a lot of the hard work already. We built our dream/forever home together, we are both driving our dream cars, we have a solid work history/experience on our resumes, we have a financial plan in place, we own a boat, the kids' college funds are growing. We've accomplished a lot in the past 4, 5 years. Our goals were very different back then. We're finally at that phrase in our life where we have built a solid foundation for our future. We are not looking nor in a rush for the next big thing. We're 100% in a life maintenance mode. I still set goals and continue to strive towards but those goals are simple and easier to achieve.
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With that being said, below are a few things on my to-do list for 2020:
- BTS just announced their 2020 tour. No dates/locations yet but once they release the information, I will plan a family weekend trip to accommodate Courtney to the concert.
- Planning a family trip to Disney to celebrate the little one's 8th birthday. Still deciding whether we'll do Disney World/Land or a Disney cruise.
- My Dad turns 80 this November (gosh, where does the time go?), we might take a trip to California to see the rest of his family.
- Re-carpet the entire house: Our home is about 5 years old and the carpet is builder-grade carpet. Now the kids are older and the puppy is potty trained =), it's time to give it a fresh look
- Redo both of the girls bedrooms: When we built the home, the kids were still little. They didn't know what they really wanted. Now, they seem to know what they like so we're going to redo their rooms.
- We're planning a family trip to Japan in 2021 so more than likely, there won't be a big summer vacation this year.
- 2020 luxury wishlist: I have a few things in mind but nothing big. I will share my list with you in a later post.
NYEOutfitIdeas_SydneysFashionDiary
What I share on here might sound boring to some of you but my life is pretty low key to begin with. I am an open book. I don't sugar coat anything. This is my personal space to share my thoughts with you. Another year has come and gone, please know that I truly appreciate every one of you. We only get one shot at this life. Do what makes you happy. May this new year be filled with love and happiness. Cheers to 2020!

4 comments:

Annie said...

Happy New Year, Sydney! I got my AT shawl coat wrap in the mail yesterday and size S fits me perfectly. Thank you for recommending it again. I'm actually quite surprised to see that it is still available in stock.

I have some work related questions and I hope you don't mind me asking- I am in my late 20s and I just received an offer from a company that I really like (I work in tech/software as well). The offer is inline with that I was hoping for however, I feel as though that I should still negotiate for more (I would love to know what are your thoughts of salary negotiation, any tips you might have for it and if you negotiate as well in your past job offers and if so how.) I hope this isn't too personal. Thank you for your time!

Sydney's Fashion Diary said...

Hi Annie! Yay for the coat. I love mine as well. Can't believe I only paid $38 for it. Wore mine to work today =) Congrats on getting the offer. That's exciting!

I would definitely ask for more. The worst they can say is no. Your base salary is very important. Not only you will earn more each pay check initially but also increase your merit bonus. Go in with a specific number. I would ask for 10% more and see what they have to say. They probably will counter offer and hopefully, they can meet you in the middle. Yes, I negotiated every time I switched job (lol). It's the best/fastest way to increase the salary. Best of luck to you in your new job <3

Annie said...

Hi Sydney- Thank you so much for your feedback. I reached out this morning and were willing to negotiate with me. While it is less than what I have asked for, I'm proud of myself for even taking that step to negotiate. I did a lot of research and found that many people both men and women accept their offers without negotiating and women at a higher percentage, of course. It's definitely a tough ask because you don't want the recruiter/hiring manager to think that you are greedy, etc but it is something that is very important to do and show them how serious you are about joining the team.

I would really appreciate it if you can share more about your career in tech in your future blog posts :) How you got into the tech industry, what you do day-to-day, being a woman in tech and working in a space predominately male, etc.

Sydney's Fashion Diary said...

Hi Annie! I am proud of you as well for stepping out of your comfort zone and getting it done. Way to go! Happy to share what I do at work in a future post =)