Tuesday, January 4, 2022

Reflecting and Goal Setting

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I hope you all had wonderful holidays! Yesterday was my first day back to work and let me tell you, it was rough. Thankfully, I am still working from home 100% so I don't have to deal with the morning commute. The girls were back to school yesterday as well. I throughly enjoy having a quiet house to myself. At the beginning of each year, I like to reflect on the past year and set goals for the new year. Hubby and I worked around the clock (and we still are working around the clock) to financially secure the girls' future. We are busier than ever. It is not something I am proud of but hopefully, we'll be able to slow down a bit this year and spend more time with the kids. Let's take a look back at 2021. I shared last year's goals in this post. Outfit details: Express matching set | Rolex watch | VCA necklace | Cartier bracelet | Gucci Marmont bag

  • A family trip to Japan didn't happen for apparent reason. We're still putting $$ aside for the trip. As soon as the country is open for tourism again, you bet we'll hop on a plane to Japan.
  • I got LASIK enhancement done last September. I am very thankful that the procedure went well and my vision has improved significantly since then.
  • Madelyn started her dental journey last March. She wore the expander for 6 months then started wearing braces for another 6 months. She's scheduled to get the braces off at the end of February. The difference is night and day.
  • Madelyn's bedroom is finished. I just need to find time to take pictures and share the end result with you. 
  • I throughly enjoyed my garden beds last summer. Can't wait to grow more vegetables this year.
  • We also replaced the builder-grade chandelier with this gorgeous one. I'll share photos in a future post.
  • Courtney got her 1st car last September. It's a 2022 Honda Civic
  • Replacing the carper/floors for the house: This was the only item on the list that we didn't get to but it will be the first thing we tackle this year.
2PieceSet_SydneysFashionDiary

All in all, 2021 was a great year for us. Here are some of our year's highlights:

  • Courtney is becoming more independent. She has a job, she has her own car, she involves in other activies in prepping for her upcoming college admissions process. As mentioned in this post, we hired a college planning consultant to help guiding her through the entire process. It's going really well. I'll do a recap soon
  • Madelyn is still keeping up with her competitive gymnastics. She practices between 12 - 15 hours per week. We are so proud of her dedication and hard work. She'll be competing for the next 5 weeks starting this weekend. Keeping my fingers crossed that there won't be any breaking bones =)
  • I got promoted in March. It was something I worked really hard for and I couldn't be happier. My team members have diverse backgrounds and different skills but work flawlessly together. They make my job easy =) 
  • It is very clear that our country is still crisis but I am glad we were able to pull off 2 trips last year. The first one to Cabo San Lucas and the second one to Asheville, NC
  • I went camping for the first time. Honestly, it's not my thing but I did enjoy being around our dear friends. The kids definitely had a blast.
  • Was able to purchase our concert tickets to see Adele in London. I checked her concert tickets in Vegas and prices are outrageous. I truly hope we'll be able to make it to London later this year. At this point, it's hard to say.
2PieceSet_SydneysFashionDiary
Plans for 2022: If you've been with me for awhile, then you know I love setting goals. I've been doing it for years. Goal setting is the first step towards planning for the future. It can be an effective way to help yourself grow. Below are my goals/plans for 2022:
  • Replacing flooring around the house: As mentioned above, this is something we didn't get to in 2021. I will be calling different contractors this week to get started on this.
  • Meeting with our financial advisor to go over last year's numbers, assess our current financial situation and set future goals. This is something we do twice a year.
  • We are planning a trip out West with a family friend for Spring Break. Our itinerary emphasized national parks and monuments (Grand Canyon, Zion, Antelope Canyon, Moab). I can't wait. It's going to be so much fun exploring these beautiful landmarks.
  • Our trip to London: We have nothing planned as of right now except the concert tickets. However, I am going to start putting some $$ aside to fund my shopping trip while I am in London. We might even take a train to go to Paris =)
  • Besides those 2 trips, I think we might need to travel quite a bit this summer to visit different colleges with Courtney. She is still researching options but SDSU and UC Santa Barbara are the top 2 choices right now.
  • Last goal I set for 2022 is owning a rental property: This is a big one! Hubby and I have been working really hard on it. I feel like we're ready to pull the trigger but unfortunately, Covid hits and right now is not the best time to invest in real estate. If you have a house to sell, that's a different story. Housing market is absolutely insane right now. Will real estate ever be normal again? I don't know. If we are going to wait another year, it probably makes sense to wait and see how the college admissions process pans out for Courtney. I hope she'll get a full ride so I'll have more money to invest (lol).
Another year has come and gone. I truly am looking forward to 2022 with new opportunities, new challenges, new goals as well as more travel adventures with the kids. If you're still here, THANK YOU! Wishing you all the best for 2022!
2PieceSet_SydneysFashionDiary

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