Hello 2023! Can't believe another year has come and passed. I hope you achieved your goals in 2022. The New Year is a wonderful opportunity to reset and refocus. Hubby and I went out for an early NYE dinner last night. We wanted to check out a new spot in town and let me tell you, it was amazing. If you're in Columbus, I'd highly suggest Mandrake Rooftop. The food was amazing. We had a 5-course NYE meal. Super cool atmosphere. Not to mention, the views of the Columbus skyline at night is just simply amazing. I plan to go back to try their regular menu. Then we went home to cheer on the Buckeyes. We fought to the very end but unfortunately, we lost right at the ball drop.
2022 was altogether an amazing year. My family and I have a lot to be thankful for. A couple of highlights from 2022 that I'd like to share:
- Courtney is 9 for 9 with college acceptances so far. We're still waiting on Boston University and Case Western Reserve University. Last year was all about the college application process. A lot of time was spent on researching, filling out CSS and FAFSA, college touring. We finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. To say I'm proud is an understatement!!! She has a lot of options to choose from. I'll share more details in a separate post.
- Building a wonderful friendship. I met this amazing human at the end of 2021 in such an unconventional way and we just clicked. We share the same values, same family dynamics, our kids are roughly the same age, same hobbies and interests. We are just simply enjoying each other's company. We are slowing building our friendship and had so many fun get-togethers in 2022. I definitely see more trips in the future. I love how easy going and drama free our friendship is. It's exactly what I wanted. We never try to one-up one another. I am so grateful for how positive and fun she is. Not to mention she has a killer handbag collection. I don't have too many friends but the ones I do have are amazing people.
{Las Vegas - March 2022}
{Grand Canyon - March 2022}
{Seven Springs Mountain - December 2022}
What I set out for 2022:
- Home improvements: We planned to get new flooring for the entire house and we did. I am so in love with the new carpet (you can see it here). Yes, I prefer carpet over hardwood floors. Carpet gives a sense of peace and cozy to any home. We decided to go with Shaw premium Berber carpet and I couldn't be happier. It feels like heaven under the feet. We also replaced the old fireplace door with a custom made one. The new door now fit the fireplace perfectly. With that, our family room is finished.
- Financial goals: Thankfully, we were able to hit our financial goals despite the fact that the stock market definitely struggled in 2022. The first six months of 2022 were the worst the stock market has had in more than 40 years. 2023 still might not be a good year for the stock market. We are meeting with our personal financial advisor in the next couple of weeks to go over some realistic numbers for 2023.
- Travel: We were able to make 3 trips last year. First trip out West to explore some of the iconic National Parks. We were able to see Zion National Park, made it to the top (and down) of Angels Landing alive =), witnessed the beauty of the Grand Canyon. Pictures cannot do this National Parks justice. Unbelievably beautiful. Next is our summer vacation friends and family (part 1 and part 2). It was so much fun. We are already talking about taking another cruise this year. A couple of days before Christmas, we took the girls to Sevens Spring ski resort for our annual ski trip. Courtney and Madelyn can ski pretty well at this point. They had the best time hitting the slopes by themselves. Even though we had to cancel the trip to London, we didn't feel like we were missing out on anything. There is always next time! We also took a bunch of weekend trips to visit colleges. More on that in a later post.
- The big goal that we set for last year was owning a vacation/second home. It did not happen for obvious reasons. Housing market remains unstable. We had a few considerations but decided to hold off just a little while longer.
Plans for 2023:
- We're going to Japan for Spring break!!! This trip has been on my bucket list for years and it's finally happening. You don't even know how excited I am. We're all set! Flights, accommodations, activities are all booked. I just simple cannot wait!
- There won't be any home improvements this year. We decided to save $$ and will finish our basement in 2024. It's going to be a big project.
- College decision is going to impact our financial numbers
- My husband is getting his dream car for his 50th milestone birthday! It's something that we've been planning for a couple of years now. I promised that I won't influence his decisions lol Believe it or not, I am the realist and he's the dreamer when it comes to our marriage. I see everything for what it is. Luxury cars lose value. That's a fact. I always try to talk him out of paying a massive price for a car. Luxury cars depreciate faster than other cars. For his 50th birthday, I told him he can pick whatever he likes within a certain price range. That's going to be our big purchase for 2023.
I say this all the time but I truly am grateful for everything (my loving family, my amazing friends, our career, our health). Excited for everything 2023 will be. Wishing you a year filled with love, happiness and success.
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