Any time one year ends and another begins, I can’t help but reflect on the events that took place over the year and what I hope to accomplish in the new year. According to last years best nine, 2018 was a “whirlwind”. I got married, reunited with friends and family I haven’t seen in years, and traveled to some beautiful parts of the world I always wanted to visited. For City Girl Rides, 2018 was all about connecting with the women’s cycling community, another year with En Route – Hudson Valley Women’s Cycling, and building relationships with women who are changing the game in women’s cycling. But this year, I have bigger dreams for City Girl Rides.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the milestones that occurred last year and the fact that I felt like I was scrambling for a few months trying to wedding plan, life plan, and blog. Just one month after launching CGR’s new website, I had a bigger dream for promoting and building the community of women’s cycling that has been keeping me occupied with inspiration and connections. These were all good things, but it felt like a lot at once. Add on trying to get my house renovated and attempting to stay on top of personal sponsorships and blog posts, it was just too much. This year (I hope this makes sense) I’m hoping to stay on top of my dreams, enjoy the small things, enjoy cycling as much as possible, and to be present.
Here are my goals for 2019…
Cycle More
This last year it was challenging to find the time to cycle while I was busy traveling, wedding planning and renovating with all my free time. I didn’t get to participate in many of the sportives I usually ride with friends and we just didn’t have great weather for outdoor riding much in NY (lots of group ride cancellations). Cycling more is definitely a big goal for this year as my fitness goals of 2018 roll into 2019.
Grow En Route – Hudson Valley Women’s Cycling
If you recall, I started a local women’s cycling group two years ago. We have some goals and events to connect with the Hudson Valley’s Women’s Cycling community this year, and I am so excited to see where we take it.
Travel
You may remember that we spent last winter and part of summer in Los Angeles last Jan-Feb, and June. We also had our honeymoon in Ireland and Spain this past summer. Traveling is something my husband and I love and want to share with our families this year. We’re hoping to take a short, easy, ski trip this winter in Swizterland, spend Easter in Ireland, and be back in LA at the end of this year.
Invest, Save, and Spend Wisely
I’ve been putting money aside each month and my (big) goal is to start something for the U.S. based women’s cycling community this year! We shall see how that goes as I get the ball aggressively rolling this month.
Finish Our House
In the past few months we’ve renovated our bathrooms and in coming months, we plan on redoing the outside of our house, cleaning up our basement (paint and cabinets). Like everything else, it’s so hard to find the time to do things like re-design basements, but I’m excited to have each room in our house feel a little more complete and cozy.
Give Back
There are a few ways I want to do this. First and foremost, volunteering. As you may know, I’ve been volunteering with my local cycle club with Bikes4Kids. In the last two years, I volunteered with Girl Scouts Bike Rodeo in Spring and that’s something I would love to continue.
Keep Blogging
There are only so many hours in the day, but I hope to continue blogging weekly. It’s something I really enjoy, and it’s been such a big part of my life, so I hope I can find a good “balance” and keep at it. It’s also been such a wonderful experience getting to partner with so many brands that I love.
I want to thank each and every one of you (yes, again) for reading my blog and following along on this journey that is my life. The New Year clearly has me feeling sentimental. I am so thankful and appreciative for all the wonderful messages/comments I get from some of you (mostly on instagram). Knowing that I’m inspiring anyone means more to me than I can possibly express in a blog post. I would have given anything for someone to make me feel less lost and alone when I was in my 20s, so knowing I get to be that person is truly incredible. I am so thankful for each of you.
Happy 2019! What are some of your goals for the new year? If you had to choose just one thing to focus on, what would it be?