2018 is quickly coming to a close and I am totally okay with that. 2018 was not my worst year by any means but it was a far stretch from what I would call a great year.

2017 was a hard year for me as I struggled with postpartum depression. It almost broke me. 2018 gave me time to breathe. I finally gave in and agreed to see the help I need, including medication. I came to terms with the fact that I have put on a strong face for far too long and have not allowed myself to grieve things that I should have and deal with emotions that needed dealt with. This is something I’m going to continue to work on in 2019.

2018 provided me with the opportunity to travel a bit more. Daniel and I finally went on a real trip together after 12 years of marriage in March. It was our first time to fly together or really travel anywhere more than four hours from home together. We spent a week in London and Paris and I was able to show him some of my favorite places and explore some new places with him.

In June, I had the opportunity to take a group of students to Washington D.C. for a competition. I also took my oldest daughter along. It was her first time to really travel. She got to fly for the first time and ride a subway for the first time. It was nice to spend some one on one time with her without all her siblings.

I returned to London in October and got a change to spend a day in Oxford. I’m officially in love with Oxford! It is quaint and beautiful. It was nice to get away for a short trip and spend some time with a friend from graduate school.

Overall, my kids were healthy and happy during 2018. Life wasn’t too bad. I got a chance to slow down and reflect on what I really want in life which I think will mean some big changes in the next two years. I found a little bit more of myself and my style.

The end of 2018 brought some surprise prospects and opportunities to our household. If things pan out, there may be big changes in our lives in the next year. I’m looking forward to seeing what 2019 holds for our family. I’m feeling positive and ready to take on a new year.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a new year without some resolutions. I really prefer to call these goals as they are more things I would like to achieve this year. So, without further ado, here are some of my goals for 2019:

• Blog more! A lot more!
• Read more. Somehow I only managed to ready 35 books in 2018 which is really slacking for me. I’ve recently caught the reading bug again so I don’t think I will have much trouble blowing this out of the water in 2019.
• Travel with my kids more.
• Love myself more.
• Spend more time with my husband. Marriage is hard when kids and work consume your lives. We really, really need to make it a goal to at least have one date night a month together. This will be a hard one for me because I struggle with asking people to babysit for us and I often feel like some of our family members really don’t want to babysit for us. Hopefully, I can find a solution and focus on this a bit more. I honestly cannot tell you the last time we even just had a meal together without our kids.
• Continue to explore online work opportunities. I’ve been working for the same company for over a year now and I love it. I’ve made enough money the last few months to finally replace my income from my 9 to 5 job so transitioning to a work-at-home lifestyle is looking more and more like a reality for me.
• Consider homeschooling – I’m terrified of this one. I worry constantly about whether I am cut out for this but as I continue to look at a work-from-home/entrepreneurial lifestyle it is something I am considering for my kids who have asked to be home-schooled multiple times.

I hope the new year greets each of you with a wonderful year and that you each achieve any goals that you set for yourselves! Here’s to 2019!

Happy New Year!