It is always important to me to look at the past and set goals for the future.  I may not meet the goals in the set time frame, but I'm a determined woman and eventually they are achieved.  2013 was a year on the run for me both physically and mentally.  

Review of 2013 Goals

-Visit Christina in Denmark for 2 weeks and see Hamlet's Castle.  Done!  The trip exceeded our expectations. Denmark is a beautiful country and the Danish people are amazing.  Christina was a wonderful hostess.  We stayed in a cottage close to the ocean.  It was a visit of firsts for me:  Swimming in the ocean, riding English, seeing Hamlet's castle after years of teaching the play, and (oh yeah) visiting another country.  Everything was perfect. 

-Finish my quilt and start another for my parents.  I did finish the quilt in time to give to Christina.  Now that things have settled down I will start on my parents.  

-Plant a Christmas tree, with the goal of posting it on December first 2013 loaded with lights.  This did not happen for two reasons.  One placement became an issue and the second was my husband wants a pine and I hate pine trees.

-Read 10 Books.  A Fine Romance, Rosemary Sweet Rosemary, Blood Trail, In Plain Sight, The $64 Tomatoo, The Square Foot Garden, From Beginning to End, Every Farm Tells a Story, Old Deadwood Days, and Hans Christian Andersen's Fairytales.  It came down to the last days to meet that one.  (Did I mention my friend Christina has an apartment in what was once Hans Christian Andersen's school?)

-Get a successful harvest from the expanded vegetable beds.  I got sweet corn, lemon cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers, carrots, potatoes, chamomile, parsley, basil, beans, peas, onions, garlic, lettuce, spinach, and tons of jalapenos.  My harvest exceeded my expectations, especially after several hailstorms. 

-Focus on salsa and canned vegetables and try making eggplant soup.  I made 4 cans of salsa and 14 cans of mixed vegetables, and 4 cans of beans.  Doesn't seem like a lot to others, but is just right for the two of us.  I forgot to plant the eggplant seeds, so no soup.

-Finish fencing the orchard.  This is a difficult subject for me.  We did not spend additional money on the fence this year.  Probably a good thing as I haven't seen a shrub since the October 4th blizzard.  I am afraid all of my patience was for naught and the berry bushes that were beginning to produce are crushed under the snow.  I tear up to think of it.

-Run the half marathon on the Mickelson Trail in June, then I'm done running.  Yes, I survived the half marathon with my niece and swore to never run again.  That is until Christina told me to bring my running shoes to Denmark.  I was lucky enough to run with my friend in the world's largest 5 k.   Twenty four thousand people run in that race.  I managed to hang tough on both races and keep my 10 minutes a mile goal.  I have broken the second half of this goal and for some odd reason continue to run twice a week.  I don't know what happened there. I'm really not a fan of running.
-Landscape below the fire pit.  I'm leaning towards an alpine rock garden.  Issues with snow removal have put a temporary halt on this project.  Until I know where the road is going to go, I will do no landscaping. 

-Continue to enjoy my life.  I have an incredible husband, wonderful family, and great friends.  This continues to be a successful goal.  I got to go on an adventure with my wonderful husband. I participated in a challenge with my niece.  I finally visited one of my oldest and dearest friends.  It was especially nice to spend a week with my sister and her family.  I enjoyed getting to know my four nieces better and meeting my new nephew.  I spoiled them all to the best of my ability.  To finish it off Christmas at my parents.  It was a good year.

Welcome 2014

Wow, where do you begin after a year like 2013?  I guess I'd like to do the opposite and spend some quality time home and not running around.  Literally running around, as I was running 10 miles on the weekends last year.  

1.  To keep my husband happy and healthy.  He will undergo some health challenges this year and I will be beside him helping and nagging. 

2.  Continue to push my garden skills.  This year I would like to focus on annuals and containers. 

3. Continue to produce Pinterest projects.  I have really enjoyed finding recipes, projects, and ideas from others.   I will also continue to turn the old into something new.  

4. Continue my education and exercising.

5.  All I have to say about fencing that orchard is if there aren't any shrubs left due to the blizzard (Atlas they call it) I am going to raise Highland Cattle in that damn corral.

5. Take it easy this year.  Stay close to home and enjoy the little things in life.  

Maybe they aren't the biggest goals, but they are mine.  I wish all of my blogging fellows a happy and healthy New Year.  As always, I am excited to see the adventures the new year brings. As the sun sets on a a truly stellar year I will slow down and enjoy life.  I am thankful for family and friends and continue to count my blessings.  I wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year.