I still have time today to move forward with the goals I have set, but I can always count those towards next month. I got off to a procrastinating start – thinking, “I will have all year. There is no need to rush now.” Then I remembered that things happen that may cause me to be unable temporarily to work on my goals; I should attempt them when possible.

I have ridden 204.7 miles. I have read ten books for a total of 2,874 pages. I have my partly finished knitting project sitting next to me. I have learned a few vocabulary words, ex. comida – meaning food! I have jogged a half mile with the dogs, but Caleb has the tools to keep track of that and that goal was to ensure the dogs got exercise too – it’s working.

We have done nothing towards SCUBA certification and will now be moving sooner than we thought. Lesson learned: do something you want when the opportunity arrives, because by waiting you might never get the chance. We have our passports now and we’re antsy to use them; hoping to find a few opportunities this year.

The rest of the resolutions seem like fillers but I have my hopes up that I will get to do a few new things this year. They will have to remain a secret for now but I can tell you it involves learning, other people, and travel – some of my favorite things. I suppose a few details from what I’ve already accomplished couldn’t hurt. I’ve ridden 14 miles west in the shade and 15 miles south in the sun.

As for the books I’ve read: four short-stories by Jack London all about dogs and Alaska. Around the World in Eighty Days, and Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne about real and fictitious travel. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel DeFoe about being stranded on an island after a sailing incident. The Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux about three women and their love stories. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain; I love the language’s used and the sense of a history lesson wrapped up in his story. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls; another book about dogs, outdoors, and love. I see a theme here. The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason about a great historical book and their adventures through college. Double Vision by Randall Ingermanson; a love story involving quantum physics and danger. Then for fun I read James and the Giant Peach. It’s a children’s story for sure. It was short with some magic and the word ass, but also involved travel. I have a new reading list that now has over 200 books on it. I love reading books that inspire research and more reading.