Wow, its hard to believe that 2013 is almost over!

I’m spending some time this December planning for 2014 and reviewing what worked fo me in 2013 and what didn’t

Last year around this time, I outlined my big goals for 2013.  Let’s see if I accomplished what I said i was going to!

What didn’t work in 2013:

-I didn’t finish grad school, which was one of my bigger goals.  There were a few things beyond my control that slowed me down (biology didn’t want to cooperate), and I also struggled with knowing exactly what I should be doing sometimes.  One of the biggest challenges has been balancing my academic work with preparing well for my next step in life, which will likely be outside of academia. We did discover a new species of virus in the hot spring this year, and my team is working hard to characterize and publish about our discovery!

– I didn’t invest in any more property.  I am still dealing with the flood of my condo in Boulder, which has been a real pain in the neck and drained a lot of my funds.  The good news is that we should recoup some of the costs – the remodel will leave our place new and awesome for some buyer. While in St. Louis, Mary and I spent a day looking at potential 2 and 4 family investment properties – there are a few nice ones, that could work for us and generate some great cash flow for the long term.

– I didn’t build an online business separate from my cycling coaching.  I have a bajillion ideas that I would like to pursue, I just didn’t know which one to start with and was sort of paralyzed by having too many options.  That, and it seemed like my plate was pretty full already. I will likely focus on expanding my coaching offerings in early 2014 before moving into the online commerce space.

What went well in 2013:

– I got married!!!! Our wedding was a blast, and went better than I expected.  Mary proved to be a wedding planning pro, we had so much help from family and friends, we found a band at a the last minute after our original band broke up and didn’t tell us, and our friends made the journey to Montana from all over the country! It was a perfect day, and I am so grateful to have married such an awesome companion.  Our wedding will be feature in the spring 2014 DIY Weddings Magazine, thanks to our amazing photographer, Kacie Q Photography

– I finally made it all 50 US states (+ Puerto Rico) when Mary and I went to Alaska this summer, completing my lifelong quest! Next up: We plan to travel extensively in 2014 for our honeymoon in Southeast Asia, New Zealand, France, and Switzerland!

– Bike racing: I made my comeback to racing after more than a year off.  I’m putting this in the success category, because for me, just making to the start line was so great.  I was part of 2 winning TTT teams and won one crit this year, and was dropped in just about every other road, circuit, and CX race I entered – it is a much longer road back than I expected.  Whew! This fall’s junior cross camp was a success, and we have some great ideas to improve further for next year!

– Grow the blog: I had some great interviews and guest posts this year and grew my readership about 500%/month over last year.  Still a long way to go, and lots more opportunity for me to write about interesting topics and get more cool people on the blog.  A big part of the blog in 2014 will be about travel, and I will still be fine tuning the focus throughout the year.

-Let love flow: It has been a struggle for me to be more vulneralble and real, this year I think I got better at telling people that I love and appreciate them.  I have done a better job at remembering the things I am grateful for, which helps keep me happy.  We had some great parties, events, and dinners, and made new friends.  It will be hard to leave Bozeman next year!

Look for a post with my 2014 goals coming soon. Thank you to everyone who helped make 2013 one of my best years yet!