2019 Wrap-Up

Here we are at the end of 2019 and the end of the decade.  There is so much to say about how this entire decade has gone that I can barely summarize it.  When this decade started, I had a different set of job responsibilities, a lower level of education, a different set of pets (April and Hiko have been my only constants), a smaller circle of friends, a different house, and no children.  In nearly every way, my life has improved dramatically.  My career has advanced in so many ways, I have more degrees and certifications now, more friends, a dream house, and best of all, I now have my son Avery.  What a ride!  As I said in my Thanksgiving post, it is simply impossible to count my blessings because there are far too many.

The main point of this post, however, is to reflect on my goals for the year and see how they ended up.  The following table is the one that I posted at the beginning of the year but with progress updates.

Goals	Status	Notes
Continue to improve my physical health. I will walk 1,000 miles as measured by the pedometer on my phone and Google Maps. I will improve my flexibility and balance through brief daily and longer monthly activities. I will monitor and chart the progress toward my ideal body weight.	About 1/3 successful	As of December 26, my estimated walking distance passed 1,000 miles. (Success!) I have been doing minor stretching, but nothing near what I had intended. (Half a success.) My body weight spiked a few months ago and has since begun to come down, but I am still a few pounds heavier than when the year started. (Failure.)
Continue to improve my financial health by saving a specific amount between all of my accounts.	Success	I have reached my savings goal.  I'm setting a higher one next year.
Read 50 books.	Success	Thanks in large part to audio books and long commutes, I have far surpassed this goal.
Play 50 games.	Success	I have played all the following games and more at least once this year: Sequence Play Nine Bacterial Takeover Clicker Heroes Word Stacks Phrase Wheel Cat Robot Defense Old Maid Go Fish Ghostbusters: The Board Game Gauntlet:  Slayer Edition Overcooked Star Wars Battlefront Diablo III Castle Crashers Zen Idle Ghostbusters VR Power Painter Battleheart Portal Cat Quest Job Simulator Vacation Simulator Galaga Bridge Constructor Portal Ball Blast Clash of Blocks 5-Minute Dungeon Brick Breaker Champion Siralim Dig Dug Portal 2 Ghostbusters Blackout Idle Kingdom Clicker Aperture Tag Pac-Man Ticket to Ride Clicker Heroes 2 Space Pirates and Zombies Lost Treasure Smash Hit Payday Deadlock II Ancient Amuletor Endless Legend Kingdom Rush Star Command Polytopia Granny Legend Wii Sports Resort
Complete a Testing Tutor prototype for my dissertation by May.	Failure	For the fourth year in a row, this was a complete failure.  I temporarily dropped out of the program in the fall semester, since my coordinator duties are requiring my complete attention.  I don't know if or when I can resume.  As long as I am coordinator, I cannot foresee this happening.
Play music 50 times.	Failure	I played about three or four times, maybe.  Another huge but unsurprising disappointment.

So, as you can see, it was a largely successful year, though very far from a perfect one. I intend to make 2020 the start of my best decade ever, and it will come with a good set of goals to get the ball rolling.

Thank you, my friends, for your support!