That’s it, friends! 2019 is almost at an end, and it’s time to check in with how I’ve done with my goals for the year. I’m posting this with a week and a half left of the month, so I know there’s still some time left to accomplish things, but let’s all be honest with each other, I am wicked coasting this month. I’ll have some 2020 goals going up toward the beginning of the year, so make sure to keep an eye peeled for those! And before I start rambling about all the end of year posts coming up, let’s get started.

In case you want to follow along, I posted my 2019 goals in January, updated in both April & September, and I’ve got to say, working on a quarterly check-in system was waaaaay less stressful than just halfway through the year.

fitness

I’m pretty damn proud of this picture because it’s right smack in the middle of California’s Universal Studios. It’s right when you walk in, and though we were there right when it opened, there were still people walking around, and being able to do any kind of yoga pose in public is incredibly nerve-wracking, but handstanding??? Guys, I’m a badass.

Last we chatted, in September, I’d taken a break from working out after hurting my hamstring, and since then, I’ve definitely been back-sliding even more. It’s not that I’m not motivated because motivation is literally never going to get you out of bed, I’m just not determined to do anything. Which is hilarious, really, because both my handstand and forearm stand are stronger than they’ve ever been.

I’ve been focusing a lot more on yoga than I have in a long time, and I think that’s a big reason why both inversions are doing so well, but if you asked me to run a mile, I’d probably die. My flexibility and strength are great right now; not so much my stamina. However, my 2019 goals were to be able to do both inversions away from the wall, and that’s what we’re checking in on.

Handstand? Not quite, but I’m really close. I’ve been working on hand placement and devoting most of my time to stacking hips over shoulders. I took an inversion and arm balance workshop a couple months ago that really drove this knowledge home, too. I’ve recently started working on slowing my entry and descent, as well as working on keeping my feet together at all costs. I’ve kicked up without utilizing the wall and held it a few times now, and my upside down time in an actual handstand has gotten much longer.

Forearm stand? Y’all, I got it. I’m still not comfortable popping into it like I am with my headstand, but I can now comfortably fall from it, kick up into it away from the wall, and have held it a few times in the middle of my practice. I’m not where I wanted to be, but I’m so much farther than the beginning of this year, when I could barely hold it at the wall, so I’m very excited.

reading

I met both Leigh Bardugo & Joe Hill this year! They were absolutely wonderful. This was my second time seeing Leigh, and the first seeing Joe. I also stopped by Stephen King’s house while I was up in Maine visiting Erin, so it’s been a pretty fun autumn full of reading adventures.

I successfully reached my goal of 150 books for the year back in October? November? I truly can’t remember. I’m also back on my shit and trying to reach 175 again. I’m currently at 169, and I’m in the middle of 2, so 6 before year’s end? Yeah, totally doable.

I also had 10 specific goals, though two are crossed out. I got rid of #8 in April for obvious reasons, and I’ve talked a little bit about why #9 is also crossed out now. This seems silly because I only have 11 2018 books left, but I was starting to drag my feet with reading anything because I didn’t want to read those 11 books at the time, so I decided to just read all of my currently owned unread books by my birthday at the end of March.

1. Finish The Mortal Instruments series reread. Completed!
2. Read The Infernal Devices trilogy. 2/3 completed. I’m hoping to read Clockwork Princess before the end of the year, so fingers crossed!
3. Finish A Series of Unfortunate Events. Completed, thank Satan, this was the worst goal ever.
4. Reread the Inheritance Cycle. Nope. I’m also not making reread goals next year because, obviously, they didn’t work.
5. Reread the Shades of Magic trilogy. ^^^
6. Reread the Crows duology. ^^^
7. Read one classic per month. Done! I’ve read a classic almost every month, and for those months I haven’t, it’s either because I’ve planned them for 2020 or, shockingly, I ran out of owned unread classics.
8. Read the Bible in its entirety.
9. Read every book I bought in 2018.
10. Stick to my monthly TBRs!  Let’s see. January? 5/5. February? 4/5. March? 4/5. April? 3/5. May? N/A. June? 2/5. July? 5/5. August? 6/6. September? 8/10. October? 12/15. November? N/A. December? Out of 10, I’ve read 5 and am in the middle of 2. So, out of 10 months with a TBR, I met it 3 times, came very close 4 times, and totally failed 2 times. That’s honestly not that bad.

writing

Alright, y’all, I’m both excited for this and not at all. Here were my 2019 writing goals:

• Edit Saints at sea into a final draft.
• Write Saints at sea 2, and edit it into a final draft.
• Finish first drafts for the following: sister witches, there are thieves, the ones we left behind.
• If time allows, start Saints: the bastards.

It’s been a very difficult time in my writing life lately, but I’ve realized a few things that have helped make that a little better: a) pretty sure I’m a seasonal (winter) writer and b) definitely an adult writer, not a YA one. Thus, while some goals were met, some were not, and I’m okay with all of it.

• Done in August!
• lolllllll. This is so far from being done, but I’m not upset about that. Sister witches has taught me a lot about my writing in the past several weeks, and it’s made me realize the Saintsverse as a whole needs some work.
• Not only were sister witches & thieves completed in the spring, but I’m halfway through the second sister witches! Again, the ones we left behind was struck out in September because writing it requires me to hike a mountain that I didn’t. Also not mad about this.
• lolllllll. I’ll be surprised if any of my 2020 goals are Saints-related. I didn’t write this, but I did start drafting a different novel (vampire detective), one that I’ve been eyeing for way longer than the Saintsverse even existed, and that’s way more exciting.

Some of these were met. Some of them weren’t. Some of them changed, or different things happened. I’m excited to see where 2020 takes me.

My babes! I also had a non-official goal to love these little rascals more than I normally do, and considering that Lily (right) is also now a lap cat, I think I succeeded? Grace (left) became a lap cat last year, and if she could crawl inside my skin to get closer to me, she definitely would, but LILY? Nah, bro, she doesn’t snuggle, she just quietly leans against your foot, but she started knocking my books out of my way so she could curl up in my lap at the end of this year, and I am here for it. They’re going to be six in April, and I just can’t believe it! I need them to live literally forever.

And that’s a wrap on 2019! Again, keep an eye out for 2020 goals at the beginning of next month, and until then, happy December!

If you set goals, how did you do this year?