Looking Back on 2019

It's that time of the year, when I look back on the year, and think about the year ahead.  I was in the world of business in the goal driven 1980's and 1990's (thankfully before the the era of evidence based programs.)  My brain is trained to set goals, assess baselines, and measure progress.  

Looking back on 2019.
I traveled less.  Only 7 airline trips, 19 flight segments - about half of what I did the year before.  I knew it was going to be a quiet year. Two of the professional conferences I went to, were here in DC. We did a road trip back in June.  My hotel log shows 52 room nights for the year. That is down 4 nights from the year before.  I did fewer trips, but the trips were longer this year. I will not retain medallion status with my primary airline.   

Memorable? A road trip to Cleveland, Detroit and South Bend Indiana in June.  We visited family and friends along the way, and had a nice time.  Two weeks in Washington State in July.  We rented a car and drove to remote areas along the northern border, and south along the Pacific coast.  It was great fun.  New York in March, it snowed, we spent a couple of nights a block off Time Square and it was New York City.  I was in Philly a couple of times, met up with Anne Marie and Todd for a leisurely lunch. 

Missing? For the first time in recent memory, I didn't visit Chicago this year.  With J retired, we won't have his nearly annual conference in the Windy City, and somehow this year my work schedule just didn't take me there.  We didn't make it to Europe (or any place outside of the country.)  My attempt to put together an eastern European tour ran into calendar conflicts, and in July we elected to go whale watching, rather than go to British Columbia for lunch.  Seats are already booked to go to Ireland and Great Britain in 2020.   

We experienced a year of double income, so kids, and no debt.  J had a year of full pay as part of an early retirement buyout. With the sale of the other house, finances have been easy this year.  We made it through the remodel of J's bathroom, and signed a contract for my bathroom to be replaced in 2020.  Decades of contributing to retirement savings, and well, when I added it all up late last year for the first time, I was speechless. My father spent his retirement worrying about money, (and still left behind more than he had when he retired) I need to remind myself to not do the same.  When my time to retire comes, we should be fine.  

The early part of 2020 was spent fitting two houses of stuff, into one house.  We replaced some furniture (I never did post a picture of the "peacock blue leather sofa.") I bought a big walnut bed, the first piece of real bedroom furniture I have ever owned. It is modern, squarish, with black steel legs, and I love it.  We have gotten rid of some overlap, and made room for everything. I still have a box of crystal glassware I don't want, and a set of china that my grandparents collected as gas station premiums during the depression that I have not found a home for.  

Oh, the bottle above was a find from Cleveland.  It was a single barrel, early production from Western Reserve, a small, start up organic distillery in northern Ohio.  Aged 14 years, at first the wood is a little strong, but the overall flavor was very good.  I also have one of their higher volume, finished in cherry cask, bottles in the back stock.  I have enjoyed 3 or 4 really good single barrel bourbons this year.  I have 6 or 7 on hand, I will need to make a stock up trip to the bluegrass region, in a couple of years.  

How was your year?