Some years meander along — a stream of moments and days. Others speed by, as if someone hit fast-forward on life. That’s how 2019 was.
In January, One-Pot Pasta was released. In February, my kids and I took an amazing trip to Boston and New York. And then March, April and May sped by — a combination of track meets, dance rehearsals, performances and ceremonies. In June, time stopped as our cat got very ill and needed surgery. He’s all better now.
Summer was all about camp. My daughter’s performed in Bye, Bye, Birdie and my son joined the high school cross country team. Then school resumed in September, Paige was cast in a touring show of The Nutcracker and Will kept on running. In October, The Easy Appetizer Cookbook came out. November and December were dance performances, holidays and … do we need more than that?
Along the way, we bought our love of poke bowls home, recreated an amazing pasta dish we ate in New York, had fun with lobster and ate some amazing meals around the state.
As the final few hours of 2019 draw to a close, here’s a look back at the year, by the numbers.
2
The number of new cookbooks by me released this year. I have two books slated for 2020 as well, so far. More details on those soon.
31
The number of books I read in 2019. I set a goal to read 35, and came so close! But I am still happy with this number.
79
The number of recipes I published here on Sarah’s Cucina Bella in 2019. The top 10 most popular recipes included a decadent chocolate dessert, a scrumptious lobster breakfast, easy no-knead bread and more.
About my 2019 goals
- Travel More — Fail. I set a goal to take 10 trips this year. That didn’t happen. But we did take a few good trips. My favorite was our trip to New York, where I got to introduce my kids to the city I grew up and around.
- Spend Less — Success. This one might as well have been foreshadowing. I did spent less in 2019. But due to an unexpected fall off from teaching, my earnings were down too. Fortunately, spending less made it a doable situation.
- Exercise More — Success. It was a rocky road to success — one paved with a big downhill before things got better. As 2019 draws to a close, I am walking more than I did at the start of the year, I’ve drop many pounds and I occasionally — well, very occasionally — go to the gym. All in all, a vast improvement.
- Read More — Success. While I didn’t read 35 books this year, I did read more than last year. And that alone is a success.
- Let Go of Perfect — In my quest for perfection, I felt like I was missing out on a lot.
And away we go …
Here’s my wish for 2020: I want a slow, meandering year that I can savor. I want to enjoy every moment. I want it to be a good one. How about you?