As we begin to wind down 2025, I wanted to spread out my 25 for 2025 goal check-ins and address five at a time in five different posts, ahead of late December when I’ll turn my attention to new inspiration for a new year.

Here are updates on five of my goals:

Read

Status: Ongoing

25 Minutes of Reading Per Day:

I have read at least 25 minutes every day, but it hasn’t always been what I’ve wanted to read.

So much of my brain space this year has gone toward reading for graduate school. I’ve taken 18 hours this calendar year and the amount of reading I have done is insane. I think because of this, when I finally get a free moment, I’m not picking up a physical book because my brain needs something else.

25 Fiction Books-Mostly literary fiction and Georgia authors and 25 Non-Fiction books:

I have sort of done this. I read some Anna Quindlen, Ann Patchett, and finally read (and adored) Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. For Georgia authors I’ve read Lewis Grizzard, Flannery O’Connor, Mary Kay Andrews, and Annie B. Jones. And I did read lots of leadership books.

25 Book Donations:

I have donated at least 25 books to various places. We still have way too many books and ahead of our summer move, I hope to continue decluttering books that aren’t important to us.

Use StoryGraph App to Track:

I have used StoryGraph to track my reading. I thought this would jazz me up more than it has. Over the years I’ve tried Goodreads and even keeping a running list here, but there’s something about tracking books that kind of takes the joy out of it for me. I like the charts and the data, but at the end of the day, not every fun thing you do needs to be scrutinized to death.

2025 Reading Reflections:

With all of that said, this has not been my best reading year. It has been a bookish year. It has been a literary year. But overall I am ending the year feeling like the itch I wanted to scratch with reading has not been fully realized.

Here’s what I am proud of as far as my reading and literacy life is concerned:

• I visited many local-ish bookstores this fall and bought a book at each place.
• I ran into one of my favorite authors in downtown Savannah just weeks before her book released. Fan-girled really hard.
• My dear friend opened a local bookstore in Fayetteville, NC, Bound and Vine, and I supported her kickstarter.
• I attended the Savannah Book Festival and heard Anna Quindlen speak in person.
• I supported Ann Patchett and Parnassus Books in their Humanities Tennessee initiative to support the Southern Festival of Books after federal government funding cuts.
• I send a birthday book every year to my little CASA gal from Williamsburg. I hope one day she loves to read as much as I do.
• I inquired about volunteering a few times a month with our local United Way’s Read United Buddies program but the only slots to volunteer are the exact times I have weekly work meetings so that was a no-go.

Continue Momentum of Healthy Habits

Status: Ongoing

I failed miserably with honoring screen limits. Too often I turned to my phone when I really needed a walk, to rest, to read, to interact with a human. Ugh.

I did walk at least 25 minutes every day, often much, much longer. Walking continues to be a life-line for me, both physically and mentally.

From January to June I completed at least 3 eGym visits. I dropped our YMCA membership July-October. I just felt like the eGym was increasing my strength, but not really helping me to accomplish other goals of flexibility, mobility, or change in my shape. We are back at the Y as of the beginning of November, and I am still engaging with weights and other forms of fitness there.

Sleep hygiene has been been mixed. Overall, I feel like I’m sleeping well most nights. I do what I can to prepare for bedtime but I also realize that maybe I just don’t require the amount of sleep I used to. When I compare the connection between my sleep and my mental health, I would give myself a B- on sleep. It could be better, but it could be way worse.

365 days of tracking foods in an app. Bleh. This is probably more of a discussion for a counselor. I did a lot of tracking. Had a LOT of mental struggles with doing this, committing to this, believing in this, and feeling like this is effective for me. I’m still undecided about it. Overall, I try to prioritize real, whole foods. In some seasons I overeat more than others. It’s an ongoing process and one I hope to find freedom in.

1000 hours outside tracked in the app. I started this in January, and found that the app is a huge pain in the rear. It had tons of glitches and then I’d either forget to start the timer or I’d start it and forget to stop it when I came inside, but after a full month of using the app, I had the data I needed. I would estimate I’ve spent closer to 2000 hours outside between my daily walks, general time spent outside, and the 5-6 times per day I take out my dogs, this was just not even something I needed to focus on. I love being outside. Over the past few years, I have invested in multiple pairs of shoes for all weather, multiple jackets, layers, hats, gloves, and even a giant heavy duty umbrella. All to say that I have the gear I need to be outside no matter the weather.

One bonus in this category this year has been a weekly voice memo my friend Athena and I send to each other, specific to out fitness and health goals. It’s been a great weekly rhythm and way to connect together.

Be a Student of the Empty Nest Transition

Status: Ongoing

I actually plan to write an entire blog post about this later this week. I have a lot of thoughts about this but overall, I’m really proud of the intentionality I’ve put into this during 2025.

I have several things I do to stay in touch with my college kids and the “adulting pause” I have been practicing has been a refining effort. Oof.

I have tried to implement some quality time with Kate in her senior year. Most days during the week I try to be “shut down” from work and school mode to engage with her when she gets home from school. That’s usually the tiny window of time she’s actually home before heading out again for social or work commitments. We do periodic Savannah trips to Target and Cava and I’d say this year, I’ve brought her to the dark side as a thrifter. We’ve had a few fund trips doing that too. As for college, back in October I helped her with getting college applications, recommendation letters, and scholarship program applications all squared away– now we wait!

I don’t think Ryan and I hit 25 dates but we did our best. We’ve had several nice dinner dates out and we spent our anniversary weekend at our cabin in North Carolina. We did the John Crist show, the MJ broadway musical, and the Dwight Yoakam concert. This is honestly more than I would have expected with as much as Ryan has been away for Army stuff this year. I think I’ve taken a more “I’ll take what I can get” approach this year but I do believe that we both, not just me, need to focus on even more opportunities to not only spend time together out of the house doing formal things, but also just coordinating our interests in general. Recently we have had some talks about some intentional things we want to do as we grow into this next season.

As for fly fishing, I did attend a Fly Fishing 101 class at Orvis in Charleston back in August. I did cast once at Tellico when we were there over Labor Day. And we now own a mountain cabin where I know future opportunities will about. We have had a lot we’ve tried to fit into the last six months of this year with work and travel and family and life– I believe future duty station rhythms may afford us more chances to get away to fish, just the two of us. Ryan has gone fishing a few times this fall and I’m excited to be able to join in the fun soon!

Study the Liturgical Year

Status: Mostly Completed

I read two books on the liturgical year and church calendar were Annie B. Jones’s Ordinary Time and The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life.

I did successfully complete the 2025 Lectionary readings and loved using this as my daily-ish Bible reading plan. I love moving through the seasons of the year alongside the seasons of the church calendar. I want to do something similar next year.

I sort of observed Church calendar traditions, mostly within the context of my local church and our Fort Stewart chapel.

I did not attend two services outside of my tradition. I’d love to do this, but it just didn’t happen this year. I had plans to attend an Ash Wednesday service at our local catholic church but the day of we were under severe flood warning and my mom was in town. We opted to hang at home that day.

I did faithfully (and still do) use the Lectio365 meditations. There’s something so soothing, peaceful, and directional for me to use that resource. I’m also a huge evangelist for the app. I’ve shared about it in my church small group class and make Ryan listen all the time.

While I didn’t specifically create my own Spotify playlists for church seasons, I have just searched, found, and listened to ones other people have made.

Refine My Home Style

Status: Ongoing

I did not add a TV cabinet for downstairs. The old, faithful one I bought at Southeastern Salvage back in probably 2008/2009 is still going strong. I do miss and want another blue piece of furniture. I do still regret selling my big blue sideboard from Williamsburg.

I did not add gallery shelves in our kitchen beyond the two that are already there. I did move my jelly cabinet into that space and have it working as a “larder” for all of my baking supplies.

I have updated some framed family photos and plan to take a good picture of our kids for a canvas. I do this at each duty station and this may be the last since it’s the last one we will have kids all at home.

I have maintained our rugs, bedding and futons and I am barely hanging on to this for our 2026 PCS. I recently had Ryan pull up our under the kitchen table rug and it’s getting donated. It’s just seen better days and is now over six years old, which is like 40 years in dog years (IYKYK). Bedding is all good but I am about to buy a new set of sheets for our bed. We sent Mae with the better of the two futons for her college apartment. The one we have here as well as at least one of our Wayfair chairs is going way when we move.

I have added a few small items second hand and I have a very specific set of criteria before bringing things like that inside. I really aim to avoid stores like Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, and HomeGoods. I want old, unique, and storied items in my house.

In a super fun turn of events, after buying our cabin, we did have several decor things to buy for that space. I have felt really good about the nice, investment we made into the rugs I really wanted and loved (even though they were pricey), the second hand items, and even a few new items like lamps and kitchen items we have needed. I think knowing your style and what you want the space to look and feel like (and having the patience to wait for the right things) has been so helpful in this process.

How is your year shaping up? Do you set goals, intentions, or resolutions? Have you kept up with them?