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Last Instagram post of the decade, December 30, 2019 |
With a couple hours left to go in 2019, it's probably time to reflect and summary the incredible experiences of 2019. I've been procrastinating this post for days, and instead, have been more focused on taking advantage of the down time to work on the house. What an incredible year. After a nearly year-long process of shopping for a house, I'm now a homeowner. The process started in earnest late January and after multiple failed offers and and several ridiculous bidding wars, I finally closed on a property in August. I settled on a fixer-upper, which I felt has huge potential to make it what I want it to be. While my original house renovation schedule is now hilariously delayed due to a series of unwelcome work travel in September and October, I've made huge progress and already have had several rewarding moments as well as numerous frustrations. I've become a novice electrician and quite adept at drywall repair. I have a five-year plan for all the home renovation projects and expect to make tons of progress in 2020.
In 2019, I've flown 43 flights comprising 58,936 miles, and attained United Silver Premier status and Marriott Platinum status in the process. Although traveling for work is generally fun, it has gotten in the way of home life in several instances, enough to had been annoying and tiresome. Hopefully 2020 will have far less work travel... I'm kind of done for a while. This year, I went to Japan for the first time (on a work trip) in August, and a second time as part of a two-week Tokyo-Okinawa-Seoul itinerary (also a work trip) in October, which included my first time in South Korea. I visited Dallas, Dayton, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis all in January as part of work trips. I visited the National Museum of the Air Force in Dayton, and visited Columbus and Charlotte in February. In April, following a work trip to San Antonio, I decided to do a short road trip from Phoenix to Las Vegas. Kelsey joined me. We flew in a hot air balloon in Phoenix, and visited Petrified Forest National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Antelope Canyon, and Horseshoe Bend on the way to Las Vegas. In July, I visited Corpus Christi and drove an Infiniti G50 on the beach at Padre Island National Seashore. In September, I visited Zion National Park in September and did the exhilarating Angels Landing hike and didn't die.
I've added Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky to my list of states I've visited, and Japan and Korea to my list of countries I've visited. I flew on ANA, Japan Airlines, and Asiana Airlines for the first time, and any of them puts all American airlines to shame. In particular, ANA was fantastic. On my new airport visited list (since I keep track of these things...): DAY, CRP, CMH, GNV, OMA, CAE, HND, OKA, and ICN.
The SPC3SHP accrued only 11,000 miles this year, probably a result of a much shorter commute that I'd been used to and being away on work travel for roughly 25% of the year. Still on track to reach my 200,000 mile goal someday.
I expect 2020 to be a really fun year. I've fulfilled my personal goal of two years at my current job; we will see what happens from here. I hope to revisit Iceland, and also go on a proper vacation that's NOT tacked onto the end of a work trip. Maybe even have a personal life outside of travel and "working on the house."
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2019 Year in Pixels |
This year's Year in Pixels did not have nearly enough "Amazing" days. The majority of "Anxious" had to do with the home-buying process. "Average/Normal" was about 50%, which makes statistical sense, I suppose.
Happy New Year. And happy end of the 2010s, our first post-college decade and our first attempt at adulting.
P.S. A couple of random discoveries or re-discoveries this year:
- Music really does make an empty house start to feel like a home.
- Hot chocolate is delicious.