Happy Almost New Year, dear readers!
I’m really excited about 2018. Sadly, this past year has really not turned out how I expected it to. I suffered a lot of setbacks in terms of employment and the loss of our dear Maggie dog.
When 2017 started, I had this great idea that I would go someplace new every week. I mean, I had moved to a new state and I had already fallen into a rut of eating and shopping at the same places all the time. I needed to get out and explore!
That worked for the first few months, but then I got bogged down in moving, and more moving, and having a sick dog, and hunting for a job, and pretty soon I was back in a rut.
Well, 2018 is a new year and I’m doing it again. This time I’ve got Chris here with me and on board with the plan. We’ve already made a list of about 15 places we’d like to visit in the New Year, and we’ll keep adding to it, especially as we plan some trips and research places to visit in other cities.
One big difference between 2017 and 2018 is I’ve also got this blog and its related social media accounts. You, my dear readers, will help keep me accountable. Every Sunday I’ll let you know where I went in the previous week. It might be an aside in a blog post or it might be its own blog post if it was exciting enough.
I’m not going to set a lot of rules for myself, but for something to count for this challenge, it has to be fun or exciting. Visiting a new-to-me location of QFC, or setting up a new bank account or going to a new doctor’s office is NOT an adventure.
Instead, I’ll be focusing on places that are worth seeking out. I’ll have a few different themes in mind: date nights, dog friendly locations, and cool places to take out-of-towners. We already have THREE sets of guests lined up to visit us in 2018, so I’ll be looking to explore a mix of the usual tourist attractions and some unexpected gems, based on the interests of our family and friends.
I’m open to your suggestions, too! Do you know of a must-try restaurant? A great place for loose leaf tea? A beautiful dog-friendly hiking trail? Let me know and I’ll add it to the list!
