2015 Annual Review

It's time for the annual review of my 2015 goals! (Check out my Goals page to see the original list and resources I used).

#1: Go: Travel as much and as frugally as possible.

• Volunteer trips: Ukrainie x 1 week, Haiti x 3 weeks, Iran x 2 weeks.
• Leisure trips: Outerbanks, NC x 5 days, Sanibel Island, FL x 2 days, NYC x 2 days, San Diego x 1 week.
• Road trip #1 (NJ to FL): Charleston, SC x 1 night.
• Road trip #2 (NJ to CA): Chicago, IL x 2 nights, Bad Lands, SD x 1 night, Glacier National Park, MT x 2 nights, Bend, OR x 1 night.

I flew a total of 30 segments this year! I didn't use points or miles to book any of them, so I earned points and miles on every single flight (even the flights for the volunteer trips I didn't pay for!). I'll use them to fly business or first class (!) on my trip to Istanbul and Greece to celebrate my NerdyThirty (yes, you read that correctly) birthday... and wherever else my heart decides it needs to go.

#2: Earn: Successfully transition from a permanent, stationary job to short-term travel nursing assignments.

I completed two travel nursing assignments this year, and worked at a per diem job in NJ in the summer so I could take an extended trip to Haiti. I've enjoyed the significant increase in freedom in between assignments and not having to deal with work-place drama. I feel more confident in my nursing skills and adaptability to new workplaces.

#3: Save: Remain debt-free and maintain healthy spending and saving habits.

Still debt-free! I did not, however, meet my saving goals. I chose to change to an itinerant status for my CA assignment because I knew I wouldn't meet the requirements to maintain a tax home with my per diem hours (or lack thereof, once I left for CA). This affected my income more than I thought it would because I didn't factor in living expenses for one of the most expensive areas in the country. Although I didn't increase my spending on luxury or non-necessary items, my baseline frugality didn't offset the increase in living expenses. Lesson learned.

#4: Learn: (Finally) learn to speak Spanish fluently.

I completed my first deck of Anki Spanish cards and am now more comfortable with pronunciation and spelling. I'll create the remaining decks and hopefully be fluent by July!

#5: Give: Participate in at least two volunteer trips this calendar year and donate a portion of my income to reputable organizations every month.

I participated in two trips with Novick Cardiac Alliance and one with Project Medishare - the most volunteer trips I've ever done in a calendar year!

I made monthly donations to Partners in Health and Pencils of Promise for 5 months, but had to put them on hold (see my "lesson learned" in #3).

#6: Lift: Go to CrossFit 3 times per week while in the US.
I did 101 WODs this year, which is an average of 2.8 times per week. I fell short of my goal because I didn't go three times per week when I had visitors or during my road trips. I still love CrossFit though, and am looking forward to beastin' it up in 2016.

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I said 2015 was going to be my best year yet, and it was. 

2016, here I come!