Views from our hikes

We've had some gorgeous days, some cloudy days, rainy days, tired days & everything in between. We always see a lot of animals on our hikes (we hike in a nature preserve). 

A few of my favorites:

We have loved hiking together & exploring the trails, being outside & getting in a great workout. We are already planning our next hiking destination - likely Sedona in October for our anniversary, and hoping to do another international trip together in 2027. 

Fitness Monday

I'm really limping along, in this last week of the year, but committed to tracking, especially as I'm going to hit my goal of averaging 12,000 steps per day in 2025!

Weight: 158.2, basically the same as last week

Calories: 1,721. Lots of treats, snacks & wine.

Steps: 12,288

Workouts:

• 2.5 mile hike
• 2 workout classes
• 9 mile hike with M
• 2 - 1.5 mile walks with the family on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day

Goals for the week: I did "okay" on my goals for the week. I encouraged everyone out for walks on the holidays & we took advantage of the very brief break in the rain. As always, it felt great to get out & get some fresh air. My goal is to be really thoughtful about my splurges over the next week, as we have lots of meals out, there will certainly be wine & champagne in Las Vegas, etc. I also want to stick to my workouts & close out the year with hitting my step goal!

What about you? How did you do with your health & fitness goals for the week? 

Menu Plan Sunday

 It's a strange week, with travel & the holidays + another mini trip still to come. Here's what we're eating this week.

• Friday - our flight was really delayed, so I had a protein bar at the airport
• Saturday - I made caramelized onion & goat cheese ravioli (Trader Joes) + rotisserie chicken, in an ultimate "keeping it easy" dinner
• Sunday - Southwest Chicken skillet (using the rest of the rotisserie chicken) 
• Monday - leftover ravioli + meatballs
• Tuesday - leftover Southwest Chicken skillet
• Wednesday - New Year's Eve - we will be at a party, and eating whatever is there
• Thursday - M & I are going to a seafood restaurant, so definitely fish
• Friday - going out to do dinner with my parents, so I'm guessing steak

What about you? What's on your menu for the week? 

Frugal Friday, or Saturday

I hope everyone had an absolutely lovely holiday for those who celebrate, and the rest enjoyed a quieter week. 

 In the non-saving category, I extended Nick's trip by one day, which cost $15. A pretty great deal for the revised flight. He asked to not fly back until the day before classes, and originally was planning to fly back the day the dorms open. Turns out his friends won't be back, and he's likely to be able to work the day he was planning to fly back. He's also more likely to be able to share an Uber with a friend, if the weather is terrible. 

Our flight yesterday was delayed by close to 5 hours (weather challenges, with lots of wind in San Francisco), so we had a very non-fun time at the airport. On the frugality front, we paid for the boys to join us in the lounge, and we all had a reasonably comfortable place to hang out & eat lots of snacks & drinks. Given the length of our delay, I'd say this was cheaper than buying food at the airport. On the flip side, we had to pay extra for parking, as we'd gone over our pre-paid limit. 

Saving on things we buy

• Uploaded a Costco receipt to iBotta, where they had a $.10 towards any receipt offer. 

Earning money

• The boys continue to work lots of hours, and one of my friends actually had a holiday dinner at the restaurant they work at on Saturday. She sent me pictures of Nick with her son (they played soccer together for years) & Sam was her server's assistant. So cute. 
• I held on & got through some really crazy days at my work, and am on call for about half of the days until I go back to work. Technically, my office is closed. In reality, our job is associated with a retail online business, and there is no such thing. 
• I "earned" $60 in meal vouchers for the flight delays, and we had eaten at the lounge. Did you know you can add those vouchers to different food apps? I've only tried Starbucks, but I've also heard it works for other locations. You add the form of payment, then "top up" your account for the exact amount of your voucher. Then delete the payment, as it's now empty. This helps when you won't use the voucher, as they are good only the day of your flight, typically. 

Avoiding spending

• We re-use gift bags & bows for many, many holidays & did the same this year. Sam also got a gift bag from his GF that we saved, so that's now in the mix. 

Eating what we have

• Cut up a rotisserie chicken from Costco (so inexpensive!) & took a small amount of the meat for dinner with myself & M. The rest of the chicken is in the fridge, and the bones our in the freezer, awaiting my next broth making opportunity. 
• With the rotisserie chicken, I also roasted a bunch of vegetables, including some that were about to go off. Two large peppers + carrots, into the mix. I now have roasted vegetable leftovers to use for future lunches. 
• Defrosted chicken noodle soup for lunch after a long hike. 

For others

• Put together a few last minute donations. 

What about you? Any frugal wins to share? 

Tuesday Happenings

 I'm taking a half day of PTO today & then we fly to my parents house. Looking very forward to seeing the family! I saw my parents for brunch back in October when I did the 10k race, but the boys haven't seen them since this summer. They are both quite excited to see their grandparents, which is awesome. 

I also get to see my sister, her partner, my BFF & her daughters, so looking forward to that. While we will hang out with my sister & her partner, her boys are with their dad this year, so we will definitely miss them. It's always so fabulous when we get all of the six "kids" (all of them are 18+ now, so I suppose they no longer qualify) together.

We spend the time doing puzzles, going for walks, playing games, eating lots of great food, & laughing. Gift giving is a very minor part of our celebration, mostly because of the age of the kids. Things were different when we had a lot of younger people in the house. For now, the "kids" each get a gift from someone who drew their name, and then my parents insist on a gift for every one of the "kids". Anyway, it's a lot of fun & we laugh so much, especially during the bingo game we play on Christmas. My BFF is the official bingo caller, and she takes her role very seriously. ;-) 

A few more hours of work to get through, and then I'm officially on PTO until January 5th. Well, not exactly, as I'm on call for about half of those days, but hey, no meetings at least! 

Hope you have a lovely holiday season, a chance to enjoy your family & spend time with people you care about. 

Fitness Monday

 I almost skipped weighing in again today, but decided I'd rather have the number than not. I drank electrolytes yesterday, which typically cause me to retain a bit of water. I'll weigh in later this week to get a better measure of weight. 

Weight: 158.5 (while I might have gained a bit, more of this is hormonal than not). I'll try to get a more accurate weight in the next day or so.

Calories: 1,652/day. While higher than I'd like, I'm still tracking & am happy I'm not fully off the rails. Although, again, more than I'd like it to be. 

Steps: 13,258, held up largely by yesterday's 30K+ day.

Workouts:

• One 40 minute elliptical workout
• 5 - 2+ mile hikes
• One 11 mile+ hike

The tendonitis in my hip was really bothering me last week, so I took it pretty easy to try & allow the swelling to go down a bit. 

Goals for the week:

It's Christmas, so trying to be a bit realistic. I'd like to keep the splurges to truly things I enjoy (and not just mindlessly nibble on) & get in exercise, even on travel days & the holidays. I'd also like to keep my steps reasonable, which can be hard on some of the days. 

What about you? How did you do with your health & fitness goals? Are you still hanging in there, even with the holidays & seemingly endless treats available? 

Menu Plan Sunday

We are in & out for the holidays, so not too many meals being made at our house this week. But, here's a half baked sort of plan. 

Friday: went out to eat with friends. I had a lovely salad, & we shared truffle fries.

Saturday: I took some of the meat from a rotisserie chicken, and warmed that up with roasted vegetable.

Sunday: I still haven't made the chicken orzo dish, so that's on the menu for tonight. 

Monday: spaghetti & meatballs + garlic bread

Tuesday: we will likely eat at the lounge, as we are flying to Portland. My mom is getting pizza for the boys to have when we arrive, but that will be too late for me to want to eat. 

Wednesday: we have prime rib sliders on Christmas Eve, along with other appetizers. M always does an amazing job with the prime rib. 

Thursday: while I haven't been very involved in the Christmas menu, we always have soup, salad & bread on Christmas night. 

Friday: we are flying home & land at 6 pm, so something easy from the freezer. Likely pizza? 

What about you? What are you eating this week? 

Saturday Happenings

 We are hoping to get family photos done in a couple of hours. We've had absolutely gorgeous weather, and today it's expected to rain during the pictures. Of course. ;-) We haven't had pictures taken in 16ish years, maybe longer, so we are way over due!

I went to dinner with friends last night, which was great. We all used to work together, and it was great to catch up with families, life, etc. They are a nice bunch of people. My close friend lives near me, so she gave me a ride home, so I wouldn't have to drive at night (hurrah, as I hate night driving) & M drove me there & we looked around for a bit before dinner. 

I'm not sure what the boys got up to, but Nick had friends over watching a movie when I got home. Sam & his GF opened gifts, and I helped him with his last minute wrapping, because of course he was doing that task right as she was on her way over. ;-) 

Other things this weekend:

• Laundry
• Packing list for our flight on Tuesday
• Hike with M
• Do some stretching & PT for my hip, which is really bothering me again
• Read 
• Meditate
• Pay some bills
• Give a few things away on Buy Nothing
• For dinner, I'm hoping to finally make this one pan broccoli chicken orzo dish

What about you? What are you up to today? Prepping for family gatherings, or perhaps meeting up early with relatives & spending time together? 

Frugal Friday

 Another very busy week! Glad we made it! :-) 

Saving on things we buy

• I swapped my gym membership from a monthly fixed fee to a class pass structure, which, given all of my travels & work schedules, will save me money in the long run. I definitely enjoy the classes & the focus on strength training (which I need), but my schedule is unpredictable & I have a lot of work & personal travel coming up in 2026. No sense in wasting money. 

Earning money

• Both teens are working, and let me tell you, working for my paycheck this week felt challenging! I'm very tired & ready for a nap. ;-) 

Avoiding spending

• Despite not wanting to commute to the office (I have almost no meetings with anyone locally, and just hang out in a conference room by myself, short of the time with my manager, who is worth going in for, as she's from London), I made the most of the free lunches, bananas & fizzy water. 

Eating what we have

• Defrosted a bunch of chicken broth, as part of my freezer clean out. Used that + chicken, & carrots getting old in a big batch of chicken noodle soup. It really made space in the freezer, & got a bunch of our containers back into use. 
• Sam & I ate all of the chicken noodle soup, which was delicious. To accompany it a few days, I made him cheese quesadillas, as I bought too much cheese & an extra pack of tortillas we didn't open over Thanksgiving.
• I've also been making the boys lunches if we are all around at the same time, as I'm able to use things up from the fridge & pantry.
• I see that Nick made dinner for him + friends a few nights after work (he gets home at 10, and there is no chance I will be awake to cook - pasta, meatballs & again the snacks are cleared out! ;-) 

For others

• Helped someone at work with a project. 

What about you? Any wins to share? 

Positive vs negative fitness goals

I've been thinking a bit about why my 12,000 calorie step goal for 2025 was motivating & really helped me get in more steps. Meanwhile, my weight loss goals continue to feel... slow & not moving along well. I've got generally good habits, work out consistently, and pay attention to what I eat probably 80% of the time. At a certain age, that 20% of time you are not paying attention well outweighs (ha ha) the rest of your good habits.

I'm very motivated by positive goals (e.g. use up one pantry item, give away 5 items on Buy Nothing, list 2 eBay items, go for a walk, accrue x number of steps, get in 150 strength workouts, run 1,000 miles, etc) because it feels easy to get up & mark a few things off of any given goal list each day. On the flip side, weight loss feels a lot about a series of avoidance tactics each day (avoid that treat, don't get a second helping, stop snacking, etc). And, eating is an activity you are consistently doing each day, *and* need to do it right the vast majority of the time in order to see results. I've found it hard to put positive framing around that goal in the past.

For 2026, I'm thinking of changing my approach up a bit and focusing on small steps I can take (& measure, because I love a good tracker) each day. Maybe something around my protein goals & veggies/produce. I know both are important, and I do loosely pay attention. But, I've found that on days when I'm getting enough protein & eating enough healthy stuff, you guessed it, you have less appetite & room for less healthy stuff. 

I'm hoping that by pivoting my goals a bit to provide more positive daily incentives on things I can do, it will move me more towards progress. I've also done some experimenting with other positive things (days without alcohol - to be clear, I don't worry about a dependency & enjoy wine on weekends, but the calories do add up, work trips without sugar, etc). 

I'd love to hear any ideas you've had for what works for you & particularly any positive motivation or goals that you've used in the past!

I'm ready for the break

 My office is closed for about 10 days (one week to go!) & I'm all of the excited feelings, despite having to be on call for about half of those days. I'm hoping to spend less than 30 minutes a day, and supposedly, I'll earn additional PTO. I do not have much PTO, being new and all, but I find the more senior you are, the more there is pressure not to use days in lieu. 

I may take a few days later in January, if it ever snows & we can find a few days to use our ski passes. There is almost no snow in Lake Tahoe, so we aren't planning to do our standard ski trip with the boys. We are all bummed, but it will also be nice to be home for a few days in between the trip to my parents, and our trip to Las Vegas (with my parents). Luckily, we really enjoy time with them. ;-) 

I have had a very productive couple of days. I am thrilled that I don't have a work dinner tonight. I'll play tomorrow by ear, if others decide to make the drive to the city. If so, I will feel like I also should, as my boss did fly all the way in from London. To be fair, she is here for a training, not to see us specifically, so she's quite busy for the majority of her time.

I got almost no sleep last night. As I'm starting to go through menopause, a few days a month I notice this huge spike in anxiety - nightmares, not sleeping & then general just heightened stress throughout the day. It's not something I've struggled much with in the rest of my life, and I am not enjoying the lack of sleep and stress spikes during the day. I am trying to do deep breathing, going for walks, getting outside for even just five minutes where I can, which really all helps.

Hope everyone is having a great Tuesday!

Fitness Monday

 Ahem, it was not the best calorie week, and we are deep into the holiday season - parties, lots of work, minimal time for workouts & so much holiday/snacky food around! 

Weight = did not weigh in. Will do over the next few days, but was in a rush to get out the door to the office this morning

Calories = 1,731 - yikes! Definitely working to lower this for the week.

Steps = 13,450 - plenty of steps for the week, so that part is holding up okay and is certainly a focus as we close out the year. Which, really is a testament to actionable goals & how they can drive changes in day to day behavior. Still have work to do on how to connect that to food & calorie tracking, which should theoretically motivate me in the same way, but somehow... is a bigger challenge.

Workouts:

• 10 mile hike
• 6.5 mile hike
• Two 2 mile walks
• One strength class
• One workout class (30 minute split of strength &running) 

Goals for the week:

• Find ways to work out, despite my crazy work schedule this week (lots of in office days, with potential for evening stuff, as my manager is in town.
• Drop calories down, through no snacking & thoughtful meal choices 
• Plan & follow daily calories

What about you? How did you do with your health & fitness goals for the week? 

Menu Plan Sunday

 It's going to be a very packed week, with lots of in office + commuting time, so I'll take advantage of the weekend to prep a few meals that will have planned leftovers, or planned overs, if you will. 

• Friday - chicken salads, with chickpeas, feta & sunflower seeds
• Saturday - chicken shawarma
• Sunday - one pan chicken broccoli cheddar orzo
• Monday - spaghetti & meatballs + garlic bread
• Tuesday - leftover shawarma
• Wednesday - leftover spaghetti & meatballs
• Thursday - leftover chicken orzo
• Friday - grilled burgers (weather permitting) 

What about you? What are you making this week? 

Saturday Happenings

Yay for the weekend. I actually was really productive yesterday, so I'm feeling better about heading into the weekend. 

It's fun to have Nick home again, particularly as he loves having friends over. I see that a huge dent has been made in the pantry. I always encourage his friends to come over, and remind them that I've stocked up on snacks, so this is totally appropriate & I'm not at all surprised. ;-) I will need to stock up again at Trader Joes! The mini cones were a particularly big hit, but I see that someone heated up pasta leftovers as well. 

Here's what's on the agenda for today:

• Long hike (with weighted backpack - first time trying!)
• Clean fridge
• Laundry
• Wash sheets/make beds
• Meal prep
• Drop off return packages
• List a few things on eBay. I need a very light weight, super water proof jacket for our hike in NZ, so I'm going to sell my existing rain jacket, which is very serviceable, but not light weight & moderately water proof. I certainly don't need two.
• Start on my cardamom bread

That will get me started. The hike is going to take quite a bit of time. 

What about you? What are you hoping to do today?

Frugal Friday

Another busy week, but 'tis the season for that! Here's how we did with a few frugal wins here & there.

Saving on things we buy

• Nothing comes to mind this week. 

Earning money

• The teens got relatively big paychecks, particularly Nick, who was only around for one week. Sam's was close to double that. They are both thrilled. 
• I sold a sports bra on eBay & made $10. 

Avoiding spending

• Took home six individual Chobani yogurts from work, after they were destined for the trash

Eating what we have

• Sam unexpectedly was home for dinner on Friday, and our idea to do some returns fell through (one of the items we needed hadn't arrived yet), so we were at home without a plan. I found a package of 2 grilled burgers in one corner of the freezer, and then a lonely solo burger in another. That turned into dinner, and I defrosted a bun for Sam as well. I had my burger over a salad. 
• Made Sam dinner before work on Saturday, which he doesn't ask for but I mostly enjoy doing, and also gives me a way to use things up. He had one of the Chobani yogurts + granola, grape tomatoes & some chicken. I also made him lunch earlier in the day, because I was starving after a hike. We both had cheese quesadillas (ingredients leftover from tacos a week or so), a pear & chicken noodle soup. 
• I picked two jalapenos from our garden for the chicken fajita rice dish (which included rotisserie chicken saved from last weekend), and also cut green onions from the garden as well. I also added two containers of chicken broth from the freezer. I skipped buying the tortilla chips, but mostly because I can't be trusted with tortilla chips. The freezer is starting to look pretty good!
• Ate lots of leftovers, as we didn't have time to make anything new during the week. 

For others:

• We do almost all of our donations through structured charities, as those are the most bang for your buck, but I always retain some amount for private (anonymous) one to one donations. I hadn't found anything yet this year (to be fair, I've spent almost no time looking), so when I stumbled across a friend of a friend who had the death of a parent, a major medical crisis and a premature baby all within the same year, leading to medical bills and time off of work, I knew it was the one. It always feels nice to help someone directly, even though it doesn't scale. 

• I have Hyatt globalist status & that comes with awards you can use yourself or gift. We didn't have many Hyatt stays this year, so I had some awards to gift that would otherwise expire. I gave away a bunch on Buy Nothing, and it was so fun to hear about their travel plans & give them the various awards (club access, suite awards or guest of honor - which is basically full globalist benefits). Everyone was thrilled. 

What about you? Any wins to share?

Fitness Monday

 My steps were *very* low earlier in the week, but my 13 mile hike on Saturday & a hike on Sunday helped to average things out for the week. The commute plus a full day of calls makes it challenging to get in steps on some days. My eating was pretty good, although a bit higher on a couple of days. Overall, I'm pleased with the progress, and would love to lose a couple more pounds before Christmas. 

Weight: 155.7 (up .2 lbs from my weigh in three weeks ago & 2.5 lbs from my lowest weight this year). Goal = 140. 

Calories: average of 1537/day

Steps: 13,729/day

Workouts:

• 50 minute elliptical
• 25 minute elliptical
• 13 mile hike
• 6  mile hike
• 2 workout classes (30 minutes run/row + 30 minutes strength)
• 2 mile walk

Goals for the week:

• Get in three strength classes & one hike
• Sort out some sort of workout for Wednesday
• Two long hikes (add bag with weight)
• Drop calories to 1425/day

What about you? How did you do with your health & fitness goals last week?

Menu Plan Sunday

I'm feeling pretty scattered coming off of a very intense work week. As always, having a menu plan is one of those small things I can control that helps reduce week day stress. 

• Friday - cheeseburger salad (a fancy way of saying grilled burgers from the freezer, served over salads)
• Saturday - one pan chicken fajita rice
• Sunday - egg roll in a bowl
• Monday - leftover chicken fajita rice
• Tuesday - leftover egg roll in a bowl
• Wednesday - potentially leftovers - whatever is available
• Thursday - picking up Nick at the airport for winter break, so likely a sheet pan bake
• Friday -  chicken parmesan (freezer clean out item)

What about you? What's on your menu this week? 

Saturday Things

I'm feeling very behind on my prep for the holidays, as well as at work & home. When work gets crazy, life feels like it's hard to manage. Luckily, I only have one in office day next week, although the following week looks like it will be four. 😐

I whipped together a quick menu last night, and also pulled out another burger patty when Sam didn't need to work. We all had dinner together, and caught up a bit, which was nice.

Here's what the plans are for today:

• Long hike with M
• Christmas decorations (tree, all indoor & lights?)
• I need to finish a work project
• Go to the store for dinner ingredients
• Pick up a few gift card gifts
• Make a list of remaining items we need to purchase for NZ (only 8 weeks to go, so time to finalize everything)
• Finalize family photo shoot & figure out outfits
• Review calendar for next week & figure out workouts
• Make dinner
• Wrap gifts? This feels super optimistic

What about you? What are you hoping to accomplish today?

Frugal Friday

 It's been another busy week, with lots happening with work + commuting to the office & just an overall intense schedule. As a result, not as much frugality as I'd like, but we made it through another week!

Saving on things we buy

• Used a $100 flight credit that was expiring to (slightly) offset the cost of Nick's spring break flights.
• Went through all of our United accounts (the four of us) & tracked all credits + expiration dates & other details, so we can now see what we have available & when we need to use it. 
• For all Christmas gifts, looked for sale prices, and clicked through Rakuten first to save a bit more. We don't buy for that many people, but there are usually bigger cash back offers over the Black Friday weekend, so we took advantage of that. 

Earning money

• Cashed out $21.46 on iBotta. We don't buy most of what is offered, so this takes a while to add up.

Avoiding spending

• Drove our electric car to/from the office each day, saving on gas. 

Eating what we have

• I was really not feeling it with a rotisserie chicken (just due to timing & a bunch of other things going on), but I did strip it and put the chicken in the freezer & then make broth out of the bones. I felt like a hero, given how much I didn't want to mess with it. ;-) 
• I then turned a bunch of the broth into chicken noodle soup, which helped use up an open bag of pasta, as well as some carrots that were getting old, plus some of the chicken mentioned above.
• I also roasted a ton of vegetables, including almost all of the zucchini (just a few more to go from a huge bag M bought), onions, more of the aforementioned carrots, and chicken sausage. I did a separate pan of roasted potatoes, leftover from the bag we bought for mashed potatoes.
• M made rice, which we used to round out a container of Korean beef from the freezer. 
• I dug out a naan bread from the freezer, and toasted that up for Sam, to go with his chicken noodle soup. 
• Sam ended up really liking the chicken noodle soup, so he ate that several times, and found another bag of naan in the freezer & had that as well. The naan served as a good dipper to the salad olivieh (a Persian dish) that we were sent home from the Saturday party with.
• Our freezer is in decent shape, after some intentional efforts to clean it out. 

For others:

• Researching a Donor Advised Fund creation, so we can maximize our charitable giving moving forward

That's about it on our side. What about you? Any frugal wins to share? 

How did we do with optimizing points & perks for travel?

One of my goals for 2025 was to optimize points, perks & miles for travel & track our value over the year. I'm currently not tracking the value vs cost for our credit cards themselves, but maybe I should, as that appears to be a fine distinction & otherwise sort of mixes things. That will be a goal for next year, perhaps. :-) 

Without further ado, here's how we did with this goal, including the approximate value of each:

• Used two free Hyatt night awards on a ski trip - $720
• Three free nights at the Corvallis Marriott (some with points, others with credit card points) - $760
• Three free nights at the Hyatt in Sedona on a girls hiking trip = $1144
• Two nights at the Hyatt in Boulder during orientation - $938
• One New Zealand business class flight using United miles - $9900
• Two nights in a very fancy Napa resort + a room upgrade - $2500
• Two economy plus flights to Greece using old British Airways points - $6000
• Two rooms for one night at Boulder during move in weekend - $600
• Four nights in a suite (we have three people, so it's either a suite or two separate rooms when we go many places) for the girls trip to Greece - $2572

Total value = $25,437. Wow! This is crazy & definitely not something we can replicate often. As you can see, we used basically 9 years of United miles (mostly accrued through work travel at my former job) to cash out for the New Zealand ticket, and similarly used old British Airways points accrued for years through M's old credit card for the two flights to Greece. 

2026 is a big year, with an anniversary/birthday trip to NZ as well as the girls 50th trip to Greece. I'm very happy we were able to cash out years of accrued flight miles for these special occasions. 

How do we earn points/miles/perks?

• Work travel. While inconsistent & not something to count on, I did make three international trips in 2025. Unfortunately, the hotels are typically ones without reward programs, and I had flights spread across all of the airlines. I'm still tracking the miles, because business class international travel is pricey regardless.
• Personal travel. Way less accruals, but we always make sure to have everyone's frequent flier mile program attached to the reservation. This is now something Nick will get a bit of value out of, as he is traveling a lot more for college. 
• Hyatt credit card* (this has a fee). We accrue additional points for every dollar we spend at Hyatt, as well as for other spend. I really like this card & the rewards, and have Globalist status, which helps when we travel. However, Hyatt has a more limited footprint outside of the US, so we are much more likely to use our rewards on domestic travel. An example of this is using a free night award in Boulder during move out & graduation weekend. The free night award is part of my credit card perks, but the room goes for $1k/night due to demand from graduation & move out. When planned well, these can save you a tremendous amount of money.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve* (has a fee). This is an all purpose travel card that you can redeem for flights or hotels. I cashed out most of my points for a few nights at the Marriott in Corvallis + some of the nights in Greece. I prefer to book flights directly, to minimize any problems if the flights are changed or cancelled. That said, I have a Southwest credit to use, so I will be trying that in 2026.

We put all of our spending on our credit cards, and I can also charge some of my work travel expenses (everything minus flights), which really adds up on the spending. We track the cost of each card against the rewards to make sure it pays for itself. I'll do a better job of capturing the full year's worth next year, so I can post about this. 

*My standard credit card disclaimer. Any credit card should only be used if you can comfortably pay off the balance each month, and do not accrue interest and/or spend more because you are using a card. No benefits outweigh interest charges. 

Happy to answer any questions and here about how you maximize rewards & points for travel!

December Goals

 It's the final countdown of 2025! I can't believe it. 2025 has been a wild ride at our house, so I'm glad we're finishing the year with a happy & healthy family - that's really all you could want at this stage. 

Here are my goals to round off the year:

Financial:

• Help with financial planning with a couple of friends (who have expressed interest)
• Earn $200 of side hustle
• Meet with financial planner on tax advice
• Sort Donor Advised Fund (DAF)

Family:

• One date night with M + lots of hiking in preparation for NZ
• A fabulous Christmas/NY break
• Decide on the rest of our family travel for the year (if any) & budgets
• Help both teens with class registration & future planning
• Nudge DS18 & support on finding housing for next year

Fitness:

• Lose 2 lbs
• Regular fitness check ins
• 15 & 15 -strength training & No S days
• Meal prep for lunches
• Average 12,500 steps/day

Personal:

• Get together with friends x2
• Say yes to adventure & trying new things
• Declutter 50 items
• Finalize 2026 goals & bucket list

What about you? What are you hoping to accomplish in December, as we round out the year?

November Goals Recap

 November whizzed by, and it felt like a month where I both got a lot accomplished & somehow didn't have time for everything I wanted to do. 

Financial:

• Follow up on some financial advice with friends - our scheduled time moved to December
• Earn $200 of side hustle - $206
• Finalize 2026 budget - yes, done!

Family:

• One date night with M - a great dinner out + so much hiking & planning for our upcoming trip
• Have a fabulous Thanksgiving + break with the family - it was really so much fun. Both boys worked a lot, but we attended a friends party, Nick hosted a lot, we did a 5k together & we had a great Thanksgiving meal
• Start on Christmas gifts - yes, almost done!
• Decide on NYE plans - yes, and very pleased that my parents will be joining us on the back half of our trip

Fitness:

• Lose 2 lbs - I lost 4 lbs
• Get back to regular fitness check ins - yes
• 15 & 15 - strength training & No S days - 9 & 8 - lots of hiking vs strength training
• Meal prep for lunches - yes, this is working well
• Average 12,500 steps/day - yes, 13,761/day

Personal:

• Get together with friends x2 - yes, lots of meeting up for workouts & hikes
• Say yes to adventure & trying new things - planned an impromptu trip with my parents, agreed to build course curriculum (even though I found out my work wouldn't approve), lots of adventure planning with M
• Declutter 50 items - 26/50
• Work on travel planning & budgets- yes, basically finalized NZ travel planning. Still need to work on 2026 planning & budgets
• Work on bucket list planning - some progress 

What about you? How did you do with your November goals? 

Fitness Monday

 Yikes, it was a very indulgent week on the eating side. Luckily, M & I have started hiking a lot more, so at least there's some offsetting with great exercise.

Weight: had to be up very early this morning, and forgot to weigh in. Coming shortly

Calories: 1,783/day - I most certainly did not stick to the plan for the week!

Steps: 13,772, despite my very low step day yesterday. Lots of hiking earlier in the week!

Workouts:

• Ran a 5k on Thanksgiving
• No workout on Sunday
• Hiking: 7 miles, 6 miles & 9 miles
• A couple of days with shorter walks

Goals for the week:

I want to get back on track with my calorie planning, meal prep & my workout classes. When I don't go to those, I definitely have less energy & miss the strength training. I don't want to undo all of the positive momentum from the past few weeks. 

What about you? How did you do with your health & fitness goals over the last week?