As I’ve done in the past, I like to take a look at the goals I set out at the start of the year and see how I did.

• My primary goal of course was to succeed at PA school. My last two weeks were rough. But I’m doing well and my professors reassure me that I’m doing fine. There are parts I very much enjoy and did well in. And my professors reassure me that I’m doing well. So even though my GPA isn’t quite what I’d prefer, overall I’d call this a success.
• I had a goal of a road trip. I accomplished that in spades. This was perhaps one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long time. I needed this trip in ways I didn’t realize and it refreshed my soul in many ways. Being able to visit a friend one last time was also a poignant part of the trip.
• My goal of seeing/making friends has been mixed. I haven’t had a chance to catch up on old ones as much as I would like. As for making new ones, while I definitely like my classmates quite a bit, I can’t say I’ve made as deep personal connections as I might like. This is an area where the difference in ages is definitely a factor. Ironically, in some ways I’m perhaps have a closer connection to a couple of the professors, but because of our roles, there’s definitely a certain professional distance we maintain.
• Biking has been a salvation for me. It also was a reason I decided to get out of my first lease and into one closer to campus. My initial apartment was in downtown Wilmington and while it was nice enough, I realized for many reasons it was far from ideal from me. One of those reasons was how impractical it would have been to bicycle at all. The last few weeks of the fall semester I didn’t get much biking in because of the weather. However, I now have a rowing machine and I’ve been using that. Once the weather gets warmer again, I expect to bike more.
• New Septic – well, once again, we didn’t do this. But this time for a very good reason. We solved, at least for now. Even if the solution is only good for five years, that’s costs we aren’t spending money on now.
• As for projects around the house, it’s hard to say. I got a few done. I put up a new section of fence around the pool. This one us more privacy and is in better shape. I also finished off putting a ceiling over our upper deck. I still have others I want to work on when I get the time.
• That’s about it. I’d say for my goals, I did pretty well this year. Check in tomorrow to see the goals I’ll be setting for 2026.