Like we've done for at least the last ten years, Jenn and I had our annual Oscar party where we print out a ballot and gather around the TV for four hours to watch The Academy Awards. This year we decided to cook spaghetti and meat sauce with fresh bread to dip in oil and vinegar. Jenn was just about to start her second week off of work (more on that in a future post) and decided to take up the mantle of cooking. I taught her my go-to pasta recipe and we cooked together right as the award ceremony began. 

I vomit a little in my mouth even typing the words President Trump, but today was the day, the day in which he took office and we said goodbye to easily the best President of my lifetime, Barack Obama. And yet as the page turns on President Obama, I've been reflecting a lot on today, Trump's horrific downtrodden speech, and what the next four years look like. And although I know Trump isn't a reader, these are three books that I think could arguably help deter him from making a mockery of his title over the next four years. 

Last year was the first time I had ever posted my goals for the year. I know there’s a lot of cynics when it comes to New Year’s resolutions, but I see these more as guiding goals for the year rather than wanting to change myself. In 2017 I want to continue focusing on a lot of the same areas that I did in 2016, but continue to push myself to improve in all facets in my life.

Sitting down to write this year in review remains one of the most daunting things I write all year. It's incredibly difficult to encapsulate 365 days into a single post without making it as long as a George R. R. Martin novel. I have this constant fear that I'll miss something, or mis-represent something. And yet just like I have for the past eight years here I am to try and put a bow on what was one of the best years of my life. 

Welcome to our sixth annual favorite things. Its an opportunity to look back on all of our favorite things we've watched, ate, and experienced in the year that was. Each year you can see our tastes begin to change, our bodies grow older, and our hearts younger. It was a great year and I'm excited to share with you our favorite things from 2016. 

I began last year tracking a lot of my daily activity to help get in better shape. Among the things I've begun tracking on a daily basis are steps, weight, sleep, and workouts. I also have a daily to-do list using the app Productive to make sure I do the basics (take vitamins, wash my face, brush my teeth and floss twice a day, etc.). It's not something that works for everyone but for me its a way to stay accountable to where I want to be in my life and I can't tell you how proud of all these stats in 2016.