2017 New Year's Resolutions

[srjclone]

I, like most everyone else, want to lose the weight I put on this holiday season. But my real New Years Resolution is to travel more. I have already set up a golf trip to Arizona end of Feb to see my buddies from when I lived there (and escape the last bit of cold in the midwest), and my girlfriend and I are going on a Mediterranean Cruise in early July. Hoping to get one more trip in at the end of the year, thinking either Nashville or Denver. Not the normal type of resolution for me, but I have always loved travel and realized I hadn't done a large trip in a while, so I can't wait to see some places I've never been before!

 

[cowgirl836]

I, like most everyone else, want to lose the weight I put on this holiday season. But my real New Years Resolution is to travel more. I have already set up a golf trip to Arizona end of Feb to see my buddies from when I lived there (and escape the last bit of cold in the midwest), and my girlfriend and I are going on a Mediterranean Cruise in early July. Hoping to get one more trip in at the end of the year, thinking either Nashville or Denver. Not the normal type of resolution for me, but I have always loved travel and realized I hadn't done a large trip in a while, so I can't wait to see some places I've never been before!

Denver or Nashville would be a hard choice! I think Denver in Sept/Oct would be just a fantastic time to visit. We went to Nashville in May several years ago and enjoyed it. Don't forget to look for nice day or weekend trips in your area!

 

[srjclone]

Denver or Nashville would be a hard choice! I think Denver in Sept/Oct would be just a fantastic time to visit. We went to Nashville in May several years ago and enjoyed it. Don't forget to look for nice day or weekend trips in your area!

Yeah, I have a couple family members in Denver/Arvada so I have been there a bunch in the last 5 years, but my GF has not. Neither of us have been to Nashville and were thinking it'd be a little warmer if we weren't wanting to go skiing/snowboarding. Flights are cheap to both from MSP as well, which makes the choice that much tougher.

 

[DurangoCy]

In the tail end of break up that has been going on for well over a year, which is awful and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. So I'm going get out of my house more and ask a nice girl out this year.

 

[Doc]

Read more and post less on CF. Starting NOW.
Catch all remaining Pokemons.

 

[BCoffClone]

Here are mine, since sharing with others tends to make me feel more accountable:

-Qualify for Boston Marathon (already registered for Chicago Marathon in Fall, ran Twin Cities last year and Des Moines the year before)
-Travel to a new place with my wife neither of us have been to before, including a National Park (looking at Grand Canyon and Zion right now)
-Read 1 book a month over the year (got only 8 last year, suggestions are welcomed)
-Start a new hobby outside of work
-Lose 10 lbs and maintain weight
-Pay off car loan
-Begin investing outside of Roth and 401K accounts
-Start doing more volunteer work

 

[harimad]

Here are mine, since sharing with others tends to make me feel more accountable:

-Qualify for Boston Marathon (already registered for Chicago Marathon in Fall, ran Twin Cities last year and Des Moines the year before)
-Travel to a new place with my wife neither of us have been to before, including a National Park (looking at Grand Canyon and Zion right now)
-Read 1 book a month over the year (got only 8 last year, suggestions are welcomed)
-Start a new hobby outside of work
-Lose 10 lbs and maintain weight
-Pay off car loan
-Begin investing outside of Roth and 401K accounts
-Start doing more volunteer work

HOLY CRAP! Good luck on qualifying for Boston. That will be very impressive!

 

[BCClone]

let me know how much of a PITA #9 is. We have all that black border stuff right now but want to do pavers at some point down the road.

Several variables with it. Size and shape of the bricks are big. How flush do you want it? Are you willing to come back and adjust later? My wife used to like the split bricks which gave you a short and long that you flip flopped and also each brick was slightly unique. I would hand dig the trench and do a 2 inch sand pack under each brick and pack it like I was laying a house foundation brick. 15 years later they haven't moved. Takes a very long time though. We did some more in a different spot just a couple years ago. Uniform bricks and just went for speed. Did a big area in a couple hours with some help. Just dug, scraped, and dropped the bricks flush and jumped on them to pack them down. I have to work with grass each spring and adjust some here and there yearly though.

 

[BCoffClone]

HOLY CRAP! Good luck on qualifying for Boston. That will be very impressive!

It's been a pipe dream of mine to qualify/run it at some point in my life, but I figured my best shot is go for it while I'm still relatively young and my knees aren't shot. I cut off 5 mins from my 1st marathon to my 2nd and would need to do that again this year to be in the range!

 

[CycloneErik]

It's been a pipe dream of mine to qualify/run it at some point in my life, but I figured my best shot is go for it while I'm still relatively young and my knees aren't shot. I cut off 5 mins from my 1st marathon to my 2nd and would need to do that again this year to be in the range!

A friend of mine (who owns the Malaysian national marathon record) would tell you that cutting 5 minutes is no problem. You'll get it!

 

[CyArob]

let me know how much of a PITA #9 is. We have all that black border stuff right now but want to do pavers at some point down the road.

I have a brick border around my entire back yard. Glad I didn't have to install it. It's a big enough pain to clear the brick of mulch/dirt/grass during the year. I would recommend having the top of the brick slightly above grade.

 

[Rabbuk]

A friend of mine (who owns the Malaysian national marathon record) would tell you that cutting 5 minutes is no problem. You'll get it!

I imagine it is easier to cut off 5 minutes if your time isn't world class to begin with though.

 

[BCClone]

I have a brick border around my entire back yard. Glad I didn't have to install it. It's a big enough pain to clear the brick of mulch/dirt/grass during the year. I would recommend having the top of the brick slightly above grade.

Gets worse if bushes or shrubs get near the edge. I usually take a weed trimmer and buzz the edges and then get some chemicals that have a long residual for grass and use a straight stream right to the edge of the brick.

 

[cowgirl836]

Several variables with it. Size and shape of the bricks are big. How flush do you want it? Are you willing to come back and adjust later? My wife used to like the split bricks which gave you a short and long that you flip flopped and also each brick was slightly unique. I would hand dig the trench and do a 2 inch sand pack under each brick and pack it like I was laying a house foundation brick. 15 years later they haven't moved. Takes a very long time though. We did some more in a different spot just a couple years ago. Uniform bricks and just went for speed. Did a big area in a couple hours with some help. Just dug, scraped, and dropped the bricks flush and jumped on them to pack them down. I have to work with grass each spring and adjust some here and there yearly though.

I have a brick border around my entire back yard. Glad I didn't have to install it. It's a big enough pain to clear the brick of mulch/dirt/grass during the year. I would recommend having the top of the brick slightly above grade.

since the black stuff was new with the house, it'll probably be a few years yet before we mess with it. I agree on having it a bit above grade. Some of the tubing has sunk in spots and just gets buried by grass.

 

[BCClone]

since the black stuff was new with the house, it'll probably be a few years yet before we mess with it. I agree on having it a bit above grade. Some of the tubing has sunk in spots and just gets buried by grass.

I leave mine about an inch to inch and half above when I sand pack. I mow at 2 1/2 to 3 inches so the deck can clear it also. The quick ones were basically flush and they give the annual trouble. The raised ones are fairly maintenance free.

 

[CycloneErik]

I imagine it is easier to cut off 5 minutes if your time isn't world class to begin with though.

Right. That's the point I was trying to make.
This guy was working on 7 minutes over 4 years, and felt that would be no problem (until he hurt a knee and started a family. Still got close, I think.)