Last year I made some “reasonable” goals for 2016. They included going to more state parks, reading more books, trying a new class at the Y, exploring my creative side and cooking dinner more often.

I think I achieved one of the five.

I started going to BodyPump classes on Mondays several months ago. It became my substitute for kettlebell class. I wanted to do a strength-training class for a while, and BodyPump fit the bill. I started simply, just putting five-pound weights on each side. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I didn’t want to injure myself on the first go-round. If I felt ambitious, I added 2.5-pound weights to each side. I was left sore after my first class, but I kept coming back. And to add to the challenge, I’d hit Zumba right after BodyPump. Somehow I survived both classes for a few Mondays. So yes, new class at the Y goal accomplished.

Ross and I added two new state parks to our list this year. It wasn’t what I was necessarily hoping for, but we did manage to get outside and hike on a somewhat regular basis. The hikes tended to be in regional or county parks, some of which we’ve visited in the past. New on the list are Monson Lake State Park, one of the smallest state parks, and Itasca State Park, the oldest state park. Each had features I enjoyed — the lake view of Monson and the trees and piney smell of Itasca. And the headwaters of the Mississippi was nice.

As for reading more and cooking more, well, that didn’t really happen much in 2016. And in the last couple of months, my cooking has resorted to microwave meals (working six nights a week will do that). Reading has fallen to the wayside. I still lack the motivation to read, but I’ve finished a few books this year. Oh well, there’s always 2017.

I haven’t had much time to explore my creative side. I did attend a one-night painting class through MAFAC, so I guess I did something creative this year, once.

I didn’t set losing weight as a goal for 2016, but once I found out what I weighed back in April, it soon became one. And it’s one I stuck with and succeeded at. Well, at least I think so. I’m down more than 35 pounds thanks to making some eating changes and exercising a little more. I don’t really want to lose more, and I’m the lowest I’ve been since college.

So for 2017, I do want to still read more and visit more state parks. I also want to take a cooking class (there’s some offered in Marshall from time to time). But I think my main goal should be cleaning my apartment. It’s something that’s been put off for a long time. One day, one day.