2019: looking forward

As I began reflecting on the highs and lows of 2018, it became apparent that the last three years have been a whirlwind of momentous events. In 2016 Ashley and I were married; in 2017 I adopted the girls; last year we bought a house; and this year (within the next few weeks!) we'll have our third daughter: Naomi Loren! Words cannot express the joy and excitement I have for her coming into this world.

For 2018 I came up with three resolutions, and I did pretty good: read or write for an hour a day (check!), buy a house (check!), and continue living healthier (a halfhearted check, as it went in fits and starts). Here are 2019's resolutions:

Resolved, to finish writing a book. Last year I finished a three-hundred-fifty page short history of medieval England. Easy, readable histories are all the rage on Amazon, and I'm planning on hacking the book into shorter books and publish primarily for kindle and e-readers. This year I'm continuing my studies in English history with a 200-page book on Tudor England. The original plan was to follow up my medieval history with a general history of early modern England up to the American Revolution, serving as a 'bridge' between last year's project and my ongoing 'History of the American War of Independence,' a three-volume ambition (it'll take a hot minute); but when sketching out the book, it became apparent that early modern England was rife with so much war and upheaval that the attempt would produce something closer to 600 pages. There's A LOT of English history smacked into the three hundred years between 1500 and 1800: the Tudors, the Stuarts, the English Civil War, the Commonwealth and Restoration, The Glorious Revolution, and not to mention all the New World warfare between England, France, Spain, and their allies. That's a lot of ground to cover, but a proper study of early modern England includes a study of Europe as a whole: in the Middle Ages, England operated primarily within a sphere encompassing Ireland, Scotland, and France; but in the early modern age, England's reach--thanks to advances in trade, communication, and sailing--stretched around the world, and even distant neighbors such as the Ottoman Empire had an effect on her. All this to say, I've decided to try and encompass the Tudor Era with interlocking events in Europe.

Resolved, to remain in the rhythm of healthy living. This past year has been up-and-down when it comes to living healthier, but Ash and I have gotten back on track with eating right and exercise, and we're starting to see some big changes. My aim for 2019 is to keep it up and increase the amount of weight I can lift by at least fifteen percent. That's a pretty modest goal, easily attainable so long as I stay steady on the track. I think one of the biggest difficulties I face in eating right is the fact that we're still making the girls traditional "kids meals," and though I'm an adult, I still love some macaroni and cheese with fish sticks and dinosaur-shaped nuggets.

Resolved, to read less but more. Last year I read 110 books, and the year before that 185. Those are pretty big numbers, but this year my goal is far more modest - just one hundred books - but the focus is going to be on longer and more profitable books. This year's reading queue includes nearly fifty books on history, a slurry of historical fiction from the Napoleonic and American Civil War years, and Terry Johnston's fantastic Titus Bass series set in the early days of American western expansion. I'm also aiming to begin George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. As delightful add-ons are a six-book journey through some of the most popular horrors, old and new, and a nostalgic journey through Scholastic fiction. Maybe this is the manifestation of a mid-life crisis? Instead of trying to buy nice cars and fancy clothes, I'm going to try and recapture the childhood euphoria of twenty bucks in my pocket and a Scholastic book fair in the school library.