It's a Brand New Year

I'm not one to make resolutions.  They're hard to keep and it's disappointing to let yourself down, but this year I want to make some changes.

I want to write more, and I say that every year, but maybe I'll do it this time around.  I don't necessarily mean to blog more, but I want to keep my journal at least somewhat up to date.  I'm trying to do the bullet journal, but it's really more "bullet-ish" because there are a lot of features of an actual b.journal that don't really work for me, others that do, and I have some ideas of my own that I've been incorporating.

I want to learn to listen more.  Not just be a sounding board for the people in my life but someone who is present and pays attention.  This might mean that I need to learn to unplug myself from my smart devices and take a break from all the distractions.  I'm someone who always has to be doing something with her hands, whether its checking my apps, or doodling, or picking at my clothing, and I'd like to stop the fidgeting and start being more focused.  Also I'd like to be more informed about the world around me.  When I watch the news or read articles online I want to really absorb them so that when they are brought up in normal conversations I can feel like I have an educated opinion and not just be talking out of my ass.

I want to get back to the person who used to read all the time.  I don't need to catch up on the same Big Bang Theory I've watched 16 times in the past year.  If it's something I've already seen, instead of becoming one with the couch and TV, I want to pick up a book and lose myself in a new world.

I want to motivate myself into learning how to cook meals that are more than just fatty comfort foods. I'd like to learn how to cook things that are more healthy (but taste good, and don't take all night to prepare) so that I don't feel guilty when I stuff my face at the end of a long day.  I started a subscription to Talley Farms harvest boxes today, so hopefully this will get me going in the right direction.

I want to get back to my photography hobby.  I want more than just an iPhone camera in my hands, and I need to get myself out in nature more and get some photos to hang on my walls, and make our house more of a home.  I have all these visions of what I want, but I need to make them happen.

I want to exercise more, but its so freaking hard to get started. I have all the tools I need at home, and yet.... I make 10000000000 excuses as to why my butt is not on the elliptical, why the weights are not in my hands, and why the yoga mat has never been unrolled.  I need to cut the BS with myself and do it.

If you have any good book recommendations, recipes, want to go on a weeknight photo adventure (which might have to wait until it starts staying light in the evenings), want to go for a walk with me and my awesome dog, or just offer up some of your own resolutions/ideas/goals... hit me up in the comments section, or however you'd normally contact me.

Happy New Year!

Blogaversary

Hey friends and faithful readers... it's that time of year again, can you believe this blogging journey is about two years old now? Okay, for me is seems longer, I almost posted that it has been a four year long journey... and not because it feels like it's been dragging on, but because it has become so much a part of what I do. I think the past couple years have marked the most consistent journaling I have ever done in my whole life... and while I may not post every event or thought that crosses my path, I do get a lot of it out.

Over the past year I've started chronicling my dreams, posting album reviews, recipes, and working on monthly updates about what has been going on in my life along with other posts about current events. I feel like I've given deeper insights into who I am now, and maybe a map of who I'm becoming as a woman in her early 30s who is still trying to find her place in the world.

In the past two years I've had close to 6,000 hits on my blog, and while that may be far from viral, it's still a voice in the blogosphere, people...strangers care about my thoughts and opinions and while that can be intimidating, it's also gratifying.

I suppose now is the time for my yearly wish list or resolutions to carry me into 32.

Over the past year and a half I've maintained a monthly "wrap up" journal style post, I'm not sure I want to continue that beyond this month. I do enjoy looking back at all the fun I've had, however it's beginning to feel forced and I can see that my writing style is suffering. I want to write about things that matter (not that having fun with friends/family doesn't matter) instead of just spewing a laundry list of diary entries that only my closest friends care about. I haven't ruled it out, I'm just thinking about making some changes.

I want to really learn how to use my camera and be a better amateur photographer (I hesitate to use that title, because there are real talents out here and I just want to better my hobby). I want to be creative and make beautiful things and I don't want to be limited because I only have basic knowledge.

I want to fall back in love with life, right now I feel like I'm treading water and that I need to create some new adventures and experiences before I drown. I'm not hating anything right now, I wouldn't even really say that I'm depressed, I'm just bored and apathetic, and that really needs to change.

Ideally I'd like to lesson my social network addiction, I feel like it takes up too much of my life, and for what? What do I have to show for the hours upon hours that I spend playing on facebook or twitter? I don't my presence to vanish, but I think it will be better if I'm not so connected all the time. So far I feel like I've done a decent job of not being logged into twitter or Facebook while I'm at work and my productivity levels have increased exponentially. It's amazing how much time is wasted on things that are really not that important (not that keeping up with friends and family is unimportant, but when I'm at work, I really should be focused on what I'm being paid to do, like a grown up would do).

Girl Blog 3 of 3: A New Wishlist

Happy Anniversary Blogger, its been a year already and I think its appropriate to celebrate with a new wish list. My first post on this site was My Wish List and while a lot of these wishes are still hopes I have for the future its time for a new list.

My hopes for women haven't changed, if anything I hope that in the years to come we won't have to still be fighting the same battles our grandmothers fought for equality, reproductive freedom, and won't be judged on anything but our own personal merit.

A lot has happened since I posted my wish list last year, it was a chronical of my thirtieth year in many ways... and with the year winding down for me (my birthday is Friday, if you want to send presents I'm totally on Amazon.com) I thought maybe this could be a New Year's Resolution type post. Not just wishes for the population as a whole, but more localized.  The way I want to live 31.

• Don't sweat the small stuff.
• I know its totally cliched, but I get so caught up in making things that don't matter in the long run matter in the present that I lost sight of what really is important.
• Chill on the out of control spending
• Do I really need that sweater in 4 different colors? Will two or {gasp} one suffice? Do I really need it at all?
• Write More
• Whether it be here on the blog, or short stories, or in a journal, set the pen to the paper and get the words out.
• Appreciate EVERYTHING
• Good times, bad times they all have their lessons to teach.
• Experience the Out of the Ordinary
• Take chances that I wouldn't necessarily always take. Who knows where it could lead.
• Don't Be Afraid to Say No
• I know this almost contradicts the one that I posted before, but this is more in the sense that I tend to overload myself because I want to be able to do it all. Sometimes I need to sit back and either let something slide or let someone else handle it. I don't need to be in charge all of the time. I can share the reins.
• Cultivate Positive Relationships
• Sometimes people are in your life for a season, sometimes a few years, sometimes a lifetime. Everyone you meet has a specific purpose in your life, even if its just a small encounter, who knows where you might find inspiration to do the next big thing.

I think that these are all do-able goals and I look forward to tackling the new year.