Well the other night I rang in the New Year the best way possible…

By sleeping into it.

Yes, I crashed at 10pm New Year’s Eve and I have no regrets.  I was just so exhausted the entire day.  I think the only time I was awake was just after work when my mom and I ‘celebrated’ by putting up the Christmas tree we bought after Christmas.  Let’s just say we’re having our own mom-daugther Christmas in February because this year was just… weird.

 

Anyway, last year I changed my whole ‘I’m not going to make new years goals’ thing, so I guess I’ll keep it up and set some new goals for the new year.  I realize you can set goals anytime of the year, but it’s kind of cool keeping a list of goals to accomplish in a particular year.  So here they are… my 2016 goals:

HEALTH

1.) Regulate smoothies into my diet 

I got a blender for Christmas and I could really do with more fruits and vegetables in my diet.

2.) Walk more

I walk 1-1.5 miles at least 5 times a week, but I’ve added to that since I usually have to walk to work on weekdays.  I really do like walking places and think I’d like to use that as a mode of transportation more often… in low-traffic areas, that is.

3.) Start doing yoga

I have a yoga mat and DVD that are just sitting here in the house unused.  I wanted to get into it early last year… or the year before that, I’m not sure which.  In any case, I think yoga would be a good form of exercise for me and would probably really help with my backaches.

4.) Learn more about nutrition

Since I’ll be trying to make a healthier diet, I’d like to learn more about the nutrients that are going into my body.  I know some from a science class I had my final year of college, but self-study usually has a better outcome of learning.

BLOG

1.) Make my own blog planner

I’ve seen and tried out different planners this past year, but none of them seem to all combine elements I’d really use.  So I’m getting it out, in January, to create my own blog planner and hopefully make it a printable for the site.

2.) Interact with more bloggers

I’m okay with making comments on blogs here and there, but I really want to get to know other bloggers and make some new connections/friends.  I mean, we have something in common already, don’t we?

3.) Reach 10,000 blog views 

I got up to 7.500 this year, which is pretty awesome I’d say.  So this year I’d like to see if I could possibly get just 2,500 more views to reach that 10K mark.  I’d be so grateful if my blog got to that point!

PERSONAL

1.) Make a recipe book of my favorite smoothie recipes

I want to get creative and make a scrapbook of recipes, starting with smoothies (since that’s all I can make at this point).  I’ve started to experiment with my blender and different ingredients, so I want to keep track of the ones I like and keep them all together in one spot.

2.) Do another Bible study

I really enjoyed getting deeper in the Bible with my study on the book of James, so this year I want to make sure I do another study – either independent or with my mom… or both.

3.) Read more books

I slacked on reading in 2015 so this year I want to make up for it by reading more.  It relaxes me and takes me to new places.  I mean, I’ll reread a new books, but I am looking forward to getting some new books and reading those unread books on my shelf.  I might even do the reading challenge that’s below.

4.) Give people only homemade birthday cards

I enjoyed making birthday cards over the past three months, so I think I’ll keep it up and just do all homemade cards for family and friends this year.

ADULTING

1.) Remake my videography highlight reel.

I mean, my reel is good and all (I did get an interview from it) but I’d like to improve it and make it just a little better than it is.

2.) Make a sports videography highlight reel

I have one for general videos, but if I’m ever going to get into sports filming/editing I need to up my game and make a special sports highlight reel.

3.) Organize my emails

I have so much clutter and subscription emails I need to go through. I just need to take a day and go through each account (there’s about 4-5) and sort emails that I’m saving and unsubscribe from a few email newsletters.

4.) Organize photos

My mom and I have a tote box full of photos and we always say we’re going to go through them.  I think we both need to do that this year – just take a few hours and go through them and organize them in some way so it’s easy to find them. Maybe we can even make a few scrapbooks.

5.) Save money

I still need a car, and just an emergency savings account in general.  Now that I’m working again I should be able to save some money each month (my dad will approve of this goal).

6.) Learn to cook at least 5 meals

I’m not a cook, unless cereal counts.  So I think it’s time I finally stepped up to the oven and learned to prepare meals… on my own.

SKILLS

1.) Learn Adobe After Effects for text animation

I’d like to add some cool text effects, or a cool moving graphic, at the end of my videos so I’m going to have a friend of mine help me to learn this program.  Plus it’ll be good for my resume.

2.) Learn basic French

I have the stinking Rosetta Stone program so I really need to get on it.  I’ve done a few basic lessons already, but I can’t speak many sentences.  So I’ll be looking into learning this language in any way possible this year because it’s helpful to be bilingual!

3.) Improve photo/video editing skills

My skills are good, but there’s always room for improvement.  Always.

I feel good about these goals.  In fact, I just feel good about this year in general.  2016 is going to be a great year and I can’t wait to see what God has in store over the next twelve months!

Happy New Year everyone!

What are your goals/resolutions?