My 2015 Resolutions/Goals

Last year, I never got around to recording my New Year's resolutions. I meant to, but I just never got around to it. After a few months, I told myself that I would just do a "theme word" for the year, like some of this big fancy bloggers. Borne out of necessity, my theme was "travel", since I did quite a bit of wandering. 

This year, though, I have a ton of things I want to work on. Probably more than is reasonable. But here's my goals for the year. Some of them are going well, while others are giving me something to work on right away.  

Creativity
Complete this reading challenge

See a new release movie once a month 

Watch one classic movie a month 

Personal Development 

Blog at least twice a week

Finish all the projects I started in 2014 (and before, if I'm being honest)

Try one new recipe a month                   

Health

Go on a walk every day

Do yoga three times a week

Do some type of cardio workout at least twice a week 

Relationships

See friends once a month

Go on one big date with Luke once a month

Have date night once a week 

Eat breakfast together once a week

I have more, but I'm really trying to put a cap on my goals so I don't overwhelm myself and burn out by February. So yeah, that's what I'm working on for 2015. I know is kind of past the resolutions sharing part of the month, but I'd love to see what you're working on this year! 

2014 Year In Review

Last year was quite a year. From moving across the country to starting a new job, it's been an intense 12 months. 

Luke and I celebrated New Years in Provo before heading off to New York City. We had a great time exploring the Big Apple, visiting the NYPL, walking around Central Park, and seeing the sites before heading home.

We came back to Provo at the end of March. We settled in, and finally started unpacking and setting up in our new apartment. Luke geared up for spring classes, and I applied for a new job. After two successful interviews, I started working at Owlet as an office manager. It's been a huge learning experience, and I enjoy working there.

Summer was very busy, and super fun. It started with my first smartphone (and thus my first selfie) We went up to Bear Lake, then travelled on to Waterton. We made another trip back to the lake when my family came down, and all the in-laws hung out together. Basically, summer was awesome.

Fall was quiet. Luke worked hard to finish up his last undergraduate class, and I got into a good rhythm at work. I talked about hosting a Canadian thanksgiving, but that didn't happen. Instead, my parents came down at the start of November for my cousin's wedding.

The year ended in a rush as Luke finished his class and graduated!! Things got busy at work, but everything got wrapped up before we headed out to celebrate Christmas with our families.

2014 was full of lots of travel and lots of family. I can only hope for the same for 2015.

Being Back

I got sucked into the December vortex. Between year-end tasks at work, two holiday trips, and the actual holidays, time got away from me, and it's amazing I got anything done at all. But here I am, ready to go with the new year. 

I have lots of things to write about, and lots of motivation to carve out time for writing. Here's to a new year full of interesting things!

Coming Up For Air

The last few weeks have been a crazy whirlwind. Work has kept me so insanely busy I don't even know how to describe it. I have worked Saturdays. I have come in early and stayed late. I put in a 17 hour day. 

And now, things are finally slowing down. For once, I came home with enough energy to clean my kitchen. I feel like a real person again. I can spend time on house projects. Maybe even make plans with friends. I could decorate for Christmas! 

It feels so good to slow down and catch my breath. I'm definitely not one of those people who can push themselves to their limits day after day. I like working hard, and I like to be busy, but I don't like my life to be taken over by one thing. Balance is key for me, so I'm hoping that this is a long-term change, not a short-term lull. 

My Fall Reading List

I read a lot of fluffy, fun reads this past summer. And now that fall is going full tilt, I found I've kept on with those fun reads. That is, when I've been doing any reading at all. But fall, for me, always feels like a more serious time, mostly because I associate it with going back to school and learning new things. So I thought I'd give myself a little challenge and pick some more difficult books to work through. 

My only criteria for deciding what books to put on the list were 1: do I actually want to read this possibly challenging book, and 2: will I enjoy it wrapped in a blanket while drinking some peppermint tea? 

Anna Karenena. I've been wanting to read this for a long time. The story sounds interesting, and I love a good dramatic novel. Everyone I've talked to about it has loved it, so I'm really exited to get started. For an added incentive, I promised my friend Jason that I'd read it, so now I have to follow through. 

Anne of Green Gables. I love Anne. I've seen the movie countless times. Last summer I read a biography on L. M. Montgomery's life and where she found inspiration for Green Gables. When I was in grade 4, I started reading the book, but never finished. This fall sounds like the perfect time to curl up and read about Anne, Marilla, Matthew, and everyone else on the island. 

Austenland. It is a true fact that I've never finished a Jane Austen novel. I've started Pride and Prejudice three times. I once almost made it through Sense and Sensibility, but then I had to return the book to the school library. I like Jane Austen a lot, but for whatever reason I have a hard time finishing her books, so this seems like a step in the right direction. I loved the film adaptation, and I'm hoping that the book will be just as good. 

Northhanger Abbey.  Fall seems like the perfect time for a good gothic novel. I don't know why, it's just one of those things. Besides, it looks like it could be a quick read, which should increase my chances of finishing something by Austen.

Yes Please. Amy Poeler is one of those women who I'm going to follow forever. She is funny and smart, and has an advice column for teen girls. If her writing voice is anything like her real voice, this book is going to be fantastic. 

Bird by Bird. My aunt first introduced me to this little book on writing a few years ago. I finally bought a copy and plan on working my way through it slowly. This is a book I don't want to read and be done with. I want to pour over it, making notes in the margins, so I probably won't finish it for a while. 


The more I sit and think about the books I want to start reading, the longer the list gets, so I should probably end the list here. I love getting book suggestions, so please leave your favourite fall books in the comments! 

Book: Revenge Wears Prada

I started reading this book on a cold February day while I was in New York. I was supposed to meet Luke for lunch, but he got delayed, so I went to the library to kill time for a little while. I only made it through the first few chapters before I had to leave, and I finally got around to finishing it up in August. This book is the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada, which I read last summer, so I kind of knew what I was getting into. 

The story picks up 10 years in the future, where Andy is now running her own magazine, planning her perfect wedding, and no longer has any contact with Miranda Priestly at all. As it turns out, her new mother-in-law hates her, which introduces some good conflict early on. While this conflict is a slow burn during the first half of the book, it isn't until about halfway through the novel that anything really starts to come of it. It's also at this point that we find out Miranda wants to acquire Andy's new magazine, and is relentless in her pursuit. 

I won't give away the juicy bits, as they are pretty stellar, even though it was a bit obvious what was coming. The climax and resolution comes fairly late in the novel, but it comes in spectacularly, with Andy finally speaking her mind and standing up for herself. The novel wraps up on a hopeful, but uncertain note as Andy considers her future possibilities. This ending makes me think that perhaps someday there will be another sequel, but I'm not holding my breath. 

If you're looking for a dramatic read that pulls you in, this is the book for you. It's a page turner, but there are a lot of pages. It's not a quick read, but it's hard to put down. If you need a little more drama in your life, this is the book to pick up. 

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

It's been a long, wonderful summer. I've taken several trips, eaten too many snow cones, and had one bad sunburn. I should probably also mention that I started a new job in May. But I don't really have any pictures of that. 

It started with my brother's wedding back in June. 

I think this was our first picture together since NYC

Then I got a new phone. And took my first selfie. 

Dum de dum de dum. Coming home from work. 

And we went to Bear Lake for a long weekend. 

The beach

Sunset in Bear Lake 

In July we went back to Southern Alberta for a family reunion. 

Alfalfa fields in my parent's backyard

Luke and a kitty!

Hiking break in Waterton

My favourite sister!

We went back to Bear Lake in August for more family shenanigans. 

Beach photo!

At the secret lake, pointing at the future location for our dream summer home

The last weekend in August, Luke and I went on a picnic up Provo Canyon. And I learned how to use the panorama feature on my phone. 

Almost-eaten picnic

Valley selfie

My first successful panorama! I moved from left to right...

I'm still in denial that summer is ending. 

Summer Slacker

I have been horribly remiss in posting anything remotely interesting here in weeks and weeks. And, terribly enough, I'm not going to post anything here tonight. Instead, have something funny, and hopefully soon I'll have some pictures to share, a few stories to tell, and maybe even a helpful list or two. 

I may possibly feel like this puppy. 

Calling Myself a Writer, Redux

Well, it's been a bit more than a month since I wrote about whether or not I feel like a real writer. I've done some serious thinking about it, and a very small smidgen of doing something about it. I've come to an important conclusion. 

I'm calling myself a writer. 

Not a good writer, mind you. But a writer all the same. I feel like I have strong writing voice, and I'm pretty decent at putting some sentences together. I just need to get more words out of my head and down on a page. 

So here's my plan: 

1. Write something, anything. Work emails and memos do not count. Other than that, there are no rules. It could be an email to my grandparents. It could be a blog post. It could be a short story. No length limits, no time limits. Just a bit of writing every day. 

2. Read something, anything. Again, work emails and memos do not count. Mostly I've been reading interesting books I found at the library, and fun blog posts that I found around the internet. I enjoy what I read, I just want to read more of it. 

Now, with that being said.....

{via}

Can I Still Call Myself a Writer?

As of late, my personal writing has taken a bit of a backseat to my every day life. For a while, I told myself that things were all right, since I was doing a lot of writing for work. And for a time, that was enough. I saw my writing improve, and my {professional, at least} style change and evolve for the better. 

The past few months, though, things have stagnated. I told myself it was because I'd been sick, gone through some personal struggles, and started a new job. I made excused. Now I'm afraid that I'm just not a writer anymore. You would think that someone who feels "called to the profession" would use any part of the day to write - whether it be short journal entries, character ideas, pages of dialogue, or just a to-do list. 

But I don't. 

That's not entirely true. I write to-do lists at work, and I send upwards of 15 emails a day. I write notes back and forth with friends on Facebook, and every once in a great while, I'll write a quick journal entry. 

This isn't enough, though. I'm no longer progressing like I was. In fact, I've begun to feel like my ability to wordsmith is tarnishing. And I need to start polishing it up. 

I'd like to finish this lament about how I'm going to set a bunch of goals, buy a new notebook, and set out 8 hours a day just to write. But I won't do that. Setting my sights so high will only cause me to fail even harder when I can't live up to these ridiculous expectations. 

Instead, I'm acknowledging that I'm not yet where I want to be, and reminding myself that I'm not so far gone that I should give up hope on a dream I've had forever. 

Maybe I'll set some goals. I'll probably set some goals. But I'm going to take it slow. And maybe, in a little while, I'll have some words worth sharing. 

How to Feel Rich: Books and Chocolate

I swear, there's nothing better than lazing around, reading a really good book, and eating really good chocolate. It just seems so luxurious to me, being curled up with a blanket, reading something really interesting, and then every once in a while, stuffing square after square of fancy chocolates into my mouth. 

It means I have the time and place to settle in to a story, plus enough spending money to splurge on a bar or two of gourmet chocolate {at least when they're on sale}.