2014 New Year's Resolutions!!

It has come to my attention that I have not posted a blog in, a while, the fact that I have to think really hard about when means it’s been “too long”. SO firstly, I apologize, I have been insanely busy with two major customer-service based jobs, not trying to make excuses, just to explain. Thanks to those who kept viewing my pasts blogs despite this break in posts, otherwise I hope you can look forward to more posts monthly/bi-monthly from now on.

            With that said, here is my first blog of the New Year! The topic appropriately with the new year having just started is about my resolutions, and I felt ten of them was a nice solid number, not too many to get overwhelmed, nor too few.

My 2014 New Years Resolution(s)~

1)      Actually ‘take’ days off, not just have a day off and jam-pack it with to-do lists, seeing friends (whom I love dearly but I need to prioritize myself too!), and running errands. I am making a promise to myself to 3-4 days a month, read books in my pjs all day, get a massage, go for a long walk, eat chocolate, whatever—just chill out!

For your own ideas see this lovely article: http://www.motherearthliving.com/health-and-wellness/mind-and-body/day-of-rest-zmez13jfzmel.aspx

(Picture source: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m8jc HjVNIA/UOt3hTHnQcI/AAAAAAAAAeE/TCNdYlS9ljA/s1600/try%2Bslowing%2Bdown.JPG)

     2)  Run several 5ks! I have been getting back into running due to an awesome job with a bank which I love, having lots of confidence in what I do, and having a semi-grown up profession/career path, I got insanely motivated to run 3-4 hrs a week, and cook even better food! This makes me feel physically good, I have a lot of energy, I sleep well and thus perform very well at both of my jobs. So I decided hey, lets make a goal of running a few 5ks with my mom! So here are several ideas for races to do: the Irish one, the National Running day, and the fall Monster dash, though I know there aren’t all the races in Minnesota for the year, just some main ones! https://www.tcmevents.org/events/

3) not worry so much about what is in the future, just be in the present, and have fun!

“Happiness can only be found if you free yourself from all other distractions” –Saul Bellow

 (http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?sid=232  -source of above quote)

4) Be more grateful, gracious, and realize how awesome I have it! I heard of this inspirational and uplifting little project you can do called “the 365 grateful project”, via www.upworthy.com, I believe. I have been doing this project for the past two weeks and have found even the smallest things really do make a huge difference in my level of happiness, in how grateful I am: example…during the coldest part of the winter (so far), I didn’t realize how grateful I am for nice hot food (egg, cheese, potato, ham bake to be exact)! The website is: http://365grateful.com/. 

a gorgeous japanese garden, I believe near kyoto, I always think of
Japan when I think of relaxation, and peacefulness... (taken by me)

5) PAY back parents, and some college loans! This may seem trivial, or oh well why pay it back now…so on. If you have college loans you’ll understand the feeling, finally making and saving enough to start paying back my parents, and college loans, of which is the rough equivalent of a decent house—no joke—it is such an incredibly-stress-relieving action, sure its money leaving my bank account BUT it is the peace of mind knowing I won’t be gaining x-amount of interest, so I’m really saving money, sanity, stress…etc. I got really motivated to do this by a dear friend who is resourceful, a health nut, frugal (not cheap-just money smart), friend who introduced the “Total Money Makeover” by David Ramsey. (http://www.daveramsey.com/store/books/dave-s-bestsellers/the-total-money-makeover/prodtmmoclassic.html) Though I had to read it 2 times for it to click, man, it has really been a godsend! Knowing that I’ll be debt free that much sooner, makes me actually start to see the light at the end of the long and crazy tunel. Also see the ‘debt snowball’ tool on his website:  http://www.daveramsey.com/article/get-out-of-debt-with-the-debt-snowball-plan/

6) Do other fun volunteering things I love! I love my two current jobs, but of course outside of work I enjoy working on my etsy business, an in the Minnesota based North Country Herbalist guild (www.nchg.org), but I need to make MORE time to enjoy cooking health food, making kombucha, water kefir and fermented veggies; removing invasives at the native plant sanctuary Eloise Butler Garden, and go to Weston A. Price chapter meetings (find yours www.westonapricefoundation.com) 

7) Take a few awesome trips & plan future trips! Now that I have a good paying job where I actually—gasp—get PTO (paid-time-off/vacation) I can plan…for the future! What a relief, for a minute I was starting to worry.

            Save to visit my dear friend in New Zealand! Having been the filming country for the LOTR, Lord of the Rings trilogy, and now the first 2 of 3 The Hobbit movies, we need to visit where the hobbit village took place!

 http://www.worldwanderingkiwi.com/2012/11/new-zealand-visit-the-hobbiton-film-set/ (above picture source)

& http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/ad-day-tourism-new-zealand-143234

8) Research, take classes, and save to get educated in: naturopathy, nutrition, and permaculture. Paying someone to take a class seems easy and cheap, but recently I've been coming to the relization that here in the states we LOVE to pay someone to do ______for us (From haircuts, growing food, making beauty/cleaning products, and teaching us), this being said I am going to invest lots of time, energy and hopefully get places to try out, permaculture, vermi-composting, strawbale house making, to vertical gardening. Also, I am reading alot about nutrition, from reading the book "eating on the wild side", to learning the benefits of kombucha, water kefir, and foraging some own food each year. Being able to teach/help-myself, and be resourceful, teach others than once I know it well enough, is such a lost art, and very important! *side note, one of 
my favorite permaculture books is here...http://www.amazon.com/Sepp-Holzers-Permaculture-Small-Scale-Integrative/dp/160358370X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389897694&sr=8-1&keywords=sepp+holzer%27s+permaculture+a+practical+guide+to+small-scale+integrative+farming+and+gardening

http://www.patternliteracy.com/files/2011/09/gaias_garden.jpg

9) MOVE OUT into an apartment/house, which means moving out of my parents’ house.

Thanks to the above David Ramsey book, combined with health-nut eating frugal friends, I have been very confident in my ability to: save enough money before moving out in case of a job switch/emergency, and to save for the future. On top of that, I am really feeling good about living on a budget, due to some awesome friends saying hey I'm in this food co-op, here are prices for organic produce, want to order some with me and we'll have healthy good quality food for cheap!?...yes please 

Also, paying off my parents, as stated above, and others help to up my savings (having lots of money saved, but also lots of debts is counter-productive), helps with some fear and stress of moving out, having less debt...well means just that...less debt! Alot of this also worked because I started to buy primarily with cash, or do all my errands one day a week and leave my cards at home (credit & debit).
Back to the food buying, I buy in bulk from locally started food co-ops, make my own menu plans, and soon I will even take measuring spoons and a calculator to grocery stores, buy with cash, leave plastic (debit/c.cards) at home….etc

           And last but not least # 10...which is an article on "20 things to let go of before new year" 
 http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-11973/20-things-to-let-go-of-before-the-new-year.html

Enjoy, Cheers & Happy New Year!!