It’s not about the numbers

If you follow this blog on Facebook you already know that I decided to end my juice fast on Monday night after my yoga class. My body was screaming at me that it was time. You will also so know that on Sunday I accomplished something that I had been quietly working on for a few months. I successfully did Crow Pose. This means that I balanced all my weight on my hands in a yoga pose. I only did it for a short time but I repeated it 3 times and each time felt more confident and stronger. This is what all that I have been doing recently in regards to my eating and exercise is all about, being stronger, listening to my body and accomplishing things I didn’t think I could do. It’s not about the numbers.

Because I sew my own clothes, I know my body measurements. But I rarely weight myself. Because numbers on the scale lie. I have proof of that now. Since starting my fast I went from the neighborhood of 200-203# (depending on the time of day I weighed myself, etc.) Today I weigh 195#. That five to eight pounds shouldn’t make that big a difference. But everything else that I’ve been doing sure makes a difference. Just take a look:

The photo on the left is me with the girls in Florida back in July. Today I put on the same pants and a similar T-shirt (can’t find that one, shame I really like it…) and took another picture.

My big bloated ugly belly is almost gone. I assure you that yes, I am standing up straighter in today’s picture but I am not sucking in my gut. The improved posture is a result of yoga. The belly is a result of juicing, walking, and yoga. I haven’t had alcohol, sugar, red meat, caffeine or artificial sweeteners in 2 weeks. I sleep better and have way more energy than I’ve had in years.

I’ve really come a long way in almost a year. I didn’t set out with any grand goals to change my life. Last spring I was feeling physically really terrible. I didn’t let on to many people just how awful I felt but it was apparent to many. I even went as far to worry that I had Chronic Fatigue or Fibromyalgia because I hurt all the time and many days it was all I could do to get out of bed. Some mornings the idea of walking upstairs almost brought  me to tears because my knees hurt so bad. When it came time to prepare for Sarah’s graduation open house I was miserable because I didn’t feel like I could physically do all that I wanted to do. I managed, I had a lot of help, and in typically form, I pushed myself past my limits.

As a result of my physical pain and exhaustion, I was a miserable person emotionally too. I look back now and see how nasty, cynical, and unlovable I really was and I don’t blame any of my friends and family members for distancing themselves from me. I ate myself up worrying privately about getting a divorce. I even got to the point of thinking that maybe that would solve my problems because I thought Steve was the problem. If he just understood me better and helped me more I’d be happier. Ha! The bullshit we delude ourselves with sometimes! I all but cut him out with all my anger and pain. No wonder he didn’t want to help me or be with me. My children all but hid away from me because I would rather drink and smoke and behave like an immature teenager with my friends than be a good mother. They also saw and felt the problems between Steve and I and were astute enough to see that it was my fault and that rightly made them resent me and act out against me.

Of course this all came to a head when I had my breakdown/epiphany in August and then things started to change for the good. I’m taking care of me and the rest has followed. Those I love and are important to me have seen the positive changes and have opened themselves back up  to me. I now feel like Steve does understand me better and has helped me in so many ways I can’t begin to count them.  I can relax and enjoy myself and the people around me again. I have the energy to live the life I want to live and that I feel I was put here to live. It hasn’t all been roses and sunshine. I screwed up and lost someone along the way who was important to me and who I thought would want to join me on this journey. I had to cut another person completely out of my life who was holding me back and filling my world with negativity and judgment. Those were tough moments and I still think about them often and wonder if I could’ve done things different to have avoided the pain. But then I realize that this is the lesson and regrets are wasted energy.

So even if so far I’ve only clocked 5# lost on the scale, I feel tons lighter overall. And to me, that’s what counts.

I don’t know

I’ve mentioned the yoga class I started this week. It is a Fundamentals of Yoga class at a local yoga studio. I am very excited about it. While I’ve been doing yoga off and on for years both at gyms and at home on my own I’ve never been to a progressive class that starts from the very basics and moves on. Also most of the classes I’ve taken are only focused on the asana (physical poses) and barely if at all mention any of the other aspects of yoga.

At the beginning of the class Monday night the teacher had each of us introduce ourselves and say why we were there. Luckily I was halfway around the circle so I didn’t have to go first or last! My first yoga lesson that night was to keep my attention focused on the person speaking and try to not only remember their name but also at least on little bit of information about them instead of sitting there trying to decide what I was going to say when it was my turn. I’m not sure I was totally successful and I’m glad there wasn’t a test! When it was my turn I said the usual; name, family, city, job, etc. For the reason why I was there I just spoke off the top of my head (dangerous!) I said something like I love yoga and wanted to start from the very beginning and find out all the things I didn’t know I didn’t know.

That brings me to a very important thing I’m trying to incorporate into my life more. Being okay with, “I don’t know.” I’ve always been one of those people who is very afraid of admitting I don’t know how to do something and have a difficult time asking for help. In my mind not knowing means I’m stupid and weak. I’m finally discovering that not knowing just means I haven’t learn it but I am completely capable of learning. And sometimes asking someone else who already knows it is a better and faster way of learning something.

I work in sales and customer service and often a customer will ask me a question that I’m not sure about the answer. I've found it is always better to say “I don’t know but I’ll find someone who does or make a call and find out the answer for you.” It builds trust and instead of making up some BS answer and later have them find out I was wrong and then they won’t trust anything I tell them and I will look stupid. Integrity is always better than saving face. And if I think I know the answer and then find out I was wrong, it is important to let the person know I made a mistake and get them the correct information.

But then there are the things I think I know but am finding out that I don’t know it all. So I’m starting to find ways to learn the stuff I didn’t know I didn’t know. There is always a different way of doing things and I have to get over the idea that the way I do things is always the best way or worse, the only way, to do things.

I read recently about the “don’t know mind” and I love this idea.

As Socrates taught, “The beginning of wisdom is the acknowledgement of our own ignorance.” We are encouraged to empty ourselves of our posturing, of being the “one who knows,” so that we can fill up with a knew kind of knowing.

~excerpt from Yoga and the Quest for the True Self by Stephen Cope

Fast Girls Have More Fun

So it seems that I have almost completed the 3rd day of a juice fast. I didn’t intend to do a fast when I started juicing. It just sorta happened. I started by substituting a healthy vegetable rich juice for my usual breakfast of a bagel with cream cheese. Then I started experimenting with different juice combinations and drinking them and then I made enough for a mid-morning snack and lunch… I had so much juice that I didn’t have time or room for food.

Over the weekend Steve and I watched the documentary, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and that was quite an eye opener. So in addition to that and reading a lot of stuff on the internet (you know it’s all true right?) I decided that I was on the right track with this juicing thing. Steve and I talked about doing a full fast (not 60 days like in the movie though!) but he didn’t think he could commit to it because of his work and travel schedule. I thought I could probably do it and would like the challenge. But I didn’t know if I was ready or not.

Monday morning I made my juice and started reading more stuff about juicing and juice fasts and was inspired. I did have a hard boiled egg as a mid-morning snack but that was the last “real” food I’ve eaten this week. I was a little worried about going to my first yoga class on Monday night but I had great energy and felt good.

I didn’t work this week until today (Wednesday) so I had all of yesterday to fast and not worry about energy levels. I was concerned that today at work would be hard but it really wasn’t bad. I  had a bit of a headache this morning and didn’t sleep well last night. But it was only 62 degrees in my room last night and I had the space heater going and it kept waking me up with the sound of the fan.

I made a big container of Mean Green Juice to take for lunch today and I sipped it slowly while reading Facebook on my phone. I did have a bit of a time resisting the candy dish on the counter but I would just get up and go to the back and have a drink of water whenever I would be tempted to go to the candy dish.

I was hungry when I left work, but I quite often am anyway. I got home and made a new juice: Sweet Potato, Ginger and Carrot, for dinner. It was spicy and delicious! I will be honest, I was very tempted to just come home and break my fast. But I have a fridge full of fresh produce now and I’m determined to juice it all!

Right now my plan is to fast through at least tomorrow and probably most of Friday. I think I will break my fast Friday night because Steve will be home and we will want to eat dinner together. But it will probably be something small and plant based. We also have a social invitation for Saturday night and I’m not sure I’m ready to take this thing “public” yet.

But so far I’m pretty happy with myself. No caffeine, sugar, carbs, salt, alcohol or soda since Monday. I don’t feel any more sluggish or tired than usual and actually feel pretty alert most of the time. It has been really cold here this week too and that would usually be an excuse to load up on “comfort food” but I haven’t been tempted. I have also seen a small decrease in the number on the scale but I don’t put much stock in that as it has been about 5# and I’m pretty sure that will come right back when I end the fast. I do sense a change in my taste receptors and cravings. I saw a photo of a big juicy hamburger yesterday and it almost made me nauseous but when I was cutting up cantaloupe for my morning juice I was salivating! I’ve even learned to like savory juices. I never liked tomato juice before (but I love tomatoes!) but now I’ve been craving juices made with tomatoes, spinach and even peppers (I really never like peppers before.) Monday night I had a little sugar craving and just made myself a berry based fruit juice and that gave me my sugar fix without all the bad stuff. I’ve also found that adding peppers or ginger to the juicer helps with salt cravings too.

I found a new juice bar in Geneva via Yelp yesterday so I think I may go have lunch “out” tomorrow!

Yoga togs and a work top

More fabric has been converted to wearable clothing this week. This is also one of those instances of actually saving money by sewing my own clothes.

Have you priced yoga clothes lately? Holy asana, that stuff is expensive for so little fabric. A little tank like the one I made can cost upwards of $50-$60! For less than a yard of fabric, some elastic, thread and time. (Ok, I’m not going to count the cost of my machines but still you get the idea.) I made this top using Kwik Sew 3672 and the left over fabric from the swimsuit I made last spring. So I can almost consider the fabric free right?

I really like the back of the top. It looks almost like a halter from the front but the straps make it wear more like a racer-back. I wore it yesterday morning when I did yoga and it was very comfortable. It allows for freedom of movement and the straps stay securely in place. The only change I will make in future tops will be to try adding some V-inserts in the bottom of the side seams. I lengthened this 2” in order to cover my tummy issues but now it rolls up over my hips. I think if I add V-inserts that will give it enough room to stay in place. I may also try adding soft cups to the shelf bra for more coverage and support. I have enough of this fabric left still that I can make a pair of swim briefs to wear with this top as a tankini too. Talk about getting my money’s worth!

The pants are the second time I’ve used Kwik Sew 3115. It is a really simple and fast to whip together pattern for basic yoga pants. I didn’t follow the pattern directions for sewing elastic inside the waistband. None of the RTW yoga pants I own have this and they stay up just fine. I used a really soft, lightweight knit that I’ve had in the stash for a long time. It is a weird yellowy green color that really does nothing for my complexion. I kept thinking I’d make a T-shirt out of it but knew I had nothing to match it and it would most likely go unworn. After I made the purple top I realized that it looked good with this green and the color wouldn’t be a problem if worn below the waist and away from my face.

To make the two pieces go together even better I decided to add a little bit of the purple to the pants in a narrow trim inserted along the waist band. I just cut a piece of the lycra/spandex the length of the waist band and 1” wide, folded it in half and put it in the seam.

 

 

 

 

I also made this top this week using up some random stash fabric and Kwik Sew 3826. It’s a comfortable shirt and it went together pretty well. I have a few issues with it. I’m not really happy with the way the “scarf/collar” lays around the neck. It seems a little loose or something. The sleeves are just a bit shorter than I like them. I usually add length in the sleeves of all KS patterns because I have Monkey Arms but I forgot this time.

I constructed the entire top on my Bernina 780 using the Dual Feed. I was very happy with the way the machine handled this soft knit. No puckering and the fabric fed evenly. I used the Super Stretch Stitch (looks like a lightning bolt) and a ballpoint needle. I also used the overcast stitch and the #2A foot to finish the edges of some of the seams. I did set up the coverstitch machine for the hems but otherwise the serger wasn’t used in this garment.

Overall I’d say this was a pretty productive sewing week for me. 3 pieces of stash fabric converted to items of clothing that I will actually wear. Next up is some tencel knit that I bought at work to make into basic turtlenecks to wear on my winter morning walks.

Finished Project: Wool Eater lap blanket

This project has been in the works for over a year at least. It started with the intention of using up all of the purple, and blue worsted weight yarns I had in my stash. But then I ran out of yarn and it was too small to be of any use. Then I bought more yarn and it was the wrong shades of purple. Then I started a scrappy Granny square afghan for a friend to also use up all my miscellaneous worsted yarns and that took precedence. I finally finished that one (and didn’t’ take photos before giving it to her, so I have no evidence of its existence other than a much reduced yarn stash. Yay!) and could focus on getting this one done. The dark taupe yarn I used as the final rounds was what was left over from the borders of the granny afghan so I couldn’t use it here until I knew I wouldn’t need it there.

I love the texture of this stitch. It is still a fairly small afghan, just covers my lap, but it is heavy! I used the tutorial from Sarah London. (Note: “dtr” in her instructions are the same as a treble stitch in American crochet.) And make no mistake, there is a reason she named this pattern “Wool Eater”.  By the time I got to the last few rounds it was taking about 200 yards of yarn to finish the pattern of two compete rounds.

I think if I were to make it again I would try increasing the size of my hook a little to make it less dense and maybe a little larger per round. It would still use up a lot of yarn but may not be so heavy when finished in a usable size. I would also consider using her instructions for making an oblong Wool Eater.

I think my big tub of miscellaneous wool yarn can be moved out of the living room now. It is down by at least half but there is still a lot of yarn to go. But I’m getting tired of scrappy crochet projects. I’m thinking it might be time to try to tame the sock yarn bin. Haven’t knit socks in ages.

Quick Update: Drink Your Veggies

I was going to wait and do a weekly post about the results I’m seeing from adding fresh veggie juice to my diet but I couldn’t wait that long! Today is day 3 1/2 and I’m seeing results already. I don’t think anything else I’ve ever done except for the 2-3 times I quit smoking over the past 20 years has ever had such an immediate effect. (And yes, I am currently smoke-free and intend to stay that way for the rest of my life.)

My regimen so far has been to make a batch of juice first thing in the morning while Emma gets ready for school. I put this into a reusable plastic (BPA-free of course) cup with a straw (My poolside cocktail “glass” from Hawaii.) and sip it while I’m in the car line dropping her off at school. Tuesday I made another batch later in the  morning to take to work for a snack. I found two small glass bottles that had held Chai Tea Lattes from Target and have repurposed them to store my “snack” juice in the fridge.

My recipes so far have been pretty make shift. For a green drink I typically combine and handful or two of baby spinach, cup of Kale, 1-2 carrots and an apple. Wednesday morning I tried a Vitamin C rich combination of 6 small clementines (peeled), 2 carrots and a celery stalk. The “kitchen sink” combination of a bit of everything I made the other day was a fail. I used whole pieces of pomegranate instead of just the seeds and that made it too bitter and I think my ratios were off and the whole thing was an ugly brownish green color and tasted “dirty”. I mixed it with some Tropicana OJ and it was palatable but not my best effort.

So for the results:

• I’m sleeping better. This may not be totally fair to assess because I’ve been sleeping alone this week, Steve is in Vegas. So I haven’t had snoring and bed sharing to contend with the past few nights. But overall I feel like I’m sleeping more soundly and am waking up usually before my alarm and feeling very refreshed.
• 3pm yawns are gone. Yesterday I worked a typical 10-5 work day. Usually somewhere around 3pm I get very tired and start yawning and wanting a nap or another can of Diet Pepsi. Yesterday I didn’t have my morning pot of tea or any Pepsi at lunch, so no caffeine at all, but at 3pm I noticed that I wasn’t fatigued or yawning. I actually felt very alert and energetic. And even when I got home after 5 I didn’t have that “I just want to hit the couch and veg out for the rest of the night” feeling.
• I feel more mentally alert. I have no way of quantifying this, maybe I should’ve timed my Sudoku solving abilities before and after. Subjectively I feel like I have a better attention span and my cognitive skills are sharper. Last week there were a couple times at work that I made just stupid mistakes and felt very foggy and this week I feel like I am mentally on top of my game.
• I had a chiropractor appointment this morning and my adjustment from last week held and I reported no neck or shoulder pain. My overall pain levels that typically include neck, back, hips and feet in addition to an occasional headache have been non-existent the past few days. That may or may not be a big deal as I’m not one to ALWAYS be in pain. Sometimes you don’t realize how much chronic, low-grade pain you have until it is gone and I’ve noticed a significant decrease the past few days.

Two areas that I haven’t seen any significant changes so far would be my weight and my skin. I think it is too soon for either of those things to be effected. I really don’t foresee my weight going down by just adding fresh veggie juice to my diet. I’m not making any other significant changes or omissions at this time. But I do find myself craving sweets a little less so maybe that will eventually lead to other dietary changes. I do think that by making one small positive change leads to a cascading effect of other good choices. I already find myself choosing water instead of Diet Pepsi when I’m thirsty or feeling tired. I’ve also chosen to make a homemade dinner for Emma and me this week and took homemade stuff for lunches the two days I’ve worked. This has not only been good for my health but the health of my wallet as well.

This was yesterday’s lunch, homemade black bean soup. I made it on Sunday and when Emma didn’t want to eat it I put it in the fridge to “mellow” and then packaged it up into individual servings for the freezer. I now have 5 more servings ready and waiting for me to grab and go. Cheap, healthy and delicious. I also have a few servings of homemade clam chowder ready as well. Sure beats Pizza-by-the-slice from the restaurant next door for lunch!

And not to share TMI but I was a bit worried about eating bean soup for lunch while at work but I can report that I didn’t experience the “usual” side-affects from beans. I’ve been known to be a bit gassy and oddly, adding more veggies and beans to my diet seems to have had the opposite affect. Diet Pepsi and cheese pizza are much worse overall for my digestion in my experience.

Welcome to Pre-Chewed Charlies!

Yesterday I bought a  juicer with my Christmas money. I also stopped at Fresh Market for a car load of fresh veggies and fruits. I’m excited to become a “juicer”.

Rest assured I am NOT doing a juice fast or embarking on a raw food lifestyle. I just want a way to add fresh vegetables into my diet in a way that I will actually ingest them. I can promise you that I will never eat a serving of raw kale in my lifetime if I have to just crunch it up and swallow. Not going to happen. Also, with my braces eating things that I do like such as apples and carrots is almost impossible or at the very least, taking an expensive chance.

Yesterday I made a test batch of juice out of kale, parsley, apples, grapes, and spinach. It was delicious! This morning I made pretty much the same thing with the addition of cucumber and some blueberries.

The bottle pictured at left is a mixture of all of the above plus pomegranate. I also made Emma a small glass of fresh apple juice with a few blueberries before she left for school. She liked it okay but didn’t really like the chunkiness. Next time I’ll strain hers.

I researched what juicer I wanted and decided that I wanted a masticating type because they worked better with greens and are purported to preserve the enzymes in the vegetables and fruits better. I have an old centrifugal juicer in the basement the I received as a gift decades ago. It is loud and clogs all the time so it is a pain to use.

I had gone out with the intention of buying the Omega VRT350HD. But when I got to Bed, Bath and Beyond I discovered  that it was about $120 more than the Omega 8005. The 8005 also got really good reviews and was rated for being able to handle wheat grass and other greens. The biggest drawback to the model I bought is that it takes up a lot more counter space than the more upright models. But it is very powerful, quiet and easy to take apart and clean.

The resulting pulp that is extruded is very dry. My old juicer would leave a bucket of wet mush. I need to add “rebuild my compost pile” to my 2013 Resolutions. This stuff would be great to add to a compost bin or worm bin. But alas I gave up all my old organic ways years ago. So until I get them back I have to find a new use for this by-product. I’ve read where some people use it in muffins and other baked goods to up the fiber and nutrition. Others use it for soup base. I may try a few of those and see what I like. This morning I added it to the dogs’ food and they loved it! So much so that when I started the juicer to make my lunch juice Maizey came running and was sitting here begging for a scrap. She even stole a pint of blueberries off the counter when I wasn’t looking and ate the whole thing! She definitely got her antioxidants for the day. Maybe I’ll go back to feeding them raw too and add this to their meals on a regular basis.

This has also opened up many more options for my community garden plot this summer. I always want to GROW ALL THE VEGGIES! But then never want to eat them. This way my garden can feed my juicing habit.

All the juicing gurus and aficionados say that juicing will improve your health, make your hair grow and your skin glow all while improving your sex life and melting the pounds away and prevent diseases like arthritis, heart disease, alzheimers and cancer. I don’t know about all that. But I’m willing to bet that it can’t hurt and will probably improve some aspects of my health. I did take a “before” picture yesterday just for comparison’s sake. It’s a typical “before” shot, no makeup, bad hair, bad lighting. I’ll see if in a month I see any difference. If I do I’ll share the before and after with you here.

EDITED TO ADD: Just drank a glass of the above pictured juice. WHEW! I think I added too much kale and not enough of something sweet. Pretty bitter. I guess I had better look into some actual recipes instead of just throwing the kitchen sink at the juicer and hoping for the best.

Happy New Year!

The holidays are winding to a close. I’ve had a fun-filled, travel-filled, family-filled, love-full holiday season. I hope you all did too.

Most bloggers typically post a year-in-review type post this week. But I’m lazy and woefully behind on blog posts so I’m skipping that tradition. Not that it was ever my tradition anyway so it’s all good.

Lists and resolutions are also always popular this week. I like lists so that I can do. (Plus it is a lazy writer trick to make a list instead of actually trying to form coherent, grammatically correct paragraphs which is often a challenge for me anyway.)

The following are my goals and resolutions for 2013:

Sewing/Crafting Goals:

• Continue to whittle away at my fabric stash by sewing up existing fabric in the never-ending stash conversion to wearable garments project.
• Make more pillows for the living room.
• More machine embroidery projects. My new machine can do some amazing things and I now have Bernina V6 software. My goal is to learn as much as I can about it and master more Machine Embroidery skills and maybe even some digitizing.
• Yoga clothes. I signed up for a 7 week yoga class starting in a few weeks. Yoga clothes are expensive but with the skills I learned last spring in making bathing suits, I think I can knock out some cute tops and pants in no time for a fraction of the cost.
• Embroidered yoga mat carrying bag. I want to embroider these chakra designs on linen for a bag to carry my mat and other stuff to class.
• Finish the king-size scrappy string quilt for my bed.
• De-stash, sell, use or otherwise reduce the yarn around this place. Like fabric, it has grown to ridiculous quantities.

Household Goals:

• Clean out and purge the following areas: mudroom, sewing/laundry closet, guest room closet, garage and shed.
• Plant pumpkins in the area where the play-set used to be.
• New living room sofa – the one we have now is very nice but it has a few issues. We bought it from a friend this past year but it isn’t meeting our needs. It is leather and the seat cushions don’t stay in place. You get in it and can’t get out. It has sucked the dogs and/or Emma down into its deepest recesses numerous times. Until we can afford to replace it I resolve to try to fix the velcro that is pulling away from the bottom of the cushions so that they will maybe stay in place a bit better. (I’ve been saying this for about 4 months now!)
• Community Garden Plot. I’ve been putting this idea off for about 15 years! When we lived in town I had a beautiful vegetable garden and I canned my own veggies. When we moved out here I didn’t have a sunny spot for a garden and the girls were little and I just didn’t make the time or effort. I’m going to go to the park district in March and reserve a plot for this coming summer. Even if I just get some fresh tomatoes and basil I’ll be very happy. The plots are about a mile away from our house and adjacent to a forest preserve where I like to walk.
• Work on living simply and intentionally. As my goals to use and reduce my fabric/yarn stash suggest, my life has gotten too full with STUFF and I’ve lost sight and room for new and fresher things.

Personal Goals:

• Yoga. As I already mentioned I signed up for a Fundamentals of Yoga class at a local yoga studio. Even though I’ve done yoga for years, I thought a “real” class at a studio would be a good place to rekindle my love of yoga. Most of the classes I’ve taken in the past have been at gyms and the teachers were usually fitness instructors who had taken some classes in teaching fitness based yoga rather than true yogis who understand the full spectrum of yoga and what it all means.
• Walking. I want to continue my meanderings and wanderings at local parks and forest preserves.
• Eating. No weight loss goals, even though I definitely need them. Instead I’m focusing on eating fresh and as homemade as possible this year. I think the garden plot will help  motivate me.
• Get massages. I have a couple friends who are massage therapists. One friend does Thai Massage and she really helped me out this summer when my hip/lower back went cablooey. I want to start getting regular massages to continue to work on my back and neck issues in conjunction with regular yoga practice and visits to my NUCCA chiropractor.
• Deepen my spirituality. Read more books, explore different beliefs, meditate more. Maybe even go back to church or find a new church that meets my needs better.
• Continue Random Acts of Kindness year-round.
• Regularly reach out to people in my life and tell them what I love/admire about them.

Family & Friends:

• Continue to work on my relationship with Steve. We’ve come a long way this year but we still have our moments. 2014 will mark our 25th wedding anniversary so this year will be all about building up to that monumental achievement so that when we get there we can be stronger than ever.
• Host more dinner parties and play matchmaker to my friends. Not in a romantic matchmaker kind of way but instead I’d like to introduce different friends from different parts of my life. I have an eclectic mix of friends from many different areas and I’d like to start getting them together and see what interesting conversations and new friendships can develop. I think smaller groups, sharing a meal together, is the perfect way to do this.
• Continue to find new things to share with friends. Go places, explore new interests, share my discoveries with friends. Recently I’ve discovered the simple joy of meeting a friend for breakfast. As much fun as big parties are with a large group of friends, small one-on-one get-togethers really help strengthen and deepen friendships.
• Make the time to visit my siblings, parents and nieces and nephews this year. This might be the summer to reinstate the family camping trip!
I’m sure that as soon as I hit the Publish button I’ll think of many more things to add to this list but I think it is a good place to start. What kinds of goals, resolutions or plans are you making for 2013? Whatever they are I hope they bring you fulfillment and joy.