Thursday, January 5, 2012

Resolutions for 2012

I tend not to make resolutions. Seeing as I usually think life is pretty great, it seems silly to say "be kind" or "eat better". But there is something refreshing about looking back on the past year, celebrating what you accomplished, and thinking about what the next year will bring. So, here are some things I (or John and I) am hoping to accomplish in 2012 (yeah, some are kind of resolution-y, sue me).

1. Write more...I've not been inspired at all this last year and I'd like to finally get something accomplished. Even if that's just a simple article on a hike.

2. Be climbing 5.8s regularly. John thinks I should make my goal 5.9s since I already do 5.6s (mostly) clean and just did two 5.7s this week. But I'm being realistic. There's plenty of skills I need to develop in these higher climbs (hello crazy lunge I did Monday!) and I know 5.8 is more what I can accomplish.That's not to say i don't think I'll be doing some 5.9s by the end of the year, I just don't think I'll be doing them well.

3.Go on an overnight backpacking trip. We talked about this a lot last spring/summer and never actually did it. We stuck to day-hikes. So, it's time.

4. Stop buying bread, bagels, buns, ect. I don't know if I'll be able to make ALL my own bread products as sometimes I get lazy and just want to run to the store and buy hamburger buns. I do want to make a good effort though. I've already made 2 loaves! I love my bread machine :)

5. Try at least 3 new things (physical activity, food, hairstyle...whatever)...3 seems like a pretty low number for this, so hopefully I exceed the goal. But if I end up breaking my leg snowboarding (new thing #1!) and end up on crutches for months, I want to be able to still meet that goal. (go me and my optimism!) And I have recently done rock climbing and eaten Vegemite, so even though those happened at the end of 2011 I feel like it's part of the be adventurous goal, so I've gotten a head start.

6. Stop eating at chain restaurants. The only reason we do is that we're too lazy to cook or are on the road and not willing to drive a little longer to find something better. If we go out it should be to a good restaurant that's unique and appealing. there's no reason to eat at Applebees. It's really not good, wastes money, ect.

7. Summit a mountain. Maybe it's cheating since this is something I do just about every year, but here it is. It might be Old Rag again, which I know I can do. Or it'll be something wild like Mt. Rainer or Pike's Peak...depending on where we decide to go on vacation.

8. Activate Mission East Coast Exile. That means we'll either move to Colorado, at least actively make plans to make said move in the next few years, or decide to move elsewhere. As long as we get some better plans in place we don't actually have to leave yet, there's more to figure out still.

9. Raise a pig. And by this we're actually going to give John's uncle a pig to raise, but we're building the shelter, the pig, and all food.We'll take care of it when we visit, but Uncle Glen will do the daily grunt work. Or we may scrap the whole pig idea and just get chickens. But we want to do something farm-y.

10. Have a pig roast. This will likely be at John's sister's wedding. Which is pretty much the best idea for a wedding reception ever...other than my own ideas, anyway.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

A Year in Pictures

I'm still mulling over some 2012 resolutions/goals, so for now, here's 2011 summarized in pictures! It was a spectacular year, and looking back only makes me excited for the adventures 2012 is sure to bring.





















Monday, January 2, 2012

St. Louis Part 4 - Nutcracker + Holiday

After John left I had some quiet family time, amongst the actual holiday. I went rock climbing with Julie. I am pretty sure St. Louis 5.7s are waay easier that Maryland 5.7s. I will call them 5.5s. Mom and I went to see the Nutcracker. Harrison and I went fishing. He caught two carp....really ugly fish.

We celebrated Christmas on the 24th to avoid being rushed Christmas morning. The boys leave at noon for Chrismas with their dad, so it's hard to cram in gifts, mass, ect. So we did a Christmas feast following by presents. I got a kindle! Christmas morning we had breakfast and chilled and sent the boys off. Then mom, Matt, and I went to see Girl with a Dragon Tattoo. Not the best form for a holiday, but it was a good one.

I went to lunch with my aunt on Monday, then went to the casino with Matt and won $40. That brought my total to $125 for the week! But John ended up in the hole so I really just made up for his losses. That night the boys came home and we watched Harry Potter before hitting the sack early. When I woke at 4am for my flight it was snowing. I made it out only 10 minutes late, but the storm blew us home quickly so we still landed on time.