So blogging doesn’t come naturally to me, that’s a fact.
I’m just going to use this post as a way to keep track of what I
want 2011 to be for me.

I’m pretty sure everyone says they want to
start a fitness routine but considering that I started working out
everyday 3 weeks ago with a fitness buddy, I think I’m a few steps
ahead of the game. Mike and I have been meeting up everyday before
work to get at least half an hour of running done. Waking up on
time every morning has been the challenging part, but once I get
there I actually kind of enjoy it. I think the part that I’ve been
missing every other time I’ve attempted this is the work out buddy.
Knowing that someone is there to work out with me helps hold me
accountable. So when I’m laying in bed in the morning and I can’t
convince myself that working out for myself is better than staying
in bed for another hour, cozy with my dog, I can tell myself that
someone else expects to see me and it would kind of suck for me not
to show up. Definitely good motivation running in the morning
will eventually include some kind of strength training for toning
but we are still working on just getting there at 7, which has been
difficult with the snowy weather and me not wanting to get out of
bed before 6:30, i’m pretty sure I’m allergic to that… I want to
reach my goal weight of 145 pounds by the summer because it sounds
like I’m going to Germany in April and that seems like a good goal
date to work for. I still have to set dates and talk to my bosses
but Mike has been planning to make the trip and wants some company.
After my adventure in Guatemala last year, I feel like I’m in need
of a new adventure for 2011. Hopefully one that doesn’t involve
angry spirits, volcanos and tropical storms…

Along the lines of fitness goals, I am reigniting my passion for poi and getting back
into the habit of practicing so that I can break out of this skill
plateau i’ve been sitting at for 3 years. Going to the gym has
given me a chance to try practicing in the unused class studios
when I get the chance. Mike wanting to learn also gives me a chance
to have someone to bounce ideas off of and go through the fun of
just starting out again.

Limiting my hobbies is also a goal for
2011. I have too many things I call hobbies that make it so I’m
only above average with anything that I do because I don’t dedicate
enough time to be better at any of them. the winning three things
will be… Drawing, poi and hoop dance. I just picked up hoop
dancing this summer and I didn’t put enough effort into it at first
to make it stick but a couple of weeks ago I signed up for online
classes through hoopcity.ca with the amazing SaFire and can’t wait
to start!

Last year I started my career as a user experience specialist with EatonGolden and I’ve loved every minute of it. 2010 was all about learning the ropes and getting used to the flow of projects. In 2011, I want to start digging deeper into web strategy by reading more blogs like A List Apart. If I’m really on my game I would start learning programming on my own to make myself even more versatile. The limited HTML and CSS that I know has been useful but I feel like I could do more. Plus, with the iPad I got as a Christmas bonus from work, reading blogs and other knowledge resources is much easier and way more fun. It might even help me update this silly blog more, but don’t hold your breath

Final goal for 2011… Helping my dog, Sawyer, overcome his socialization challenges so that we can feel comfortable with him around new people, especially men and children. He is a rescue dog so he came with some baggage. This will involve attending obedience classes, taking him to play times and when it’s nice out, taking him to dog parks. A measure of this goal being achieved would be earning the canine good citizenship certificate. We took level one in the fall but when the weather got cold and I became busy, I didn’t sign up for level two. I haven’t been consistent with his training and it hasn’t been very fair to him. He’s a very smart and very active dog and I need to do more to keep him active and happy. Debbie likes reminding me that I “wanted an active dog”…

2010 was spent learning about what I need to do for myself, how to step out of my comfort zone and how to protect what is sacred to me. I purged a lot of toxic people from my life and as much as it sucked at the time, I couldn’t be happier. My credit card debt is essentially gone and my student loans are in a manageable full swing, but money doesn’t feel like the evil thing it was just over a year ago. Most of this year was spent being single, and I learned to love it. I overcame some pretty major personal hurdles while figuring out my demons and how to beat them. Dabbling in online dating helped me make a lot of great new friends, but ultimately I realized that i was wasting time on a lot of duds so I deactivated my account. the free time I’ve enjoyed has been extremely wonderful and not feeling obligated to respond to people is liberating. For the first time since I started dating, I’m okay with being single. Kind of sad, but I’m really happy with this revelation. Just thinking about the progress I’ve made since this time last year in everything from love to work to money to social life, I’m amazed and grateful for what I have now. I think this year will only be better because now I have a solid foundation to build on, good friends to spend my time with and hobbies that I love doing. Thank you 2010, and welcome 2011!