2014 A Look Ahead

Happy New Year, you party animals!

I hope you all had a great night out in your high heels and party dresses.  I had a great night in my new "Homeless Chic" outfit.  What is homeless chic?  Well you see it is wearing a men's flannel shirt over your outfit.  The goal is to look cute without actually caring about what you look like! It was a delight to look at all the girls in their NYE outfits and while I wore my flannel and watched the Ducks game at the Yard House.  I am telling you it was comfy, warm and amazing.

As I sit here thinking about 2014 I am so happy with the possibilities this year presents me with.  At the beginning of each year I like to sit down and write down goals that I have for the year.  I do not like New Years Resolutions because they re cheesy and broken so easily.  I am such an achiever by nature that I function so much better making goals.  I also try to set up rewards along the way so I keep on trying.  Today I will share some of my goals with you.  If you ever think of it ask me how they are going.  It is aways helpful to have a friend remind you of what you set out to do.



1. Make my house more of a home.

Sometimes I do not like my house.  There are things that need repair and I have to figure it out on my own.  I want to spend more time (and money I reckon) into making my house a place of refuge where I want to go.  I want to take time to make my house pretty and homey.  I started to do this during December and it has already made a huge difference in my mood and appreciation for what I have.

2. Watch less TV.

I have a lot of TV shows that I enjoy watching.  I have never watched so many shows as I do now.  In 2014 I want to spend weeknight reading or taking classes or doing anything social.  My goal is to leave the TV off as much as possible.  I will still watch the new Sherlock when it comes out this month and probably How I Meet Your Mother and Ducks games, but the rest can wait for a rainy day.

3. Take Penny on at least a 2 mile walk everyday.

Really this one is for Penny and me.  When I get off my lazy bum and take this little girl for a walk she is happy and calm and I am happy and more fit.  It is a win win win.

[caption id="attachment_373" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Penny posing for Christmas. We just got home from a walk.[/caption]

4. Take at least 2 classes at my gym each week.

I work out at home at least 3 times a week and walk my dog. I also have a gym membership that I need to use more often.  I have just recently gotten over my intimidation of gym classes and I love them.  Honestly, I was terrified to go take a class at the gym because I assumed everyone was super crazy awesome at it, they aren't.  It is so much more fun to workout with other people and I want to make more of a habit out of it.

5. Take bigger risks.

Yes this could fall into a lot of categories.  I want to keep growing and challenging myself to be a better person each day.  I am looking at grad schools out of state and the thought of moving always scares me.  I also want to look more into stand up or improve.  These are things that scare me a lot.  When I think about the things I have enjoyed the most they are the things that scared me the most before I did them.

6. Go on more dates.

I am well aware that this one is silly, but really I need to man.  I love being single and I have a ton of fun with my life.  I just got really sick of dating the last year.  I would love it if someone could go on dates for me and get a good guy and then after a month I would pick up the relationship.  I have a date tonight, so I guess I am already doing pretty good on this front!

7. Keep growing So Much Sunshine.

I have loved writing this year and I want to keep it up in 2014 and take it further.  I will be honest and say that I would like it to generate a little bit of cash-flow for me at some point in the year as I plan to be a student again and some extra cash would be great.  I just opened up sponsorships for the year and already have my first month booked!  I am still offering free ads for February if you are interested.  Check out my sponsorship page and enter code SUNSHINE to get your free ad spot in February 2014!  I also want to get to know more bloggers and become a more active presence in this community.

8. Take Photography Classes.

I got me a fancy camera for Christmas and I love it.  It already takes way better photos than any other camera I have used.  I just want to keep getting better and better.  There is a photography school near my house that is great for beginners and professionals too, I have signed up for classes and am so excited to learn a new skill.



9. Read more books.

I love reading and I have been lazy about reading this year.  Part of my laziness was due to being an English teacher and I had to read essays day in and day out the other part was TV was pretty fun.  I miss reading and will be reading more this year, send me your book recommendations!

10. Relax.

There are plenty of things that bother me and distract me from what I think is important.  Too often I let those things in and I can become negative.  I have been reminding myself more and more that simple annoyances do not matter and I will survive.  I have been asking myself in the grand scheme of life will this thing really be that important?  The answer is usually no and I then move on.  I want to relax about my future, about my past, and about the things that drive me crazy today.  I want more and more to live in the now and be happier each day.

11. Continue to let Jesus lead me.

I live my life for Jesus and I need to constantly be turning things over to him.  When I try and be Lord of my life I am super miserable.  When I step out of the way and let Jesus do it I am usually a little scared, but always blown away by what he can do.  I want this more and more in my life.

12. Love myself more and love others more.

This year I have really liked who I am.  I have quit caring what people think of me more and I have found things that make me happy and I cherish those things.  I want to keep this up in the new year and continue to be happy with myself and appreciate those around me for who they are.

Well that seems like a good place to stop.  I have loved 2013 and I am excited to see what 2014 has in store for me.

If you are up to it share one or some of your goals for the new year!  Let's make it a great one!