A Look Towards 2012.

I've really never been one for resolutions. I'm horrible at them. And by horrible, I do mean truly horrendous. There are only so many times that you can promise yourself to stop giving in to those late night cravings for the mint chocolate chip ice cream hidden in the back of your freezer under the bags of frozen veggies before you realize how utterly fruitless the effort is, you know? But it's 2012. It's a new year. And after a particularly wonderful 2011, chock full of a whole host of unexpected accomplishments and milestones in my life, I'm feeling particularly inspired. (And no, don't you worry my dear mint chip, you're sticking around for a good long while.) So here goes.

2012.
1. Get creative-- Remember this weekend photography project that I alluded to last month? Well, this is going to be the year that I am finally intentional about keeping artistic creativity a priority in my life; keep an eye out for a post in the next week or two because my first project is already in the works! 
2. Run more, run often-- Keep up this awesome (and unexpected) momentum that I've built as I've trained for this first half-marathon of mine so that I can cross that finish line in one, uninjured piece & keep pushing towards registering for a full 26.2 by the end of the year.
3. Happy mind, happy belly-- I have desperately been craving to get lost in the kitchen again. To spend countless hours with Miles Davis on shuffle on the counter,  experimenting and messing around with a whole host of recipes, having an excuse to gather round the table with friends and a bottle of wine, filling my belly with fresh, wholesome food, and letting the sweet taste of accomplishment and satisfaction wash away the day's stress and worries. Yes, the time has indeed come to whip out the cookbooks, fill the fridge, and turn the heat way up again.
4. Stay in the loop-- As anyone going through this transitory stage of their life knows, adjusting to having your nearest and dearest friends spread to the 4 corners of the country is hard. It's really hard. And I'll be the first to admit that despite an incredibly strong desire to stay on top of everyone's daily highs and lows, I know there's quite a bit of room for improvement in my book. But these wonderful individuals are my world and they matter to me, a whole heck of a lot, so it's time I made the extra effort. Here's to shipping more homemade treats, sending emails just to say hello, taking quick weekend trips when I can, and working to make snail mail cool again-- who doesn't love finding an envelope with their name written in familiar handwriting on the front, am I right?
5. Work harder, play harder-- More than anything though, I really want to make this year count. I want to work harder than I ever have, constantly striving to push and challenge myself both personally & professionally. I want to squeeze every bit of potential out of each day while making sure that I pour the same amount of love and dedication into myself and my personal ambitions as I do my career. But most of all, I want to do justice to my potential-- never doubting myself, my abilities, or my dreams-- because at the end of the day, there's not another soul in this world who owes it to me more than I do.

So there's that. Here's to ringing in 2013 a year from now knowing that I gave 2012 everything I had. Ready? Set? Go.