Goals

Yowza I am behind on blog posts. This one is exactly a month overdue now (whoopsie) so I figured I should play catch up with this one first... ;-) 

The past 2 years, I've made a list of goals on my birthday that I want to accomplish before my next birthday. For some reason, these have been more specific and enjoyable than any New Year's resolutions I ever make (and have a much higher success rate). :-) 

Here are my goals I made for 26: 

• Call my grandparents more. (This was the best goal I made for myself. I made a habit to call my Grandma, Mawdy and Papa on my way to work once every couple of weeks, just to check in and chat a bit. I know they love these little talks just as much as I do... my sweet Grandma even specifically wrote "Thank you for all the calls!" in my Christmas card last year. I wholeheartedly encourage you to start calling your grandparents more. It's great.) :-)
• Go to Catalina Island. (Sadly, I haven't been to this enchanting destination yet.m This needs to happen soon). 
• Play tennis. (Does one time with my parents count? It was two against one, so I think it counts for something...ha). 

• Expand my cooking horizons. (I've definitely added several new recipes to my culinary repertoire (thanks to Anne and Vaness for always having new delish ones to send me!). I'm about to expand my horizons even further- my sweet roomie McKenzie is taking me to a Hipcooks cooking class for my birthday present! Hollaaaa.)
• Fly a kite on the beach.  (Not yet. B00. I need to make procuring a kite a priority.) 
• Have a bonfire on the beach. (Not yet... double boo! Who wants to do this with me? I'll bring the s'mores supplies.) 
• Have a 'girls weekend' with Mary and our mothers. (Such a fun weekend with our mothers (who also happen to be besties). Santa Fe in the fall is goooorgeous.)

• Go to more museums. (I can proudly cross this one off thanks in large part to one art-packed weekend when Mary visited during the Pacific Standard Time exhibitions. I honestly went to more museums that weekend than the past 3.5 years I had lived in LA combined). 
• Have Thanksgiving in NY with Mary. (This was 3rd Thanksgiving with Mar in NY. This time we opted to watch the Macy's parade from the warm comfort of Mary's living room.) 
• Visit Kayla in Denver. (I made it Denver over Labor Day last year for a reunion with Kayla, Vaness and Anne. Pictured below is us atop what seemed like Mt. Everest. Yowzaaa.)

• Blog more.  (I'm so behind on blogs currently that I don't feel like I can cross this off in good conscience. Ha.)
• Rest more. (I've gotten a bit better at this, although I think it's something I need to continually work on. I spread myself way too thin on the reggg). 
• Pray more. (I'm almost done with the prayer journal I started in May, so that's a good sign, right?) 
• Be in a flash mob. (Sadly not yet... but I'm definitely not giving up on this one! This is happening). 
• Get an iPhone. (...and everyone who ever had to suffer through the 8:11 pics taken on my Blackberry rejoiced.) 
• Enjoy this year to the fullest. :-)

And here are my goals for 27: 

• Go to Europe. 
• Do yoga at least 2-3 times a month. 
• Have at least 1-2 days a month dedicated to "dolce far niente" (Italian for "the art/sweetness of doing nothing"). 
• Go to one of Richard Simmon's work out classes at his studio in Beverly Hills. 
• Visit Anne in Chicago (when she moves there from South Africa). 
• Visit Mary in NYC in a season that's different than Thanksgiving time. 
• Send more handwritten notes. 
• Go to more concerts. 
• Read the Harry Potter series. 
• Go confidently in the direction my dreams.
• Enjoy this year to the fullest. :-)

Currently listening to: Josh Garrels

Why: A few days ago my music-savvy roomie invited me to a very cool screening of a new documentary entitled "The Sea in Between" featuring this veryyyy talented folk singer from Portland (followed by a concert). 

  

His immense talent and passion are so impressive and his lyrics are so encouraging... this will definitely on repeat for me a while. (and the doc was entertaining- and very gorgeously shot- too! Plus, I thought the sweet little violin player was so cute). Check it outttt. :-)

xoxo, 

Annie.