Happy New Year

Why, howdy and hello everyone!

Yes, that is my face buried in a gigantic scarf. And yes, I am alive and kicking in 2013. Were you worried? I think most people who read this have probably seen me in person in the last two weeks with the holidays and all, but I can’t always be too sure because I’ve been working a LOT in the past few months what with two jobs, the holidays, and coworkers out on paternity leave to boot.

Anyway, I see here that I haven’t posted since October. Can that be true? I do know I avoided blogging because I just didn’t feel that I had very much to say. Even now I’m still not sure I have much to write down. That good old “joie de vivre” about thrift store shopping, decorating my house, or doing DIY projects – all things I tended to rant on and on about has recently escaped me. Don’t know if I’m in a rut, I’ve run out of ideas, or if I’m just feeling defeatist.

I’m also feeling sheepish about blogging because I did not complete many of my 26 Before 26 goals this year. Yes, my December birthday came and went, and now I’m on the other side of my 20s, another thing I’m feeling contemplative and a bit angsty about. And with the new age and new year I have not yet come up with a New Year’s Resolution or a new 27 Before 27 list. Again, can’t tell if I’m just not up for it, not interested, or feeling defeatist again.

But now that I’m actually thinking and typing about it, I guess I do have some more general goals for myself, but with no real specific timeline for them:

• Fitness: quit my gym (yes, it’s only $10/month but I NEVER GO and I always leave feeling bad about myself), attend more yoga classes and workshops, keep up with my healthy eating habits, continue to drink more water, more tea, and less booze
• Financial: pay off the credit card (will be done in February), contribute to my 401K, open an IRA, save for grad school non-tuition related expenses, pay for big ticket items (new couch, travel, etc) with cash
• Relationships: Go on more dates with my mister, hang out with my gals more, reach out to people more often and in more meaningful ways, be silly with people, be kind to people, and ask for help from people
• Home and Hobbies: I’d love to have our fireplace inspected and cleaned before winter is over, buy a new couch, plant a garden this summer, keep up my composting habits, paint a picture every once in a while, blog regularly, light more candles, buy more original art, only thrift things that are uber-special or uber-functional
• Work Life: Keep a more organized editorial calendar, reach out to my student employees more often, design a beautiful brochure for 13-14, write compelling grant applications, do a better job at revisiting and working on my professional development goals

Well there’s a lot more ground I could cover, but I’m not going to write a novel (or use up all of my blogging ideas) in one post. Just wanted to stop in, say hello, put down a little bit of my life, and hopefully come back for more.

Miss and love you all in blogland!