Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone!

A shot I took of the Legislature on our stumble home from NYE celebrations. Was a lovely night and an even lovelier walk.

I must say, I am rather relieved to leave 2018 behind. It was a weird year. 2019 holds a lot of potential, and I'm excited to get going.

Have you set your intentions for the year ahead? I have a few:

-Take more candid family photos.
I feel like I set this one every year. This year is a bit different as I've sold all my professional photo gear (more on that in a new post soon) and as a result my relationship with picture-taking is really in a state of flux right now. I have my small Canon G5X camera, and my smartphone to work with. Follow along here, or for more up-to-date pics, head on over to my personal Instagram, and/or my dogs' Instagram (yes, I know. I know.).

A shot of my parents when they were here visiting for the holidays. It was super windy and rainy so my camera just peeped out for a few shot-from-the-hip snaps, but I'm glad I snagged a couple. It was really fun having them here- they brought their dogs for their first ever Island/ocean experience!

-Maintain a regular yoga practice.
Easier said than done- I find yoga to be frustrating and boring- because my muscles are tight and my mind wanders. So, what better way to get better than to do more, right? @mstafford and I have started the 30-day challenge with Yoga With Adriene. I really like her, she's so sweet... if you've been thinking of making yoga a part of your daily routine, I highly recommend checking out Adriene's videos. I like being able to practice in my own home as I find gym environments so unpleasant, and if I practice at home, I have no excuse not to get down on the mat.

Adreine and her beautiful doggo

-Cut plastic consumption (& consumption in general) even more.
I made efforts in 2018 to reduce my footprint. We already walk everywhere in our daily lives- the van only comes out for advantures. I stay away from plastic products as much as possible, especially single use plastics. I'm doing really well when it comes to food & beverage containers, straws, etc., but I need to improve in my grocery shopping habits. There are a couple zero-waste grocery stores here in Victoria that I would like to visit more often. And, if I avoid things like potato chips altogether, that will reduce plastic consumption AND the crap food in my life as well (I am a potato chip and ramen noodle addict).

-Blog more!
I have a year of learning, art, projects, and adventure planned, and I need to make the effort to document it. Of course, I think Steemit/Busy will be me chosen blogging platform (@mstafford would be pretty unimpressed if I used anything else), so watch this space for updates!

-Pay Down Debt.
This is a shared goal with @mstafford. I think we are in a better place, debt-wise, than a lot of people out there, but we still have a lot hanging over our heads. So, this year is about spending little and paying off as much as we can.

-Learn new skills and read more.
Learning new skills has been an ongoing theme for me since mid-2018, and I don't plan on stopping. @mstafford bought me silversmithing classes for Christmas, which start on Monday, and I couldn't be more excited! I would also love to take an intro to oil painting class some time this year as well, and maybe learn some rockhounding / lapidary skills, too. Reading is a big part of learning new things and opening the mind, and it's been too long since I've sat down and read a book.

Witch by Lisa Lister

My mom bought me this book for Christmas. Not something I would normally pick up for myself, but I cracked it open, and haven't been able to put it down. I will write a review/report/response post on here when I finish it. So far, I highly recommend!

last but not least...

-Run my damn ass off... literally
Last year I shocked myself (and, let's be honest, everyone who knows me) by training for and running in a 10k race. My goal for 2019 is to keep running- I'm not sure that I would want to attempt a farther distance, but rather to get better at running itself, and running a faster, stronger 10k.

What are your goals and intentions for 2019? New Year is such a great time to reflect and set intention- I want to hear all about what you're excited about!

Let's make 2019 our best year yet!