You Say You Want a Resolution

I hope everyone had Christmases full of love and excessive amounts of cookies. My trip home included great food, presents, Church, painting, and a wedding! All with family and friends.

note the classic Christmas squirrel cookie cutter

With 2013 upon us, I'm going to share a few suggestions for inspiration for resolutions because you can be more creative than "eat healthier" "work out more" and "be nicer."

Resolution ideas:

1. Sponsor A Child - I did this last year and really enjoyed it (will continue sponsoring Lizbeth in Mexico this year!) I encourage you to check out World Vision's Child Sponsorship Program - it's $35/month which you can quickly set up via auto-pay, and they mail you chances to send your child personalized greetings. I blogged about WV before - my mom is super involved volunteering there in Pittsburgh, and it's a great charity!

Also - bonus, it's what I like to call a "seated resolution" - no standing or altering your diet involved. HOLLER.

2. Start a Blog - I'm personally a big fan of resolutions because I started this blog as a New Year's resolution 3 years ago! I can't believe it's been so long, or that anyone ever reads it. You guys rock. Blogging provides a creative outlet for me, and has helped me do better at putting things in perspective (something I've struggled with for as long as I can remember.)

3. Run five 5k's in 2013 - This is mine this year. I like it because it's more concrete than "go to the gym more" and it will hopefully encourage me to consistently workout throughout the year. Also, I miss competitive athletics, so hopefully I can beat some people too. Even if it's just the pregnant people pushing strollers.

4. Stop Buying Clothes - I'm not sure if I can quit cold turkey...but I am determined to make many goodwill trips! Once you reach the point in life where you have a nice wardrobe and you stop growing, this is a great way to save money and time. In terms of clothes, I may make the resolution to never wear a strapless bra again. I wore one this past weekend, and although the dress was pretty, I think it's safe to assume the person who invented the strapless bra also invented the guillotine. Once you've mastered severe torture devices, execution machines are the next logical step.

5. 101 in 1001 List - Check out my Bucknell classmate Mackenzie's blog where she studiously tracks her goals in this format: 101 things she wants to do in 1001 days! It's a nice hybrid between a to-do list and a bucket list, and I'm considering making one of my own.

Happy 2013!