new year's

Happy New Year! I can't believe it's already 2013.

I hope your New Year went swimmingly. Mine was eventful, to say the least. One visit to the hospital (everyone is okay!), crowded casinos, and endless walks in the snow in warm-yet-still-too-cold-for-0-degree-weather clothes. Oh, the feeling of pretending to like things people my age are supposed to like. At least it tells a good story, sort of. I spent the minutes before midnight playing shooting games with Erik at the casino's arcade. It was fun to get away from the crowd and be little kids, running between games and yelling at the spiders on the screen.

Originally I was planning on not making any New Year's Resolutions, mostly since I'm not sure if I really abide by them ever. However, I was looking around on my computer, and I guess I had made a list for 2012 and more or less accomplished those goals and grown from them. And after all, it is nice to get a fresh start not just for yourself, but for everyone. It gives us hope and room to grow.

1. Start my career: I just graduated from college, and my dream job would to be to work in plant ecology. I've been applying to a few internships, but have had no luck yet. I would absolutely love to secure a rewarding and stable job.

2. Move out: Right now, I am living with Erik and his siblings in a house, and while the rent is cheap and the house is nice, I would really enjoy getting our own place. Sharing with one person if the rent is too cheap would be fine, as it tends to be in my preferred location: San Francisco / Bay Area.

3. Organize & personalize workplace/living space: I want to put together a room where I feel inspired and comfortable. I am definitely a nester, so this comes easy to me. However, multiple hauls from moving constantly have disrupted my nesting tendencies. Plus it'd be nice if I kept it cleaner than I usually do.

4. Just keep knitting/crocheting: I want to become a better knitter/crocheter. I want to try new patterns, finish what I have started, and make gifts for people. I tend to have furious bouts knitting/crocheting followed by long breaks. Instead, I want to continue making things throughout the year.

5. Finish projects: I am terrible at finishing anything, and I need to get rid of all this yarn! And fabric! And buttons!!!

6. Learn to let go: This has been on my list for several years now, and I haven't quite figured out how to do it yet. I definitely tend to internalize and mull things over, never quite forgiving or forgetting. It's not good for me, it's not good for anyone.

7. Cook more: I love to cook. After the roaches infested my previous apartment (I'm not a dirty person, I swear! Sometimes bad things just happen), I ate out. A lot. I want to look at recipes and try new dishes again. I bought a rutabaga for the first time today, so I take that as a good sign!

8. Spend more times outdoors: I want to hike, walk, camp, backpack, and just be outside more. Being outside always makes me feel better and reminds me there's a bigger world out there. Sometimes I forget that when I'm cooped up in the house doing my own thing.

9. Learn to use my camera: I bought a DSLR off a friend about 6 months ago and still don't know how to really use it save the very basics. I would love to enroll in a class or learn from someone.

10. Read 15 books: I haven't put a book goal in a while because my minor in college required me to read a lot a lot. However, now that I'm not being forced to read books, I want to tackle all the ones I've been pushing off (and finish the ones I started but never got to the end of).

11. Keep in touch with friends: Now that everyone is spread across different areas, I need to make a conscious effort to stay in touch with each person. I am usually awful at this, but I want to be better.

12. More adventures with Erik: I love doing things with my best friend and sidekick. From trying new restaurants to doing new activities to exploring new places, I want Erik by my side in seeing the world.

(I think a secret one of mine for this year is to write a book, maybe for NaNoWriMo, but I won't put that on the list since I'm not so sure if it's even feasible!)

Here's a bonus picture of Erik's sister's dogs. They were sniffing around in the winter cold as I snapped photos, cuties!

These are a bit late so I've seen a lot of people's resolutions already, but is there one you forgot from your list? Or one you always put on your list every year?