1. Ultimate Road Trip!
A late night discussion with my husband regarding the new TSA invasive searches led to a proclamation that we were not going to fly for our next vacation, which led to a full blown road trip plan. We're going to take about 11 days in May to go West. We're going to see state parks and national monuments. We're going to stop when we feel like it, and stay wherever we decide. Some nights we'll camp, some nights we'll stay in motels, and some nights we may just keep driving. I have high hopes that the road trip will become a yearly family tradition.
2. No Fast Food. Except ice cream. And coffee.
Even though I'm not a huge fast food eater, this is a pretty big one. 2011 is going to be my year of no fast food at all. No McDonald's fries, no Arby's roast beef, not even a little Culver's butter burger. (But no one, no one is taking away my frozen custard or McD's coffee. Not this year, at least.)
3. I'm going to be less of a consumer.
I buy too much stuff. I have a house full of stuff that I don't need, stuff that just sits there and gets looked at on occasion and provides hiding spaces for the dust bunnies. There's not much in the world that I do need, and what I need I already have. I'm going to put an end to my $100.00 trips to Target and my spur of the moment eBay buys. My life is full; I do not need more stuff.
4. That canoe is hitting the water, baby.
We bought a beautiful, beautiful canoe and I'll be damned if we're going to be one of those families whose canoes hang in the garage and see no action. Our big red is going to see the Dells with us, and we are going to have a great time.
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| Yes, that's a Leinenkugel's canoe. Everything in Wisconsin really is beer-related. |
5. I'm joining a book club.
Okay, so this one isn't quite as adventurous as some, but I've wanted to be in a book club for awhile now so I joined one with my women lawyers group. I read a lot on my own, but I tend to stick to nonfiction, so it is time to branch out. I'm really looking forward to getting into our first read.
6. 13.1, baby! The Half Marathon
If you had said to my 2009 self that I'd be talking about a half marathon in 2011, my 2009 self would have laughed really hard and choked on a donut. But my late 2010 self can see it in my future, and I want to start making strides towards that goal. I can do it. I've come so far with my fitness since August and I have no intention of stopping now. I have a half marathon in my sights at the end of October.
7. Camping, camping, camping. And when we're done, more camping.
I love camping. I love the packing, the planning, the driving. I love setting up camp. I love exploring our campground and mastering the campfire. I love tucking into my sleeping bag and falling asleep hard because my day has been so full of the outdoors. And now that Jack is a little bigger, I can see doing much more camping this year.
8. I want to climb a big, fake rock.
I'd really like to try my hand at rock climbing, but I realize that's probably a pretty lofty goal. Instead, I want to try rock climbing at one of those indoor rock climbing arenas. There is one just a few miles from our house, and since you can try faux-rock climbing with a minimal time and financial investment, I'm going to have to settle for this right now. It is definitely on my list for 2011.
9. I want to visit five state parks I've never seen before.
Ask me how fantastic our state park system is, and I could talk for an hour. I have early memories of my mom trekking us to various state parks to buy our annual park pass so we could picnic, hike, swim, and just enjoy nature on a moment's notice. I tend to stick to just two parks in particular, but Wisconsin has 66 state parks, and the least I can do is check out some of the others. My list for this year is going to be the subject of a future blog entry.
10. I'm going to become a better cook.
My 2007 self would never have believed that my 2010 self loved to cook. This year I've tried so many new things, some awesome and some awful, but nothing is gained if nothing is ventured, so I want to keep trying new things. And I want a lot of what we eat to come right from our garden again. I like knowing that our food is pesticide free, grown efficiently and in an earth-friendly way. 2011 is going to be the year of much home cooking, and much bounty from the garden.
11. I'm going to be sure to tell the people I love that I love them, every day.
Or maybe even more. Warren Zevon advised us that we should enjoy every sandwich, and I think the man was absolutely right. The only given in life is that the moments we are experiencing right now will be gone tomorrow. I'm not going to let the little things bother me because they are just that: little. Instead, I'm going to focus on what is important - the people I love. Every day I am going to let them know how much they mean to me. Extra cuddles for Jack. Extra kisses for Dan. Extra calls to my Mom. Extra emails to my sister. All of that.
Guys? I'm excited for 2011. It is going to be a great year.
4 comments:
I like those goals!
Hi Jenn, I am part of your clan at Blogelina! I love your list, and maybe can help you with the cooking, as 75% of my blog is recipe. I hear you on the coffee-I cannot give that up!
PS: Love your blog name!
Great list. Here from SITS. I need to work on my goals. Trying to make every single one of them sound positive is harder than I thought it would be.
What about Oscars? Does that have to go too? As for the canoe, I cant wait to hit the water with you guys! And maybe you can even try my kayak. :) Oh ohhh..and lets make SURE we get to camp together this coming year since our 2010 plans didnt quite work out. :) Good lis!
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