Happy 2015! I almost can't believe how fast this year has gone. The older you get, the faster time flies it seems. It's time to look ahead to new goals, travel and otherwise, and reevaluate old goals I had. Hopefully, you made a good dent in your own goals and kept the important resolutions, whether it was to see or do something new, exercise more or spend more time with family and friends. Here are what I'm working on this year:
Actually finish that travel cookbook I have started on
Yes, I know I said I was in the middle of it at the beginning of 2014. I kind of go sidetracked by everything else in life.
Stop dragging my feet on a second book edition
It's been long enough that I should be making this a weekly working goal. I think I got a little overwhelmed by how much I wanted to change/add/subtract that I felt like it would just be a whole new book and I gave up before I barely started on it. I'm going to set myself short-term goals to get this done and hopefully by 2016, it'll be checked off the list.
Continue gaining new clients
I've been doing pretty well on this one. I know last year I had the goal of not having to get a part-time job to make up for the loss in income from leaving my job, but things have been working out really well. I've been working with some past clients and have now started working in earnest with Hipmunk and doing some work for Gogobot as well. It's nice to get paid to do what you love. I've also gained some fun new partnerships for reviews, too.
Go somewhere new
Last year I went somewhere new (Virginia Beach and Washington, DC) and took a trip to Tempe, Arizona for the Travel Goods Show alone. This year I hope to do more. We have planned our next big trip for 2015 already. In the fall we'll be headed to Orlando for Walt Disney World an to see the new Diagon Alley addition to Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I know, I know, we've been there several times before, so it doesn't really count as new, but we're going to spend some time in Treasure Island, Florida and are also going to actually visit Gatorland in Orlando this trip. It's not much, but sometimes it's the little things.
We have decided that we are going to Puerto Rico in 2016, so that's something new to look forward to. On the list of future destinations are Greece, Malta, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Scotland.
Try new food
This is a year-round goal for life, in my opinion. I tried bibimbap this year, which was super good, as well as Ethiopian cuisine while in Arlington an octopus, and am looking forward to even more culinary delights in 2015.
Do something that scares me
I make it a goal to always do one thing during the year that scares me. Sometimes I do it and sometimes I don't. I'm not sure I accomplished that one in 2014, unless it just wasn't memorable enough recall at the moment.
Things I feel good about
I actually feel good about a lot of things in my life. I still haven't been published in a magazine or newspaper, but I honestly haven't put forth much effort towards that goal, because I've been so busy with other work - which is good! I did earn a few honors this year though:
- Earlier this month I was named as one of the Top 50 Frugal Bloggers by Grocery Coupon Network.
- In September, FlipKey named me as one of the Top 25 Budget Travel Bloggers to Follow in 2014.
These really boosted my confidence as a blogger, especially with the new Facebook feed algorithm making it near to impossible to see many posts that pages you've liked have posted.
Spend more quality time with friends
I've started a new thing amongst a group of friends where we spend a whole evening together, kid-free, eating good food and playing games and having a fun time once a month. I hope we can keep this up throughout the year and I plan to add more events to our calendar, including our new annual Harry Potter birthday party (in which we celebrate Harry's birthday independent of all the other birthdays we have throughout the year). It was small this year, but is shaping up to be a bigger affair this year. I think this one might actually translate roughly to "making and eating too many desserts and spending more time in costumes than ever before". LOL! Luckily, I have friends who enjoy my love of theme parties.
What are some of your resolutions and goals for the coming year?
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