Hello 2016!

The past year has flown by and this poor blog of mine hasn’t been taken care of at all.  I hope to change that in 2016.  It’s one of my monthly resolutions…but more on that in a little bit.

First, I want to go over how 2015 went.  I did quite poorly on two of my resolutions: 1) post blogs regularly and 2) learn to play the ukulele.  This blog post will be the first one since June when I wrote about my best friend getting married (that post you can read here).  I was hoping my posts would be a source of creativity or a place to put my thoughts.  Instead, it became lost in the long list of all the things I wanted to accomplish, but became too tired at the end of everyday to do. Also, I didn’t pick up my ukulele  once during the year since I made my  goals.  I’m sad that I didn’t make time for it because it’s such a beautiful instrument and I really would like to know how to play it!

I was a little more successful with my other resolutions.  While I am not back to my Pre-California weight, I am definitely more fit going into 2016. I gained 40 pounds in CA and, although it fluctuates, I have probably lost half of it.  I have done Pure Barre and proudly took 100 classes in less than a year (from March 2015 to early January 2016). I ran a half marathon in November and have also completed the Monument 10k, Blacklight 5k Run, and the Rugged Maniac 5k. I used a 1 Month Groupon and a free week at American Family Fitness to take classes and get more cardio into my routine. I feel stronger and hope to further work on my fitness routine and eating habits to continue my progress. I was also better with money and definitely started to build my savings back up that I had spent while on the West Coast. And finally, but most importantly, I worked on two major projects that I am so proud to be a part of: Mercy Street (a television series) and Loving (a movie). My resolution was to “find a full time job” and although working on movies and TV is all freelance, I definitely started making connections and feel like I have a bit of a foot in the door. It’s fun to say I feel involved with the Richmond production community.

So, when I think about what I would like to do in 2016, most of what I hope to accomplish is similar to last year.  The major difference is that I am being more specific on how I plan to achieve my goals. Rather than say I want to be smarter with money, this year, I wrote down that I hope to complete the 52 Week Savings Challenge. This challenge involves putting aside money every week so I will have a sizable chunk  to start off the next year. I have seen this challenge on Pinterest and Facebook and it seems very doable.

Also, many of my goals will be centered around a monthly timeline. Rather than simply say “Post Blogs Regularly,” I have set a goal of writing at least one post per month. It sounds like it will be easy, but for six months I didn’t write anything. I have a similar plan when it comes to reading and learning my ukuele. I want to read at least one book and learn one new song every month. I may even include updates on these goals in blog posts or videos in which I will write reviews of books and post videos of me singing the songs I have learned. I think this plan will help me feel more accountable and allow me time each month to be creative and have some “me time.”

When it comes to my health, I hope to simply be better at planning.  On Sunday afternoons I want to start figuring out meals for the whole week and prep everything so that when I go to work I am not eating all the pastries and tempting sandwiches there.  I will also figure out which days during the week (and hopefully most of them) that I will be going to Pure Barre or the gym.  I have already signed up for the Monument 10k that is on April 9th and I am seriously considering doing another Team in Training event for next fall.  So, now is the time I need to start training.

And, finally I want to be better at actively seeking out film and television jobs.  I was able to get on two amazing projects last year and I have learned so much.  I hope to continue using all that knowledge and gain even more experience this year.  I may even try to expand my skills and pursue some acting.  Whenever I’ve had the chance to perform I absolutely love it.  From color guard, band, and a play in high school, to tap dancing and an acting class in college, as well as a few other projects after graduating, I always feel so at peace when I am singing, dancing, playing an instrument, or emoting the feelings of a character I’ve been given.  I still plan to focus primarily on work on production crews, but I think dabbling a little in acting would be really exciting!

Even though I have written certain resolutions down, I think my most important focus is trying to keep challenging myself, spending wonderful time with my family and friends, and experiencing life and all the adventures I can experience in the world.  As every new year starts I get excited about all the possibilities for adventure and exploration there are that I don’t even know about yet.

I’m looking forward to and feel so ready to find out what 2016 will bring me.