I Don't Want to Recap 2015

I know it's the go-to post right now. Let's take a look back at 2015 and all of the things that happened and how great it was and blah blah blah. You know what though? I don't want to do that. For me, 2015 was a rough one. It involved letting go of dreams I'd fought so hard to achieve (and admittedly finding new dreams to work for), a lot of anxiety and undue stress, and honestly a lot of disappointment. 

There are, of course, silver linings to all of those situations and I have realized most of them. However, it feels to me like a precarious balance, since the reminder from Facebook that this time last year I was on a great and exciting adventure caused me to mope about for two solid days because I was in Atlanta not off galavanting around Europe. 

Today, the sun is shining (thank the Good Lord because I couldn't deal with one more day of rain) it's warm enough for me to go out on my bike with my camera in tow and find some beauty, and that is something to be thankful for. I'm looking forward to what 2016 has in store, because I desperately need the clean slate that my birthday month brings. 

I just needed to let everyone know, especially if 2015 wasn't your year, that you're not alone, we're gonna make it through this one, and we're absolutely going to kick ass in 2016. It's a leap year, so there's a whole extra day for doing something amazing. So cheers 2015, it's been real, it's been fun, but Lord knows it hasn't been real fun. Bring it on 2016. 

Three Months In: 15 in 2015

I apologize for today, I am having a phone related meltdown. Because it just decided to stop working today, which is super because it's not like I need to call anyone (oh wait, I do) or anything. So, we're going to do a quick check-in of my 15 for 2015 list! 

1. Monetize the blog. heyoooo wanna sponsor Kasey at the Bat? BECAUSE YOU TOTALLY CAN!!! Click riiiiiight here. do it. do it do it you know you wanna! 
2. Leave the country again. merp merp merp. I haven't yet. it's still on the to-do though. I entered to win a trip to Turks + Caicos from Skimm this morning.,.
3. Pay off my credit cards. my credit card debt isn't too bad [it's peanuts compared to my student loans.] wah wah wah wah. I mean I have almost paid of my fancy smancy camera, so that totally counts. I actually am doing pretty good at this, it just doesn't feel that way.. 
4. Declutter. not. even. close. 
5. One race per month. or at least 12 total. Okay. since I did the whole Class Pass + 30 Days at the Barre thing, I haven't had any races. but I'm in the Peachtree lottery + I'll do some leading up to that so my legs don't fall off. I'm pretty confident I can get 12 in. 
6. Read 100 books. Come on summer. I'm on like, 10. I am currently in the middle of like four books, which makes no sense. 
7. Try a new restaurant every month. SO FAR SO GOOD! We tried a new BBQ place just yesterday! 
8. Visit at least 5 of the breweries within driving distance. So far I've been to one! We went to Second Self a couple of weeks ago, which I was pretty underwhelmed by, but I'd be willing to try again. 
9. Take at least one picture per day. YESTERDAY I got a new tripod, strap, AND REMOTE for my fancy camera. 
10. Send thank you notes. So I found these adorable gold foiled notes at World Market, I've been sending all kinds of handwritten notes! 
11. Improve my handwriting, learn calligraphy. 
12. Cook Sunday night dinners every week. welp. this hasn't worked. softball on Sunday has thrown a curve ball. 
13. Accomplish a DIY project each month. THIS I have done! I've just been a bad blogger + not posted about it. Maybe I'll get around to showing bar pictures.....
14. Make it to the beach more than once. AT THE END OF APRIL I'M GOING TO NAPLES + WE'RE GOING TO PADDLE BOARD + SEE ALLIGATORS IN THE EVERGLADES + TAKE PICTURES + WEAR BIKINIS FOR FOUR STRAIGHT DAYS. #teamnopants
15. Find + commit to a workout plan. I'm officially a member at Exhale + now that 30 days is done, I get to class about 4-5 days a week. WHAAAAAT

How are you doing on your goals this year? 

15 In 2015 -- An Update

Geeze. Since we're already in February, I guess it's time to do an update on this 15 in 2015 list isn't it? Better late than never right? Let's see how I've done.

1. Monetize the blog: sponsorship options coming in March! GET. PUMPED.
2. Leave the country again: I'm seriously considering another EF trip. I can't decide. Maybe just a quick long weekend to the Virgin Islands or Mexico something.
3. Pay off credit cards: guys I was stressing out because I paid all of my bills + had a lot of money still in my checking account. Also, worth noting, I have my credit utilization down under 60%. boom.
4. Declutter: I cleaned my room, bathroom, and closet a two weeks ago. TA-DA. Now the goal is to keep it clean + move on to the stuff in storage.
5. One race per month: okay. I didn't find anything for January. But I'm still totally capable of hitting 12 in the year, I'll just double up. Probably in the warmer months. 
6. Read 100 books. According to GoodReads, I'm a little behind. 
7. Try a new restaurant every month: Dad + I went to this cute little place in Acworth in an old mill. It was too cool, had only been open for like 4 days. I was a little disappointed with the food timing, but I'm totally chalking it up to the place being new. 
8. Visit 5 new breweries: I haven't gone to any yet. WHO WANTS TO GOOO? 
9. Take a picture per day:  some of my days are really monotonous. But I'm doing pretty well!
10. Thank you notes: I just bought new stationary! GET. READY. 
11. Improve my handwriting: it's getting pretty good. I'm writing more!
12. Weekly dinners: I've managed to cook a home cooked meal once a week, not always on Sundays though. 
13. DIY Project each month: HOW great was that pinterest fail Tuesday? 
14. Make it to the beach: I HAVE TWO BEACH TRIPS PLANNED. HOW. BOUT. IT.
15. Workout plan: as we've discussed at length -- I'm addicted to the barre..

Well there you have it. An entirely too soon check in, because it's only February. But also, it's FEBRUARY. I gotta get crackin' on that whole out of the country thing so I can make it happen, captain. How are you doing on your goals so far? 

Fifteen Things in 2015

I can't keep new year's resolutions. I usually break them before my birthday month is over [yeah, I call dibs on the whole month, what of it?] Instead, I'm making a to-do list of fifteen things I want to accomplish in 2015. Nothing flimsy like "get in shape" [ did I mention I lost weight in Europe? apparently walking nearly 15 miles a day will do that to a girl. ] but somethings that I can track and update and obviously use as blogging material [sometimes I think I do more things because I can blog about them...] 

1. Monetize the blog. heyoooo wanna sponsor Kasey at the Bat? That option is totally coming soon, so get in line ladies! haha
2. Leave the country again. let's put another stamp in that fancy new passport I got! 
3. Pay off my credit cards. my credit card debt isn't too bad [it's peanuts compared to my student loans.] but I'd really love to not have to make payments on them anymore. 
4. Declutter. this isn't like "omg I need to clean out my closet" this is like, "why are there still boxes of stuff at my parents house from when I moved back from California? what's even in there?" I need to get rid of the stuff, obviously I don't need it. 
5. One race per month. or at least 12 total. So far I have the Atlanta Mission 5K in February, Peachtree in July, and Ugly Sweater in December. I guess I need to find something for January! ooops! 
6. Read 100 books. I think that's like 8 a month, right? Totally doable. Except, does the complete works of Sherlock Holmes count as one or more than one? 
7. Try a new restaurant every month. 
8. Visit at least 5 of the breweries within driving distance. Who wants to join me on this one? There are so many fun new ones. I think my first one will be Schoolhouse because Jennifer always posts the coolest pictures from there... 
9. Take at least one picture per day. Okay, so I don't know if I'm ready to commit to like a #kaseydoes2015 type thing + post one per day on Instagram, but I want to have a blog post at the end of the year with 365 pictures. A collage for each month. That sounds really cool. 
10. Send thank you notes. Or just little note cards. I want to express my gratitude more, also I love thank you notes. So two birds, right? 
11. Improve my handwriting, learn calligraphy. 
12. Cook Sunday night dinners every week. Or at least one, nice, fun, sit down dinner a week. Not in front of the TV. At the dinner table. 
13. Accomplish a DIY project each month. OH GUYS I HAVEN'T SHOWED YOU HOW AWESOME MY BAR LOOKS! I'm so proud of it. 
14. Make it to the beach more than once. I have a wedding to be in in Wilmington, so that's a trip to the beach, but I also want to make sure to get at least two more in there! 
15. Find + commit to a workout plan. Right now, it might just be barre class. We'll see what my Classpass adventure turns up though..

There you have it! The fifteen things I want to accomplish this year. Not flimsy New Year's resolutions, but attainable goals for the year! What are you going to accomplish in 2015?