2018 New Year Resolutions

Last year's habits went so well. I finished the year feeling really good about where things were. I had built up a lot of the habits that I'd wanted to work on. Instead of making a resolution, which feels like a one time change, I wanted to strengthen every day occurrences to make my life better and fuller. Even the one off monthly goals went great and added extra things to think about and work on over the year.

It worked out so well, that at this time, I don't feel like there are many habits to add to my life at this time. I know as my life and responsibilities grow and change, I can find room for new habits, but right now things look really good.

On the flip side though, there are more one off things I'd like to work on.... so it's back to resolutions!!!

Spartan Trifecta

This is my BIG goal for the year. I think it actually showed up on an older resolution list but it ended up not working out. This year, Dan and I are already signed up. We have all the resources to train - we just have to do it! The first two races are at the end of this month and the last (and longest) is in May. That means this will be done mid-way through the year if all goes well! That's why I had to line up some other goals...


But first... what are my fears or concerns? First, it's going to be hard. I know I can do a Sprint but those were always a challenge as it was. The first two races are back to back - the Super on Saturday (8-10 miles) with the Sprint (3-5 miles) on Sunday. I'm not worried about the Sprint but the Super scares me. I don't like running long distances and that has obstacles on top. I'm actually less worried about the Beast (12-14 miles) in May because I have so much time to train.

My second feel is my immune system. I'm on my second cold/flu in a month as I write this. That's 2 weeks I've taken out of my training which makes the January dates even scarier. It also means getting sick isn't a preventative for another cold. I'd be so bummed if I got sick right before a race and had to postpone. I started stocking up on essential oils and probiotics. I need to change my routine and stay healthy so I can do this.

One New Etsy Item a Week

My Etsy shop thrived last year. I did a job of adding a bunch of listings, including some hot trends (THANK YOU PORGS). I made 60% of my all time income in the last year. I doubled what I made in 2016. These aren't huge numbers or anything but it's still a growing business.

Obviously, the key to growing the business is keep adding products! Since it's all downloads, having a lot of stock doesn't add too much work for me. I just have to do it. Extra items also drives a lot of traffic to my shop because people find it through search terms and buy something else.

Grow My Etsy Business to Amazon

I found out a few weeks ago that Amazon has an Etsy-like off-shoot for homemade and artisan products. I wasn't sure my patterns would fit but... they had some! I'd love to list my items there as well but it will take some set up. I'll need an actual business name and maybe some other set up. I definitely want to look into it.

Change My Name

I still haven't changed my name legally since getting married. It's just seemed like a lot of work and there was no need yet. I just need to start filling out the paperwork and get it done though.

Waste Less

I feel like I always have one vague, untrackable goal. This one is just to waste less. It's definitely a follow up from the meal planning goal from last time. I think if I'm smart about grocery shopping and thinking about what we need and will actually eat, we'll waste less food. We'll also spend less money.

This applies to more than food too! In general, I've been trying to buy fewer non-consumable goods. We don't have room in our house for more junk so only buying things we really want or need has saved money and space. I rent my clothes, I borrow books, I stream movies - I don't need to buy these things as much.

Re-Coop Real Estate Expenses

Real Estate didn't really go the way I expected. I'm toning down my involvement this year because there are just too many expenses just to exist as an agent. I'm not totally out of the game though. I still have my license and a relationship with my broker. I can still be involved indirectly and help out friends looking for a place. I'd love to still get a deal under my belt which would help me at least break even with everything I spent getting my license.

Do One Chore a Day

This is a big change for me! Aside from cooking, I hate doing chores. I'm not a neat person and I'm allergic to doing dishes. The only thing that I can tolerate is laundry (warm clothes and my favorite tops clean!) and vacuuming (we have like 40 sq ft of carpet).

However... I found that when guests visit, I was much more successful if I started cleaning a week out and did a little bit each day. I noticed chores didn't really take that long if you did a little at a time instead of one big day of cleaning that can be overwhelming.

Chores are the best when you don't let them get out of hand in the first place! The goal is to do some little thing every day to keep up with chores. Whether it's laundry (yay!) or cleaning the bathroom (ick!), chipping away at it here and there will keep our house looking nice all the time, instead of just rushing to clean before we have people visit.

(so obviously cooking isn't counted as a chore for this)

Weekly Doggy Walk/Hike/Run

Straight forward - a hike or run with doggy and Dan! We've already started this by doing laps around Fiesta Island. Doggy gets to play and we get to train for our races. The plan is to start with Fiesta Island and once we've mastered that, maybe we can move onto some of the tougher San Diego hikes. We all get our exercise and everyone is happy.

Weekly Date

And also something for just us... Dan and I are great about spending time together, but I think a weekly date is a great idea too. A lot of our gifts lately have been Groupons so it would be good to make sure we use them! I also got us Movie Passes so in a pinch, spending the evening at a movie is good. I just think it's important to do things together outside of the house.

Secret Goal

Every year I have one goal that I'm not quite ready to share. Some things are better as surprises until they're ready.




Whew, so that feels like a lot! A lot of the goals fit together though. Taking the dog for a weekly run will help me train for my races. Doing one chore a day will help minimize stress so I can work on the other goals. They all fit into my secret goal. I'm not resting on my laurels in 2018 but I'm also not reaching for anything crazy. All these are really reasonable goals that have either been bucket list items or things I've already found some success in. I'm excited to push them to the next level.

I'll be back soon with my December 2017 post as well as some follow ups on my goals!

San Diego So Far

I've been terrible about writing. I know this. I've had excuses but I also know that when you want to write, they don't matter. I also feel like when you want to write, you're a flurry of emotion and the words write themselves. I almost wrote a very personal post... it was the day I met Harley. The day we reserved the dog that we would pick up the next day and would change my life.

There are so many words to follow that last sentence.... what changed about getting a dog? What did I realize would change? Why am I finally writing it now? Why do I need to write out these questions that I know I need to answer?

My original post, the one written on the eve of getting a dog, was written out of fear. It wasn't the first time I'd rushed a dog into a relationship. Dogs are a lot of responsibility, and responsibility has a way of trying things. Those fears dissipated into reality and the reality was having a supportive partner that despite his reason, wanted the same little puppy that I wanted and quickly stepped into the role of amazing dog father.

Harley, our beautiful puppy, has a way of being frustrating and willful but being so smiley and loving and occasionally obedient that you can't really be mad at her. Even when you correct her or put her on time out, she looks at you with such love that you know she isn't holding it against you for training her.

Best Friends!!

You're probably starting to realize that this post isn't about how our move has gone. It's all about how much we love our puppy. I told you that writing comes from emotion. Love is one of them... but so is fear.Today we have to leave our baby. Maybe she's not a real baby but I've hear the painful yelps from when I've left her sight... and I can't imagine a weekend away from her.

When my puppy can't see me, she cries and yells and chases after any other short brunette.... she is going to spend a weekend with a stranger... that I hope she will trust enough. I still worry though. Not in the sitter - she seems amazing. I just feel that there is something behind my puppy's strong and unrelenting attachment.... I just don't want her to feel that we left her forever.

I didn't think my heart would open again so much after Rocco died, but it has and more. As fun as that first month was in San Diego, I knew I needed more. Adopting a puppy was big step, and probably one that kept us more from doing new things than naught. However, having a little puppy to walk and explore with and train... that's opened so much of a world for me.... and I'm going to miss it.... even for a couple of days.

But enough of my moping... let's talk about the fun stuff. Dan and I have noticed we get the same handful of questions about Harley all the time so I thought I'd just address those here...

What Kind of Dog is She?

We really don't know. The rescue place didn't either and told us to send pictures when she's full grown so they could see how she ended up. Her papers say Terrier/Cocker Spaniel. She clearly has zero Spaniel in her though. The only useful information we got was that her mom looked like a Jack Russell Terrier. Based on her face and soft fur, I think her dad might have been some kind of German Shepherd/ Golden Retreiver mix. That makes us think she'll be a medium to large size dog (35-45 lbs) and has a lot of growing ahead of her.

So Much Judgement

How Does She Get Along With the Cat?

...ha. The first day, she was terrified of the cat but that quickly passed. Now she thinks the cat is some weird other puppy and constantly tries to play with her like she would another dog. Sometimes I think Callie likes it... for about 3 seconds and then she starts trying to bat away the dog. Or maybe that's Callie trying to play back. I'm still holding out hope that they will be best friends once Harley works out some of the puppiness.

Is It Hard Having a Dog in an Apartment?

Yes and no. We live at the end of the hallway on the 11th floor so when puppy needs to go out, we have a ways to go before actually getting her out a door and we don't always make it. The apartment itself is great. Aside from a love of my shoes, Harley isn't very destructive so we haven't had much worry about her destroying our things. It's really easy to keep her in whichever room we are in so we can always have eyes on the puppy. She generally really loves being in the apartment too. There have been several walk attempts where she's just pulled us to go back inside. It's nice that she loves her home.

Harley... like Davidson?

No, she's named after Harley Quinn from Batman. Ironically, she perks up whenever a motorcycle or fast car drives by so I think she would disagree with us. Kids - they always do what they want despite their parents intentions.

How Is She So Stinking Cute?

I have no idea. She's painfully cute sometimes. I think she knows it too and uses her cuteness to get away with being naughty. This morning on our walk, she kept sitting or laying down when other dogs were approaching (instead of, you know, walking on our walk) and the other owners said "Wow, she's so well behaved!" moments before Harley would pop up and pounce on their dog. This girl definitely uses her cute to her advantage.

Learning How to do Burpees

That's basically how life with puppy is now. It's nice having a pet that we can go on long walks and hikes with. We take her with us to any pet friendly establishments. A few days ago, she helped us buy shoes. I really love how dog friendly San Diego is. We'd heard that a lot of stores downtown were ok with dogs, but it's still weird taking her into a store and having the associates freak out about how cute she is and wanting to pet her instead of telling us we can't have her inside. Most restaurants give her a bowl of water or a treat and other diners murmur about how cute she is when she's getting into trouble. We love our little foof ball and we are going to miss her this weekend.