Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I can't believe how quickly 2011 passed by. Many exciting things happened this past year which included a lot of traveling (SXSW, Asia, etc.), laser eye surgery (I can see 20/20 now!), and a summer in NY (Parsons Intensive Summer Program). In the midst of all of this, I decided to leave my job and awesome work group of six years to try to pursue something design/craft related. I've been enjoying unemployment - maybe a little too much - for two and a half months while trying to figure out what it is I want to do and where I want to move to.

With the start of a new year, I wanted to set a few goals for myself. Here they are:

Career Goals

• Revamp the website & blog more frequently/consistently - I keep telling myself and others that this will happen. It's 2012 now, I promise it will finally happen.
• Get my Etsy site up - With a lot of time to spare and a new brand new camera (Olympus Pen Mini E-PM1), I have no more excuses.
• Learn, learn, learn - I aspire to be a jack of all trades in all things crafting. Isn't that pretty much what Martha Stewart is? I've been doing alright teaching myself how to do things, so I want to continue along that path and also supplement my learning with some extra classes.
• Find a job - Additional experience and the possibilitiy of making some money along the way never did anyone harm. Hey, the mounds of fabric I bring home from the Garment District don't pay for themselves. =)

Personal Goals

• Run a full marathon - This goal is a bit of a surprise to me since I definitely have a love-hate relationship with it. At the end of the day, there is nothing quite like running outside in the crisp cold air. I didn't get to do much last year because of severe shin splints and heel pain. So this year (health permitting), I want to train for a full marathon.
• Get back into singing (choir, voice lessons, etc.) - For some of high school, all of college, and several years post-college, I'd been involved in something singing-related. I left my women's choir three years ago when I was planning to move to NYC (which, by the way, did not happen). Since then, my life has been so up in the air that I haven't had the chance to commit myself to anything long term. I miss singing a lot, so hopefully I'll be able to find something to fill that void this year.
• SCUBA certification - The number one thing on my 'bucket list' is to watch great white sharks feed in the wild. A SCUBA certification is not required but would be helpful for this adventure. A friend and I have been talking about getting certified for a long time but have never gotten around to doing it.
• Continue to work on my "D" list - At the start of 2010, I wanted to set some long-term resolutions for the new decade with hopes that they would improve my character and well-being. The five items on the list touched upon spirituality, relationships, emotions, and talents/career. Progress has been made in all areas, but there is still more work to be done.

Feels like I have a lot of work cut out for myself in 2012. For those that know me well, I am big on setting goals and am always determined to see that they're achieved. We shall see what the new year has in store!

Cheers!