2012 Goals

In theory, I think New Year's resolutions are wonderful but I also think it's kind of annoying that most people seem to focus them on depriving themselves of something just because they are unhappy with some aspect of their life. Like appearance, health, weight, whatever. I believe in everything in moderation and I think that cutting something out of your life or forcing yourself to do something just because you feel bad about a particular aspect of yourself is not healthy.

That being said, I love the fact that, in this wonderful blog world, New Year's Resolutions are about much more than that. They are about goal setting and looking ahead to the exciting possibilities in the year ahead. I have read endless lists of 2011 recaps and 2012 goals over the past week and it has made me much less cynical about resolutions. So, this year, instead of simply saying the same old (like, literally, this is my resolution every year and, obviously, that means I always fail at it) "I resolve to become neat and organized next year", I have made a list of goals for 2012. And here they are.


Run across the Brooklyn Bridge with Inna. 
She is my best friend and she lives in Brooklyn, about three or four miles from the bridge. I am going to visit her in February and, I don't care that she hates to run in the cold, she will have to learn to love it because we're running across that damn bridge. Then we'll have a big, warm lunch in downtown Manhattan.

Inna and I walking across the Brooklyn Bridge.
Next time we'll be wearing less denim and more spandex.
Photo by Josh Bassett Photography

Go hiking on the AT.
I was within a mile of the trail in September without knowing it. In 2012, I will make my way back to Shenandoah and I will hike it, hopefully without seeing any bears.

Take more yoga classes. 
I'm going for an average of one a month. This may not sound like much to some but, given that I've been to three in my entire life, it will be a huge improvement for me.

Increase my savings by a certain amount of money.
This will be hard, as I am taking two months off of work and will be using a good chunk of money to make next summer possible. But I would like to be extra conscious about how much I'm spending and make sure to save a significant amount in the next six months so that I don't deplete all of my savings on the bike ride.

Go to a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert. 
I gave Josh tickets for Christmas so this will happen in January. And, hopefully, it will happen more times throughout the year as they add NE locations to their tour.

Research and buy the most comfortable bike seat on the market, without breaking the bank.
I'm aiming for $200 at the absolute most. But I want something that is the bomb.com. Any suggestions? Remember, I will need to sit on this thing 8-10 hours a day, for two straight months.

Successfully make fondant. 
My first attempt happened in September, for Josh's birthday cake. It was a wild experience and it turned out alright but it was about an inch thick and gave you pretty much an instant headache. I'd like to make some that doesn't take me five hours and that is thin enough to be manageable (and edible).

Take at least 3 bike maintenance classes.
I need a refresher on how to change a tube/tire and I need to learn how to tighten gears, brakes, and spokes. There are probably other things I should learn that I'm not even aware of.

Road trip to Charlottesville with Joshua.
I have been but I was 12. He has not. We think it would be a nice, reasonable place to get away to. We'll just have to figure out when.

Really up my peer pressure skills and convince several more key people to ride Ragbrai 2012. Like the Swede who may even bring her mom and uncle along, the tar heel who was born in Iowa and hasn't been back in years, the girl whose boyfriend loves to bike and impressed her with his history of racing tris, the boyfriend of said girl, the friends who rode Ragbrai 2010 with me, the cousin who rode Ragbrai 2008 when I was stuck at a job and unable to participate, and the girls who live so nearby in Chicago and Michigan. You know who you are. Expect a video and a contract from me soon.

It's not just about biking. It's a party on wheels.

Read at least one book a month.
After I graduated college, I was reading up a storm. But I lost the fire at the end of 2010 and read only four books in 2011. I'd like to read more than 12 books this year but I will settle for at least one a month. I'm hoping the Kindle Fire I got for Christmas will help me achieve this goal.


Clean my apartment every weekend.
I can't help it. I don't care if it's hypocritical, I want to deprive myself of the ability to be lazy and make a mess. My goal isn't to be neat always, but to make things neat and clean at least once a week. And, hopefully, over time it will stay that way permanently. We'll see.

Connect with more bloggers and continue to improve the look and content of Sweating in Style. 
Blogging has been such a wonderful thing in my life this past year. It provides a creative outlet for my writing, it lets me hold myself accountable for my sweaty adventures, and it has allowed me to connect with many awesome people on the internet. I really want to make Sweating in Style as pretty as possible. And I also want to read about more of your adventures. Let's be friends.



Ride my bicycle across America. 
If none of these other thing happens this year, but this one does, I think I'll still be satisfied. I am really excited about this goal, which is more of an adventure, and you will be hearing a lot about it in 2012, as I prepare, as i make it happen, and then probably as I mourn its end. But let's not think about that. For now, it's only dreams of the open road.

Photo via Josh Bassett Photography

There are some other goals I have to achieve this year, that I set in August on my 25 before 25 list. I took a few of my favorites from that list, that I haven't done yet, and added them to my resolutions (Bike Trip, AT, Charlottesville, RHCP concert) but they are resolutions, none the less.

Do you believe in setting new years resolutions? Or in annual goal setting? If so, what do you hope to achieve in 2012?