Resolutions 2020
Um, excuse me, where did 2019 go? I feel like I blasted through 2019. There was a ton of work travel that kept me very busy, a new puppy (who is now over 110lbs and still growing!), an incredible girls trip to Panama, and an engagement! There were other “fun” trips to Bermuda, SoFLo, Northern California to attend an Indian wedding, Philly for another wedding, NYC to reunite with my two closest BDA friends, and several weekends in Providence. Speaking of Providence — we moved to PVD! We are currently renting a badass apartment in downtown, or as the locals say, “downcity”. I took the most amazing painting class twice per week until we moved out of Newburyport. I saw “A Bronx Tale” with Nana, “Ain’t Too Proud” with my coworkers, and “The Book of Mormon”, “The Nutcracker”, and Bustah Rhymes with Brett. Brett and I scored seats to Celtics games, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge together, and took bike rides whenever we could (ok, so my bike is an e-bike, but it still counts!). I bravely chopped my hair off and took on a pharmaceutical company. We wrapped up 2019 with a ski trip to Vermont for Christmas (neither of us could bear another flight).
2019 was no cakewalk. There were some pretty serious low points. But I have a lot to be thankful for. As for goals, let’s see how I did.
2019 Resolutions with my comments in bold:
Get back into a fitness routine. As I mentioned above, I fell off the wagon around September. I don’t feel as good, and am grumpier and lumpier when I don’t workout. For Christmas, I asked Brett for an Apple Watch since having a fitness tracker is extremely motivating for me. My Apple Watch has already helped and I love using it! I’m still using my Apple Watch - the company I work for rewards us for healthy habits so the watch helps me get credit! I didn’t find a (longstanding) fitness routine, but today marks Day 1 of getting back on track.
Diet. I’ve got to stop buying junk. If we don’t buy it, we don’t eat it. Brett and I are on Day 1 of Whole30 (more on this later) to hopefully reset our habits. Ugh, yea, unless alcohol and donuts count, I can’t say I accomplished this one! But now that we have a wedding around the corner (ok, May), we are both going to focus on being healthy again.
Creative. I’ve picked up my brushes again and my goal is to paint regularly. I also want to keep up with photography and writing. Now that we are “settled” I finally feel like I have enough mental space where I can do these things again. I did do a lot of painting in 2019! I didn’t do a ton of photography. But now that we live in Providence, which boasts STUNNING architecture and natural beauty, I look forward to lugging Big Bertha (my Nikon) around.
Go to Boston more. Newburyport has a train that takes you right to North Station and Brett and I need to take advantage of this and get to really know our city. We could have done better, but we were often too exhausted by the weekend. Not to mention, taking the train to spend the day in Boston is not a cheap affair. But since moving to PVD, we have LOVED going out and about exploring our new city.
Go outside more. I think this will naturally resolve itself once we get Bermy (our puppy) on Saturday. Brett also got me a sleeping bag of a warm winter jacket to make this possible. Brett also got me skis, so I’ll be able to do that occasionally, too! Have I mentioned that I am beyond blessed to be with such a giving person that is willing to do anything to make me happy? I still believe I am the most blessed human on earth having Brett as a fiance. I did go outside more, but not a ton more - but I’ll take what I can get. Having Bermy and getting an ebike certainly helped. And as funny as it sounds, my sleeping bag jacket has been a saving grace on the particularly cold days. I DID go skiing again - we went to Vermont for Christmas and had an absolute blast. I was pretty nervous to try it again as it had been two years since I last went (which was my first time, ever). But Brett helped me get through it and by the end, I was having a great time.
Make new friends. This is my most challenging resolution. Most people my age are busy chasing their adorable babies, Newburyport is small, I have a demanding job and a hard time relating to your stereotypical New Englander. Making friends has never in my life been an issue, but here we are. My friends were the people I took art class with, plus a small number of other folks in town. I was SO fortunate to have these people enter my life.
Ok, now for 2020 Resolutions!
Rebrand DanaChirps. As you can see, I’ve already started this process today. More on this later!
DANA GET YOUR BUTT TO THE GYM! Yes, that.
More painting, more writing, more photography, more reading.
Less scrolling.
Experience as much as I can in and around Providence.
I’m aiming to not buy any books - it’s time I support my local libraries! My exception to this rule would be if I’m stuck at an airport.
Buy as few new clothes as possible. I feel like I’ve fallen into the disposable fashion trap. I do not need ANYTHING. So I’m going to be intentionally pumping the breaks on this! My exception to this is anything wedding related is fair game.
Continue my education somehow, someway.
Alright, we’ll see how 2020 goals buff out!
