First off, WOW HI HELLO. It feels good to be back.

Are you ready to start keeping up again? I’m emerging on the blogging front for the first time in a while. Dare I make a “since last year” joke? But really – it has been quite a few months.

There may be questions about why I pumped the brakes on my blog.

I’ll go into detail in a future post, but simply put: I needed a break from the blogging loop I was in. I went from feeling extremely motivated to feeling spread incredibly thin across blogging and my other social media channels. Sunday nights…oh those were the worst. I put so much pressure around making sure I had content to post on every single channel for the week. It would put me into an emotional tailspin. Things felt forced. I guess it finally came to a boiling point.

In a way it all seemed counterintuitive. Considering how much time Ben and I were still spending at home, I thought with the free time I’d get more done than ever. Thinking back, that could have also been exactly what caused the issue. I know that with all the shit 2020 brought with it, we were supposed to cut ourselves some slack. Instead, I put myself into a vicious cycle of being overwhelmed. I spent more days in bed and run down during the last part of 2020 than I’d like to admit.

Today is about sharing my goals and intentions for 2021 with you.

Happy new year by the way! We made it here and that in itself feels GOOD. Like everyone else in the world, I’m excited to see that “21” replace the “20”. While things around us aren’t fully back to normal yet, a new year still introduces a fresh slate. A new beginning. Another chance to do better for yourself and those around you.

Without further ado – here are my goals for 2021. I broke them out into categories because I’m into visuals and honestly it looks better on this page.

Personal

Complete Dry January – This is my first dry January EVER. That’s mostly because Gasparilla always occurs in Jan and interferes haha who else can relate? I miss those darn pirates. ANYWAY, PLEASE SEND ME ALL OF THE MOCKTAIL RECIPES. I’m sure I’ll be pinning some on my Pinterest page. While enjoying my LaCroix out of a wine glass is fun, I’m going to need some non-buzzy liquid pizzazz real soon.

Set boundaries for intentional personal time – Something that was brought to my attention towards the end of 2020 is that I don’t limit myself. I like to take everything on and be included in every plan. While in the moment it’s a great feeling, in the long run it leads me to a state of overwhelm, stress, and major anxiety issues. This month I’m intentionally limiting social interactions so that I can work on myself and my own mental health. To be honest, that’s hard for me to type here. I know in the long run it’s going to be better for me and heck, for those around me. Taking time for yourself is a normal thing to do. I’m just not sure if I’m trying to convince myself or you guys of that fact.

Spend more time outside – I think I always list this one as a goal. Ben and I have been wheelin’ around on bike trails a lot. I’m sure that’ll continue to expand more into this year. Also, rollerblades have been catching my eye lately. New hobby alert?

Put more effort into what I already have going for me – Think “the grass is greener where you water it”. Continually taking on more, doing more, and pushing for more can be a good thing, but within reason. I’m a naturally motivated person and I love taking on MORE. What I have to remember is that there is already so much that I have going on around me. Those things need my love and attention too. It can’t just be check the box and push it to the side anymore. Watering your own grass is a long-term hustle, not a short-term one. Nobody here wants brown grass (ew). I think this goal couples nicely with my boundaries one (see above).

Go one year on a pescatarian diet – I’ve actually done this diet before and I’m excited to give it a go again in 2021. Note you will see one ad on my Instagram in early January for a meaty snack that I shot last year before this diet change. Don’t worry – I’m still sticking to my goal. I’ll truly miss Five Guys burgers, but I can always order my norm, 86 the meat, and sub in a veggie burger at home.

Mental Health

Take a yoga class once per week – I literally never knew how much I loved yoga until the company I work for started offering remote classes last year. An hour of stretching and breathing really does the soul some good. I’m planning to stick with taking one yoga class per week – ideally on Sundays. It’s also a great way to #ClosetheRings.

Incorporate meditation and/or breathing into my daily routine – Last year I started using the Breathe App on my Apple Watch. My timeframes were short, like 5 minutes each morning short LOL. It was still something and helped me center myself a bit before my day picked up. I plan to keep incorporating this into my daily routine. Maybe I’ll even increase the time to ten minutes. That is if I can sit still long enough.

Physical Health

Close my Apple Watch rings every day in January – I accomplished this last October and it felt SO GOOD. Let’s see if I can do it again in January. It’s not like I’ll have any hangovers to blame my failure on.

Shoot for a 5x – 7x per week workout schedule – I know myself well enough to know that I feel my best when I workout every day. That’s probably true for most people. 7x per week is hard, but it’s doable. 5x per week is more manageable when life is busier. I think my sweet spot really is 5x per week, but I’m going to see what my body can do.

Home

Clean and reseal our patio – You guys, our patio NEEDS the TLC. Ben has tried to seal it on his own, but those green leafy twigs of life always seem to pop through our pavers. It’s time to bring in the professionals and seal the deal. Er – the patio.

Make our fireplace a visual statement – Right now it’s literally a stand alone mantle and a square hole for the fire. I want to bring our fireplace to LIFE. Maybe with some cool tiling or a new abstract cut for the fire hole?

Find a coffee table for our living room – A coffee table is the last piece of furniture needed in our living room.

Find a new dining area table set – The set we have for our dining area now is SO DARK. It drives me crazy. I can’t wait to get something lighter and more “us” in that space.

What are some of your goals and intentions for 2021? Did you set any this year? Share them in the comments below.