New Year. New Me.

"If you want to go places you've never ben before, you must become someone you've never been before"

-Mike Ashcraft

'New Year, New Me' has become my 2011 mantra. And by it I mean that I'm going to step out of my comfort zone, do things different and challenge myself in areas that I typically shy away from.

I am co-leading a small group that started last week. New Year, New Me. I have never lead a small group of peers, and would have not done it if I wasn't co-leading with an amazing woman! We had out first meeting last week and I'm so excited to see how God's going to work in each of us and through our conversations. This is something I believe will challenge me in multiple ways!

I am going to St. Johns. New Year, New Me. Spontaneity could probably be my word for January. Leigh's older brother lives in St. Johns and Leigh was planning on going out there for her spring break and invited a few girls to join. SURE! we bought our tickets the night we got all the snow mid-January! best feeling ever. Headed there in 1 month!

Trying new things. New Year, New Me. Joined new friends last week to see a play and then followed it up by enjoying pie from 'Dangerously Delicious Pie' a pie place on H st. You may be thinking that this doesn't qualify as a 'New Year, New Me' thing to do - but I'm trying to branch out, and my default would have been to decline and stick to the same typical weekend activities with the same people (LOVE those people but just need to step out some). I've done a few other of these out-of-the-usual weekend activities and they've been great!

Travel again. EUROPE! New Year, New Me. In June for 13 days I'll be spending time in London, Paris, Prague, Venice, and Rome!! SO pumped. Going with Katie Reda, Christine Brook and Lori Walker (UNCW friends, we actually were all roommates Senior year! and Christine & Lori live with me in DC now). We bought tickets last Friday and have no other set plans aside from arrival and departure times! Very much a carpe diem trip!

New Year, New Me. I made a list of a few things I definitely want to do this year: 1. Learn Spanish; Santa brought me Rosetta Stone for Christmas. 2. Volunteer - find a great place to volunteer my time. 3. Piano lessons - I want to take piano lessons again, I brought up my keyboard in December. 4. Stamp my passport - check. 5. Send more snail mail - want to send more cards and letters to friends and family. 6. Journal more - I started journaling right before I left for El Salvador in 2008 and it has been an ebb and flow process. I enjoy reading back on thoughts and want to make it more routine - which was part of the reason I wanted to try out blogging too. Blogging is a bit more accountable because other people see it but Journaling is different because of the ability to be more honest in my writing. Last but not least 7. Pray & memorize scripture. I'm not a big 'pray-er', let me explain, by this I mean I never volunteer to pray out loud nor do I feel like I naturally pray regularly like other people do. I feel scripted lots of times when I pray. I'm probably explaining this horribly but thats okay because its my resolution and I know what I mean. I believe memorizing scripture is important and I hate it when I am trying to explain something to someone and when I go to reference scripture - I completely botch the reference.

I'll keep you updated on 'New Year. New Me.' let me know if you have suggestions.