Setting goals for 2014: a year of travel, fitness, and fun

Ah, January: the month when, during the long, dark days of winter, we set goals for the year ahead, resolving to accomplish more than we did the year before.

For me, setting goals is more enjoyable than resolutions. While they are, in essence, the same idea, a "resolution" comes with a tinge of negativity—you resolve to do something better, fix something in your life, or correct a bad habit. A goal, on the other hand, is more optimistic. It can include corrections, sure, but I feel it's more thinking about what positive change you want to make.

So, I set New Year's Goals for the year ahead.

It helps me be productive when my goals are measurable. For example, rather than just "exercise more," in the past, I've said I wanted to exercise at least four days per week. It's easier (or harder, depending on your view) to hold myself accountable when the goal is specific. It worked for me, and I now find myself getting a full workout six or even seven days a week.

Oftentimes, my challenge is not sticking with it, but rather knowing when to stop before I get burned out. Discipline is a virtue, for sure, but so is adaptability.

The year is already off to a great start, so my list of goals this year is ambitious!

1. Take advantage of traveling for work. I love my job, and I'm fortunate to have clients located in interesting places: St. Petersburg, FL; Knoxville, TN; and I just gained a new client in New York City. My goal this year is to take advantage of these trips (and the fact that the transportation is covered!) by extending them for personal time. Last week—just 12 days into the new year—I did just that with a trip to Florida. I flew down a day early for the meeting and got an extra afternoon in the sunshine, on the beach. It was glorious!

2. Get out of the office and work remotely. A goal that complements #1 above, this one also includes travel. All I need to be able to do my job is a good wi-fi connection and cell reception. I'm sure I won't always have that flexibility, so I want to take advantage of this while I can. I may visit Chase in Steamboat Springs or my girlfriends in Boston—all the while working during the day while they each work, as well.

3. Walk 500 miles. I keep track of my exercise, logging distance, time, and activity. Each year, I tally the distance traveled (whether on foot or bike), and I love seeing how much I've accomplished that year. I didn't have a specific goal for mileage in 2013, but when I tallied it up, I realized I'd unknowingly increased my distance by 121+ miles—that's 32% more than in 2012! That gave me motivation for a new goal in 2014: I want to cover 500 miles in workouts. I say "in workouts" because I wear a Fitbit Zip to track my daily steps, but I want these 500 miles to come from conscious effort... not trips back and forth to the break room at work.

When I break it down, it comes to 42 miles per month, or 13 days of at least 3.1 miles (a 5k) in that time. Definitely doable. Just yesterday, I registered to walk the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon in May. During my time as a 500 Festival Princess, I worked the event as a volunteer, but I've never actually participated. I'll knock out a life-list item and get closer to my 500-mile goal in one event!

4. Build strength through mini challenges. This goal popped up after I found a plan to accomplish a five-minute plank in 30 days. At first I thought, "Hold a plank for five minutes?!" but seeing it planned out in daily segments made it feel much more achievable. I started January 1 and am on track so far! I already have my next challenge planned—50 pushups in 4 weeks—and I'm sure I can find more to do during the year.

5. Be more musical: get a piano and play it. I started playing piano when I was in early elementary school, but over the past few years, I've become pretty rusty. So this year, I want to get a piano for myself—not a keyboard, but a true, upright piano—and brush up on my skills.

6. Read 26 books. Just before the new year rolled around, I started seeing and hearing about this local challenge—but it wasn't until today that I decided to commit to it. A writer for the Indianapolis Star, Michael Anthony Adams, started #Read26Indy to set the goal of reading 26 books in 2014 (one every two weeks) for himself while also using it to get to know more people in Indianapolis (he's new to the area). Readers will use the hashtag on Twitter and a group on Goodreads to share their progress and cheer each other on. I read 23 books in 2013, so adding another three is challenging but doable!

I'm looking forward to 2014 being a year filled with new experiences and accomplishments, and these goals will help me get there. Now it's your turn: what goals have you set for yourself this year?

Thankful

This Thanksgiving is an unusual one for me, because I'm literally between jobs.

After nearly four years at a full-service marketing and advertising agency, I turned in my key last Friday said goodbye to many friends. As I made that final commute home, I felt nothing but excitement about my next venture.

Because of that, this week is a true stay-cation: While taking time off at work is always great, this is one week off where I don't have to feel like I'm missing anything or getting behind. My brain is getting a chance to relax and shift gears before I start my new job in downtown Indianapolis next week.

So this year, I'm thankful for change. New opportunities. New adventures. New challenges. New environments. New things to learn. New friends to meet.

Oh, and new foods to try, like this persimmon that has been sitting, lonely, on my countertop for five days while I try to figure out what to do with a single persimmon. (Besides photograph it.)

I'm thankful for free days of few obligations and the chance to let my brain and my body de-stress. I'm thankful for excitement. I'm thankful for optimism.

I'm thankful for little pleasures, like hearing fresh cranberries *pop* while cooking my annual cranberry sauce for our family gathering tomorrow.

I'm thankful for a family who is safe, healthy, and will spend this holiday together. I'm thankful for the health and presence of my four-legged family members, too. Life would be incomplete without them.

I'm thankful for a growing extended family that will include a baby in 2013, making me an aunt in spirit (though not on paper).

I'm thankful I've had the chance to spend yet another year being thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to you! And thank you for being here.

Behind the scenes with lampwork artist Samma Parcels

At work over the last six months or so, we've been going through a testing/profiling process based on the book Strengths Finder. It's a similar idea to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and there are dozens of other tests that companies use when they're hiring people and evaluating teams.

With Strengths Finder, you learn what your top five "talents" are, then you can better structure your day and life around building upon those talents. My top two talents describe how I'm interested in many things, like to collect information, and love to learn. It makes total sense: from the time I was a kid watching PBS television, I always loved the behind-the-scenes videos that showed how everyday products like crayons and balloons were made. So when I got the chance to profile a local glass artist for the HCCVB blog and watch her work at her studio, it was right up my alley.

I sat and watched her, completely riveted, while she melted two pieces of glass together to create two gorgeous glass pendants in under 45 minutes.

The first was a heart-shaped pendant, and the second utilized a technique in which it looks like a flower has been encased in the glass. For that one, she worked from the front of the piece toward the back, creating the stamens first, followed by the outside edges of the petals, then slowly melting the petals inward toward the center.

I asked her a ton of questions, and I could tell she's a great teacher, because she patiently answered every one I asked—while continuing to work without missing a beat.

For the first time, I shot video in addition to still photos. I'm still amazed by the capabilities of an iPhone. I love that I don't have to have any other special equipment to be able to do an informal video.


You can read my full profile of this incredible artist on the HCCVB blog.

Hendricks County glass artist: Samma Parcels

Looking for a one-of-a-kind holiday gift for someone on your list? Consider something handmade by a local artist. Not only can you find many great shops around Hendricks County, but dozens of incredible artisans call this area home.

I chatted with glass artist Samma Parcels about her work, and she even shared some of her favorite places to visit in Hendricks County. Read more...

Annual horse pull at Old Fashioned Days

Labor Day weekend for me means it's time to head west to North Salem's Old Fashioned Days. Going to this small town's annual festival has been a tradition for me since I was a kid in many ways, and attending the Sunday night horse pull is a regular activity.

For people who've never been to a horse pull, it might be hard to imagine why this kind of activity would draw a crowd. But like any good competition, it quickly sucks you in, even if you don't consider yourself a "horse person" to begin with.

You can't help but pick out a team to root for, whether it's because you know someone involved, like their story, are impressed with the team's size, or one of the horses is your favorite color. This year's story was bittersweet: One team owner's father, who's been raising these horses and participating in horse pulls for many years, passed away last month. His son is a regular attendee at this particular horse pull, so you can't help but root for him, if only to honor his dad's memory.

And wouldn't you know it, but he ended up winning in the end. His team of Belgian horses pulled 8,000 pounds to beat the other five teams for this year's victory.

The husband of Mom's horse trainer rode his horse at the beginning of the pull during the national anthem. He's one of the organizers of the event, and he served as emcee during the pull, as well. His horse—her excellent training, in particular—was what caught our attention years ago and got us involved in this particular training program. This photo is a testament to a great "stand cue" (a horse trained to stand still while her reins are placed at the base of her neck. 

This horse, Sis, is 26 years old, so she won't have many more years of carrying a rider and flag. She knew she was being called to perform this day, though. She didn't show her age at all.

Can it really be September already? It won't be long and I'll be photographing the changing leaves and fall colors! I'm not ready...

149/365 The spirit of Valentine's Day

Remember the exciting but awful time of year in grade school when the time came to decorate a "mailbox", hang it on your desk, and wait and see who gave you a Valentine? Would the girl/boy you liked acknowledge your love and like you back?

Is being a grown-up better or worse?

Most of the Valentine's Days in my life have been spent solo, but I've never really been one to feel down about it. Today was going to be pretty much like every other day. Or so I thought.

Our Cheer Committee at work announced on Friday that we would be having our very own mailbox-decorating contest. We all had until noon on Monday to decorate and display our white paper bags. People bought or made Valentines and distributed them throughout the day, filling everyone's bags with sweets and happy notes.

I walked around the office before the judging began to check out the competition. I'd love to think that I could be a contender in the contest, but I work with people who are designers and creative for a living. Competition was tough! Each person's was completely unique, and I was really impressed with how much everyone got into the spirit of the friendly competition.

Mine is the bag in the photo above. Below are a couple more samples, and you can see more (of the photos I took) on our company's Facebook page. 

 

Happy Valentine's Day! Hope your day was filled with lots of love.

Camera: Canon 40D with 24mm wide-angle lens, various exposures

134/365 A fan of sunsets

During the holiday break, I got a chance to see my aunt and uncle from Michigan. My aunt, in particular, loves sunset photos, so this one is for her! A love of those vibrant skies must run in the family, because my dad (her brother) is a big fan, too.

What kind of photos do you find yourself drawn to? Are you a fan of sunsets? Or perhaps your discerning eye leads you to prefer sunrises? Are photos of good food your cup of tea, or do exciting sports photos snag your attention? Other people (myself included) can't resist a good flower photo, and others like more wildlife or nature. Or perhaps you're in the Urban Decay or Abstract camps.

We all have our own styles, and I love that about photography. Give a room of photographers a challenge to photograph the same subject, and they'll all turn out different work. And everyone has a specialty and a passion.

Where would we be without art?

Camera: Canon 40D, 1/125s, f/4 at ISO 320 at about 5:45 p.m.

133/365 Happy New Year!

Can you believe we're nine days into 2011 already?

As much as I love the holidays, it's nice to be starting a fresh new year. Thinking ahead, imagining what it might hold, planning what new things I'd like to do... I find it to be a positive time of year.

Do you set New Year's Resolutions? I do, but my family has always called them "goals" instead of "resolutions", because a goal sounds much more optimistic and positive than a resolve to do something different.

So, what are some of my goals for this year?

• Take some more cooking classes. I enjoy taking classes of all shapes and sizes, but I'm particularly interested in expanding my cooking skills. In particular, I'd like to take some classes that teach some of the fundamentals of cooking, along the same lines as the Knife Skills class I took in 2010. 
• Expand my Etsy shop, both in products offered and sales. 
• Read at least one new classic novel. This one is a goal for me every year. Last year's feat was Wuthering Heights, and I don't expect I'll be reading it again any time soon.
• Learn some new beading techniques, so I can continue to make my own jewelry. I've already signed up for two new classes that I bought in a Groupon deal last fall.

I hope it's a great year!

What about you? What are some of your goals for this year?

Camera: Canon 40D with 60mm macro lens and 430EX Speedlite, 1/100s, f/4 at ISO 640

131/365 Outnumbered by sweet goodness

I had to laugh when I walked in the lunch room at work and saw this.

Finding a haul of sweets in the office at this time of year is a given. My willpower certainly gets a workout in the weeks before Christmas!

Finding a clementine on a plate with taffy and cupcakes? Now that's something you don't see every day. Kudos to the person who tried to inject some healthy food into the mix, but I think they were outnumbered!

Camera: Canon 40D, 1/100s, f/4 at ISO 640 under fluorescent lighting

130/365 Christmas service

I'm not a regular church-goer, but I go at Christmastime to be with Mom and to celebrate the season. Mom plays the piano for a couple small churches in her area, and this year they joined together and presented a community Christmas music program.

I love hearing a big adult choir sing. As much as I appreciate children's choirs, I always feel like they're really missing the lower tones you get when some adult men are part of the group.

There's something about hearing traditional Christmas carols in a small-town church that really makes it feel like the season has arrived!

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD1000 at ISO 800

128/365 A little handmade Christmas gift

Merry Christmas Eve!

This day has always been one of my favorites. I actually like it more than Christmas Day. For me, Christmas Eve contains all of the excitement and anticipation. My family has always had fun traditions on Christmas Eve, including dinner together, opening stockings, and watching a good movie (which is usually a big action flick so the boys will be interested!). Christmas Day is great, but our traditions are so laid-back that after we've opened the gifts under the tree, the holiday is pretty much complete.

Call me a sucker for delayed gratification, but Christmas Eve is my favorite!

I love giving homemade gifts, so I pulled out my tools and made some earrings for a girlfriend this year. She's pregnant, expecting in the spring, so this is something that will fit, no matter when she wants to wear them!

And I had to make a pair for myself, too. Couldn't resist.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Camera: Canon 40D with 60mm macro lens and 430EX Speedlite, 1/100s, f/2.8 at ISO 500

125/365 A blanket of snow at Butler University

You may recognize this scene from a post just a couple months ago. At that time, the trees were full of colorful foliage for fall.

It's the often-photographed pond and bell tower at Butler University, but now the trees are bare and it's draped in a blanket of snow. I love photos that show the same scene in different seasons. I was on campus to get tickets for the annual Christmas Rejoice concert, so I had to stop and get my photo of the day!

Being on campus at this time of year doesn't just give you a treat for the eyes; you get a treat for the ears, too. And his name is Dominick the Donkey.

[One word of warning before you hit play: this song will get stuck in your head.]



What the heck does this have to do with Butler? The gentlemen at the TKE house set speakers out on the front porch of the fraternity and play this song -- loudly -- over, and over. And over. And over. From Thanksgiving all the way up to Christmas break.

It drives you nuts, but over time it becomes a symbol of the holiday! Crazy but true. Now I remember it with fondness and have to roll my windows down when I drive by.

Camera: Canon 40D, 1/250s, f/8 at ISO 100 at about 12:30 p.m.

124/365 Holiday cookie exchange

It's early December, which means it's time for one of my girlfriends' annual holiday cookie exchange party! Each year she invites a bunch of people, then those of us who can make it bring 1/2 dozen cookies for each person to take home, plus another dozen for everyone to sample at the party.

So you can understand how the number of attendees drastically affects your workload the day before!

This year it was a small crew, so I only had to make five dozen, which ended up being two batches of my recipe. I chose to do these fantastic peanut-butter cookies that amazingly don't call for any flour. I made them for a Symphony on the Prairie outing this past summer and they were a huge hit. Combine positive reviews with few ingredients and a simple recipe and you have a winner!

I highly recommend you give them a try if you're at all a fan of peanut butter. Or cookies. Here's the recipe, or you can find it at TheKitchn:

Sensational Peanut Butter Cookies
18 cookies

1 cup peanut butter (see note)
3/4 cup natural cane sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
additional sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees°F.

Mix all the ingredients up in a bowl. Roll walnut-sized pieces into balls and roll balls in the additional sugar. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and flatten slightly with a fork in a crisscross pattern. Bake for 10 minutes (you may need to lessen the time, depending on your peanut butter). Remove and let cool before removing from baking sheet.

Note: Peanut butter comes in all kinds of configurations and the kind you choose will influence your outcome. Some peanut butters are very sweet, some have been hydrogenated, some have a whole lot more in them than peanuts! Then there is the chunky versus smooth debate. If you choose a drier peanut butter, you may find that you need to add some oil to make the batter stick together.

Happy baking!

Camera: Canon 40D with 60mm macro lens, 1/60s, f/2.8 at ISO 320 by a window at about 3:00 p.m.

123/365 First snowfall

We've had our first measurable snowfall of the season! If that doesn't wake you up and make you realize it's December, I don't know what will.

Early Saturday morning, as I was gathering ingredients to make five dozen cookies for a party the next day (more on that subject later), I got a call from my grandmother with a tip for this photo opportunity. She let me know that their holly bush in the front yard looked absolutely perfect with the light snow settling on top, and if I wanted to stop by, please do!

How could I pass that up?

So I ventured out, with my purple wellies, heavy coat, hat, gloves, and umbrella to shield my camera and lens. After a few chilly minutes, I came away with some shots that I'm very happy with. I'm thinking you may see this on a holiday card next year!


Thanks to Grandma for the tip!

Now excuse me while I go find some Christmas music to play...

Camera: Canon 40D with 60mm macro lens, 1/100s, f/5.6 at ISO 100 under cloudy skies at about 12:00 p.m.

96/365 Front-porch entertainment

When you live way out in the country, entertainment seen from your front porch is limited. Because of that, the annual 10K run that passes my parents' house is quite exciting!

I'm not a runner, though I've tried to be (several times). My knees and joints just don't like the high-impact aspects of running, so I've finally accepted the fact that I'm destined to be a walker and/or biker for the rest of my life.

Knowing that running can be a grueling sport, I admire people who train for races -- like 10Ks -- and finish. It takes time, dedication, motivation, perseverance... you name it. Not everyone can do it, me included.

It's easy to admire the winners of these races, but I have a lot of respect for the people who come in last, too. Mentally, that's not the easiest place to be in. In this particular race, an ambulance follows the runners, trailing about 30 feet behind the final person. So that person ends up running or walking the whole race with the sound of a diesel engine pushing them from behind the whole time. I don't think that's a sound many people would want to program into their iPods as a constant for 6.2 miles.

Would you?


Camera: Canon 40D with 70-300mm IS lens, 1/200s, f/5.6 at ISO 100 at about 8:30 a.m.

95/365 Horses at Old Fashioned Days

Would a festival called "Old Fashioned Days" be complete if it didn't include horses? Not in my book!

On Labor Day weekend, Sunday night's festivities always feature a horse pull, which has been preceded in recent years by a horse-riding demonstration. Chase has ridden in the demonstration a couple times, but this year, some other riders took a turn.

The photo above, taken during the demonstration, didn't capture a dramatic action sequence, but rather another side of horseback riding that I always enjoy seeing: a relationship between a rider and his or her horse.

If you've never been to a horse pull, it's really an interesting competition that requires a lot of practice and training. Two draft horses are harnessed together and work as a team to pull a sled carrying tons of weight. Literally tons. The team that won this year's event pulled 10,500 pounds of weight. Isn't that incredible?

The horses are "driven" by one person walking behind them, usually the owner, who holds the reins and is the only person allowed to speak to the horses and encourage them during the pull. Two other people walk with him and are responsible for hooking the horses up to the weighted sled. The horses have loads of adrenaline before they pull, so they're ready to dig in as soon as they get lined up. It's very common for them to miss the hookup the first time in their excitement. In the photo below, the guy in the red shirt has just connected the horses to the sled and is jumping out of the way as they start pulling.

As we watched this year's pull, Mom and I commented on the fact that this definitely seems to be an older-man's sport. A couple drivers/owners were in their 40s or 50s, but they were the youngest of the group. One driver was in his 80s.

I usually only make it to this one horse pull each year, but I like having it be part of my Labor Day weekend's activities!

Camera: Canon 40D with 70-300mm IS lens, 1/400s and 1/200s, f/5.6 at ISO 100 between 5:00 and 8:00 p.m.

3/365 Easter lily

My home has also become home to an Easter lily recently. Mom bought two in memory of my grandparents, and I got to bring one of the flowers home.

I've been de-pollen-izing them as new blooms have opened, primarily because that seems to reduce the scent (it can be a little overwhelming). I suppose you could call it sterilizing them, but that sounds a lot more painful.

I haven't had many indoor plants until now, so it's nice to have a different form of life in the house.

Camera: Canon 40D with 60mm macro lens and 430EX Speedlite, 1/125s, f/2.8 at ISO 500

277/365 Holiday bokeh

"Bokeh" is one of those ambiguous terms that refers to one general photographic technique -- but no one can seem to agree on one absolute definition.

Some say it's simply the technique used in creating a very blurred background, usually featuring spots of light of some kind -- like the lights on the Christmas tree above.

Others say it's the more creative technique of turning those light spots into shapes.

What's the one, true definition? Who knows? I like the effect, whatever it means and whatever you want to call it.

Camera: Canon 40D with 60mm macro lens and 430EX Speedlite, 1/125s, f/2.8 at ISO 100

274/365 Disguised gifts

Our stockings were hung by the chimney with care, filled to the top with gifts of shapes that aren't easily mistaken.

CDs and DVDs are common stocking gifts in my family. Because they're small, they make good stocking stuffers -- but there's no mistaking that shape when you pull it out. When they make it under the tree as gifts there, we often go to more trouble to disguise the shape. I like retaining a little bit of the mystery for the recipients of the gift.

Chase did a great job of disguising one of my gifts this year. The outer package was round and about the size of a basketball. When I discarded the paper, he had wrapped the gift in layer after layer after layer of bubble wrap. We all laughed while it took me a couple minutes to actually get to the gift in the middle.

What was it? A nice rain gauge. He wins the prize for best disguise this year!

Camera: Canon 40D with 430EX Speedlite, 1/125s, f/3.5 at ISO 640

270/365 Dusting of snow

Around this time of year, I start to get very excited about the prospect of snow. I get jealous hearing stories of 12 inches in other states -- or even in the northern portion of our own state.

I believe that winter isn't winter without snow. After January 2, I'm ready for 75 degrees and sunshine again -- but I feel like living in those mild conditions year round would just make the passage of time feel very slow. You don't get any seasonal signs that the year is progressing. And what is Christmas without the prospect of a blanket of white?

But alas, I live in central Indiana. So the vast majority of our snowfalls consist of a dusting or perhaps an inch of accumulation. And I'm not really interested in moving north.

So I guess I'm stuck, huh?

Camera: Canon 40D, 2 seconds, f/4 at ISO 100, lit by an incandescent porch light at about 9:00 p.m.

268/365 Adopted white poinsettia

Personally, I'm partial to red poinsettias.

I won't turn down a white one (exhibit A, pictured here), but I definitely prefer the red variety.

I adopted this (very large) white one last week, and it's offered a little more Christmas cheer to my sparsely decorated house.

And of course, knowing me, there's no way I can bring a flowering plant into the house and not photograph it. To ignore it would be sacrilege.

Camera: Canon 40D with 60mm macro lens and 430EX Speedlite, 1/125s, f/2.8 at ISO 640