Jumping on the Resolution Bandwagon

Today I got to thinking about New Year's Resolutions. (Did I really just start this post like Carrie Bradshaw?) While waiting 20 minutes for an elliptical machine at the gym, I started looking at all these new faces I have never seen before. Don't get me wrong, I don't know everyone at my gym but if you go at a certain time of day, you recognize faces.

So, here I stand, waiting for an elliptical and dying for someone to please play a word on Words with Friends to pass the time. Then, I started thinking about new year's resolutions. Clearly, these people have taken over my gym because of some new year's resolution they have made. I only wish they would have opted for a resolution that didn't inconvenience me.

When I finally got on my beloved machine, I started thinking about my past resolutions. In high school, I used to write down 10 resolutions and tape them to the back of my door. I don't know why 10 was my magic number. 10 things you want to change about yourself? Alright teenage Denise, calm down. My resolutions used to involve some PR time for track and cross country, getting straight A's, cleaning my room regularly, etc. I was a real dork. I admit it.

In college, I stuck to the same special number, 10. Only this time, I upgraded from my piece of paper to a dry erase board - watch out world, here I come. Without fail, each year, my #1 resolution was not to procrastinate. Story of my life. Clear as day, I remember one year writing "NO MORE PROCRASTINATION - STUDY FOR FINALS BEFORE FINALS WEEK." You can take a guess on how that ended. Others included doing well in school, running more, eating healthier...you know, the usual. My super senior year I quit making resolutions. If I made it this far with my procrastination stills in full force and I was still able to pull off a 3.4 GPA while working 30+ hours a week, I think I was doing just fine. In fact, I think me and my procrastination were getting along just dandy. I am still proud of the fact that I only received 2 C's and 1 D (damn you accounting 212!) in my entire life. If only you knew how badly I procrastinated - this is really some accomplishment. I like to attribute this to my awesome bull shitting skills. Bull shitting skills kind of flies under the radar.

My Christmas Card this year

Last year, I made 1 resolution: send out Christmas cards. First year out of the gates, I opted to set the bar low. I love when my friends and family send me Christmas cards. I love seeing their kids grow up and pictures of the whole family carving pumpkins or sledding. It makes me realize just how differently I live my life. Ok, I am generally sarcastic, but I am being 100% honest here. I love seeing pictures of my friends and their families. I have a lot of cards with sleds and pumpkins. I decided that I would make Christmas cards with pictures to show my life: Drunken night in Miami? Check. Boozing at a New Kids on the Block concert? But of course. Traveling the world? Obviously. Picture of my bitchy kitty? You got it. Drunk brunches? Do people brunch any other way?  Per usual, I procrastinated. Shocking, I know. I came up with my ghetto Christmas card. I mocked something up in PowerPoint and emailed it out to my family and friends. I like to think of this as the "green" way of doing cards and ignore the fact that I procrastinated. Note: I can even bull shit myself.

This year, I am going to join all these new faces at my gym and make some real News Year's resolutions. I looked up "resolution" in the dictionary, for inspiration more than anything. I clearly know what resolution means - take a look around my gym.

The definition for resolution: 1. a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something. I love when a definition includes the word you're looking up. A resolve = resolution...you don't say so, Webster.

I am going to make 5, which is much way more realistic than my highly ambitious teenage self. I really thought about this long and hard, or rather for 45 minutes while I was on the elliptical.

Here are my New Years resolutions. Drum roll please....
1) Complete the 9+1 program with the New York Road Runners so I am guaranteed entry into the 2013 NYC Marathon

2) Call my grandma each week

3) Travel to some place new

4) Get bikini ready by May and reward myself with a trip to Vegas (this will also accomplish #3)

5) Make a budget and stick to it.

Here is a little commentary behind why I chose these, if you are still with me at this point (I am long winded):
1) I have always wanted to do the NYC marathon. I have registered every year for the lottery since 2010. If you get rejected 3 years in a row, you automatically get in your 4th year. Under these rules, I will definitely get in next year but I want to be certain of it, so I am also completing another requirement. If you register with the New York Road Runners, complete 9 races and volunteer at 1, you get in the following year. In some shape or form, I will be running the marathon in 2013.

That's my Mamaw! 

2) I love my grandma and well, she isn't getting any younger. She is also a real spit fire and has some classic sayings. One quote that she told me (that I will never in my life forget),  "Well, if she were on fire, I wouldn't give her the sweat off my pussy." You read that right. She said the P word. My grandma said pussy. Obviously, I need more stories like these to tell one day.

3) I have traveled to some place new since 2007, so this isn't really a "new" thing but it's a "new" location, so it counts. In 2007, I went to Greece, France and Italy. 2008: China, Malaysia, Thailand. 2009: Costa Rica, Guatemala. 2010: Brazil. 2011: England, Peru. This year, I am hoping for Netherlands (work trip), Germany, Spain, Cambodia, Laos. The first 3 will happen - it's the last 2 that are maybes.

4) I have been eating better and going to the gym regularly now for months, so I want to continue this and rock a bikini like no other at one of the Vegas pool parties. Oh yes, add Vegas to the list above.

5) Budgets and me don't get along, not in work or my personal life.  I know I need to be better with my finances and invest in something other than Louboutins. I just joined Mint.com and holy hell - I have a spending problem. My goal is to get that better under control. I made a budget and I hope to stick with it. Of all my resolutions, this will be the hardest. I mean, the Barney's warehouse sale is at the end of February - I need new shoes and dresses :)

Here are my resolutions  - feel free to ask me mid-year how they're going. I am sure they will be long forgotten and I will have to refer back to this post to jog my memory.

Happy 2012 everyone!
xoxox