My Resolutions For 2014 (And 32)

Happy 2014, y'all ... and may it be our most fabulous year yet.

I celebrated my 32nd birthday yesterday and I just love having my birthday on New Years Day. First of all, I always am surrounded by friends at the very moment when I turn a year older, and (most years) I turn a year older in sequins with champagne in hand. This year it was just the sequins -- in the form of fabulous heels.

Not everyone is a fan of making New Years resolutions, but I am! I think any opportunity to pause and think about ways to better yourself in the coming year is a worthwhile use of time.

So here are my 2014 hopes, dreams, and resolutions!

Resolution 1: Glow

I'll be the first to tell you that my workouts have taken a backseat since becoming pregnant. For this year, I vow to exercise more frequently, including planning walks with girlfriends (which is a great substitute for the wine dates I miss). And I'm going to just go ahead and put this out there: I am vowing to return to my pre-pregnancy weight by the end of 2014 ... hopefully quite a bit before December 31st! (My new purple Old Navy Compression Tank will definitely help me be more excited about working out, and FYI - they are on great sale now here!)

Resolution 2: Pursue

There have been so many amazing opportunities that have arisen through blogging, and I want to maximize these in 2014! By far the most fun part of 2013 was joining up with the lovely ladies to host Five On Friday, and I hope that this new year brings additional opportunities for growth and new friends like that one. For "actual" goals related to this, I'd really like to improve my photography (the new lens will help!), increase my readership, and participate in more giveaways. Because giving away things to ya'll is pretty wonderful.

Resolution 3: Nourish

I am vowing to increase my fruit and vegetable intake, specifically with organic and minimally-processed produce sources! I truly do believe that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, and I'll be adhering to that literal philosophy on a frequent (if not daily) basis. All it takes is a little prep for me during my Sunday grocery store visits.

Resolution 4: Invest

In the past 10 years that I've been in the workforce, I've done a very good job with saving money, but I haven't dabbled much in investments. 2014 will be the year that I increase my investments both with my personal savings and also with our married savings account. Ian and I have a good personal banker and we are on the same page with our family's financial goals for this coming year. I mean ... have you even seen what college costs nowadays? We are already saving up!

Resolution 5: Respect

This is about two things: me respecting my own time and me respecting others' time. I am a fairly punctual person (and have improved this over the years) but I could really stand to improve my time management in the mornings as I rush out of the door for work. It is not worth the stress or the hasty goodbyes to always be in such a rush. Please remind me of this when I decide to add in a little unscheduled blog work in the mornings! I get so distracted. And when meeting up with people, I am resolving to always be a little bit early and pad my travel time. I always cut it really close!

So, that wraps it up -- five main goals that I plan to uphold.

Do we share any of the same resolutions?

Linking up today with Sam and Khala for their fun New Years series, Pop Fizz Zzz!