[sharonpdx]

friday 5's for jan 25

in this edition: the top 5 things i want to accomplish in 2008.

1.  knit. more.  first, finish the scarf and knitted bag i started in 2007.  then, complete a hat [for which i already have the yarn, a lovely slate blue tweed], and this pair of fingerless gloves.  after that, i don't know - i guess just knit more . my ultimate goal is to knit enough in 2008 that i can, by the end of the year, tackle the leaf sweater.  i've already bought the pattern.

2.  audition to be a resistance [weight-lifting] instructor at 24hour.  the instructor training classes i took last year were awesome; it's time to finish what i've started and seriously prepare for an audition that will get me a slot on their group exercise calendar.  to that end, i'm looking to get a few sessions with a personal trainer to be sure my form is spot-on.  more to come on that.

3. run a race.  just a 5k.  and, just one will suffice.  by the end of the year.  [this one scares me the most.  even more than that audition.  but then i read this: What you are afraid to do is a clear indicator of the next thing you need to do.  and i wonder if it might not be even a little bit true...]

4. live more simply. buy selectively and purge much, much more.  there are things in my storage unit that make me scratch my head and wonder why, oh why, have these items moved with me from colorado to california to this, my second apartment in portland?  for instance:  i have four boxes of notes and books and binders from college.  four boxes?  seriously?   i could go on...

5. buy handmade. whenever possible, when buying gifts and items for myself, i'm trying to think handmade first - and ask myself, "could i make it?  or buy it from the person who did?"  frankly, the monthly crafty wonderland craft fair, the plethora of local boutiques that sell jewelry from portland-based artists,  etsy.com, and poppytalk handmade make this a pretty easy goal;  to be honest, the biggest challenge here is just thinking further ahead than i usually do, so i'm not constantly late in my gift giving.  [like i am, for instance, with erica's birthday present.  part one of which went out the door today, lil' sis.]

also, i've committed myself to a personal challenge for the year:  i'm calling it "pescatarian with a once-a-month exception."  i'm allowing myself to eat meat only once per month [one meal - not one entire meat-filled day of hedonism, ha ha].  except, i'm not counting fish as meat.  i'm not doing this as a protest to the eating of animals.  i'm not even doing this to take a stand for the environment.  i'm just doing it because it's hard for me to do - which is kinda what makes it a challenge.  and, can i tell you, 25 days in?  i miss chicken.

i like recording these here, as a record i can refer back to throughout the year and at the end, to see how far i've come. 

now you tell me: what do you hope to accomplish this year?

brrrrrr.

it was cold & windy but beautifully clear when we went to Trillium Lake to snowshoe on Monday... check out that wind blowing off the top of Mt. Hood

gorgeous.

plus, the added bonus:  four-day weeks tend to just whoosh on by.  which means, see you tomorrow for friday 5's.

the return of friday 5's

a.k.a. the first friday 5's - and first post! - of 2008.

where, oh where, have i been?  i called my mom earlier in the week and she commented that i must be busy, because i hadn't called in a while.  whoops - and, nope.  i have no excuse ... actually, since the new year began, busy is the one thing my personal life hasn't been.

content.
optimistic.
reflective.
crafty.

but not busy.  in what can only be described as a knee-jerk reaction to the go-go-go attitude of the holidays - and the fact that my love for my not-so-new-anymore apartment grows deeper every day - i have spent more time hanging at home [with episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on in the background] over the last few weeks than i have in the past year.  frankly, you'd think i'd have gotten more knitting done.  on the other hand, i have managed to get my craft room cleaned out and organized to the point where i can actually use it again - i made a set of blank note cards as a gift for a dear friend last week - so i guess i haven't been a total slacker.

immediately after i returned to PDX after the holidays - as in, 3 hours after -  Holly arrived from Michigan for a visit.  her entire trip was a whirlwind ... and a food-and-drink fest!  i probably gained 3 pounds while she was here.  tea & cupcakes at Crema, fish tacos & drinks at Oba, girls' brunch at Mother's, thai food at Typhoon...  we caught the Darjeeling Limited at Laurelhurst and made sure to hit Blue Moon for drinks.  and of course, there was the main event: New Year's Eve at Moon & Sixpence.  the "friend-iversary," as Joe called it ... the evening that marked one year to the day from when the "subculture of Joe" met. 

 

and how did i forget to mention that party hat?!  i was wearing a different one - but when i mentioned to the waitress that i loved her hat, she gave it to me!  how cool is that?  how awesome are those feathers?  seriously.

[and if you noticed that that only 5 people in the group photo are part of the original group, you win the prize!*  by this point in the evening, lauren had gotten - shall we say "partied out"? - and emily & johnathan had left to take her home...]

the evening was great fun.  we played darts and drank beer, toasted with champagne at midnight, and danced as a group to the celtic band [that part was interesting.  i'm surprised nothing was broken or knocked down].  and then ... it was 2008.
----

but wait, wait... not so fast! as a recap, here are 5 favorite photos from 2007:

february 07.  portland. em, tif, lauren & i at salty's for what would become a regular past-time: girl's brunch.  i love this photo because it represents all of the great friendships i've made and cherish here ... but also, when i look at it, i laugh remembering how sore tiffanie and i were that morning - we'd tried snowboarding for the very first time the day before!

june 2007.  kell's irish pub, portland.  the group post-scavenger hunt. my most successful event as organizer of the Portland New In Town Meetup Group.

august 07.  @ lucky's, in boston.  bethany's pre-wedding all-girl celebration.  that trip to massachusetts was a highlight of my year.

november 07.  maui. bliss.

december 07.  ponte winery, temecula, california. because this year taught me a great deal about the unique importance of family.

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on the next friday 5's: the top 5 things i'd like to accomplish in 2008.

but first, a fun weekend with friends ... game night at ben & ziggy's tonight; dinner at a new restaurant and dancing at Crush to celebrate Erica's (not the sister, but the other one) birthday on Saturday; tea with the gals on Sunday.  and, as an extra treat, i've made it a long weekend: i'm taking Monday off and going snowshoeing with Doug.

i guess we're back to busy again.  :)  have a great weekend.

[*sorry.  there really isn't a prize.  but do go buy yourself something nice, ok?]