New Years Resolutions

Relevant and Funny... (Calvin and Hobbes is one of my Favorites!)

Except I'm gonna make some resolutions anyway...

Think of it as a "12 in 2012" (to go along with my 30 Before 30 ...which I need to go back and edit :p) and these aren't really in any particular order.

1. Learn/Improve Time Management Skills - Between my internship, classes, other resolutions, Institute publicity committee, and the hope of actually having a social life, I'm really going to need to manage my time wisely this semester!
2. Get in Shape - Because "blob" is not a shape. No, I don't intend to completely lose my curves (cause I actually really like em) but I do intend to tone up, lose some weight, and get healthier in general. 
3. Eat Better - (although I think technically, this one should really be more like "Get some willpower") I'm planning on cutting back on calories and trying to stick to a more paleo diet. (I already try to limit, if not avoid dairy because I'm lactose intolerant, but gluten intolerance runs in my family [actually, most people are gluten intolerant, they just don't know it] so I figure it couldn't hurt to see if cutting out gluten and grains maybe wouldn't help give me more energy. Although, it'll be difficult since I really love carbs).
4. Do more with my camera(s) - I have a P&S, a DSLR, and a camera on my phone but I feel like I haven't been doing a lot of photography. I'm planning on maybe doing a 365 project and hopefully trying to do more photography in general. Take portraits, go on photo adventures, etc. 
5. Be a Better Friend - The past few semesters have been super busy and I haven't had a lot of opportunities to spend time with my friends, especially those in Provo/Orem which makes me sad. Hopefully that can be remedied.
6. Increase Spirituality - Obviously one to always be working on. And naturally it includes getting better at scripture study, completing visiting teaching and callings, etc. etc. 
7. Graduate - I should add "...without burnout." I'll probably walk in May, but I won't officially be done with my degree until the end of summer. 
8. Date More - I can't really say that I particularly enjoy dating (if you think I'm awkward in a casual group settings, I promise - I'm worse in a one-on-one date setting...and probably even moreso, the more interested I am in the guy). However, in this past year I've been on a grand total of (maybe) 2 dates this whole year [assuming they counted as dates, cause 50% of the time, guys don't specifically say "date" so I can't always tell if it's a hang out or a date - so confusing and yet another way to make sure it's awkward]. This year, it would be nice if I could at the very, very least top out at 3. :p
9. Improve My Sleeping Habits - I don't think I've ever had good sleeping habits. But I do have more energy and am more active and productive when I get enough sleep, so it's probably a good goal to have.
10. Increase My Intelligence - One of my favorite parts of Academic team in high school was learning all the random bits of trivia, I knew a little bit about everything (a lot of which, I learned on my own through research and reading) and most of the stuff I learned, I still know - but part of the fun of it all was learning! (The second part of the fun was showing off my random trivia knowledge! :P) I'd like to get back into learning about a wide variety of things, various, random facts and anecdotes - stuff like that!
11. Decrease My Awkwardness - I'm not entirely sure how to accomplish this goal...but it is a goal! I'll never be a Grace Kelly or an Audrey Hepburn in terms of grace and class...but if I could get to a point where I can get through a simple conversation without saying something awkward or being too loud or anything, that would be awesome.
12. Be Awesome - Mostly because my mind blanked and I needed one more goal :p

So, yep - those are my goals for 2012! :)

What are yours?? 

Travel

This is the most recent event that's happened.

On the 14th, I flew from Salt Lake City, UT to El Paso, TX to spend the holidays with my family.
I flew on Southwest (cheapest tickets I could find - which is to be expected from a company who's number 1 goal is the be the cheapest airline possible) and had to fly from SLC International to Sky Harbor International (in Phoenix, AZ) - wait around for about 2 hours to get onto a flight to El Paso.
Much to my disappointment, there are no direct, nonstop flights from SLC to ELP - you can't avoid a layover.

The last time I flew, my layover was actually longer, but I was prepared - I downloaded a bunch of TV show episodes to my iPod and laptop to watch while I waited for my next flight. This time I wasn't quite as prepared. I arrived in Phoenix around 12:30ish, hungry and without entertainment. I figured I could just go to one of the little airport restaurants, grab something and people watch until my flight, but the nearby restaurants were all super crowded and there was no where to sit (well, except in the boarding areas). So I wandered into the CNBC store, picked up a book ("The Help" - thought I'd read the book before I see the movie), some pretzel/crackers and a soda (I was sleepy!) and then I headed over to the boarding area to read/snack. (Funnily enough, I wound up sitting across from a girl who was doing the same thing! - She was eating the same thing, and reading the same book as she sat next to her purple carry on case, wearing a cute purple/burgundy skirt, top, and cardigan outfit. In my mind, she was a much more fashionable, jet-setting version of me, probably on her way to see a fiancé or go to an interview for a fun and artsy new job).

Luckily, the time passed quickly enough and I was able to get onto my flight to Texas without any problems.

Last time I flew, I wound up in awkward and uncomfortable seats either between two talkative business people or squished up against the window while the guy sitting next to me shifted uneasily in his seat like he was gonna vomit the whole time - this time around I was able to sit by the window on both flights. The first next to a middle-aged couple that didn't say a word to me (which I was totally cool with). The second, next to two older ladies, who saw my book and then dove right into a conversation about civil rights during the 60s (after a while, I didn't really feel as though I was necessary or important to the conversation, so I just slouched down and quietly went back to reading my book).

Another difference between the last time I flew and this time around, was the fact that I took photos. Previously, I was so concerned about the plane's controls that I shut off my phone before I even got onto the plane (and didn't turn it on until I got off) - this time, I went ahead and left it on and took pictures until the pilot or flight attendant announced that all devices needed to be switched off.

Leaving UT I got an awesome view of the mountains, and over AZ, I was actually able to see some of the Grand Canyon! :)

I kept thinking about how awesome it would be to be a pilot or a stewardess; to get to travel every day as a job, and to get to see such amazing views of the sky! 

All in all, pretty okay trip (well, besides my ear and head aches, but they weren't quite as bad as they could have been, so I've got that to be thankful for).

Upcoming...

First of all - redesign! Well...sorta. As much redesign as you can do with a blogger layout without digging too far into the code (which I don't like doing on here, because I feel like it's kind of a pain the way that Blogger interprets stuff with it's pre-exisitng structure).

Second of all - Yay, I'm back to blogging. I feel like I keep getting interrupted in this particular endeavor by school (so, we'll see how long this burst of blogging lasts).

Some posts that will be coming soon:

• My work from my Video Production class this past semester
• Travel
• Internship/Career goals/developments
• My 30 Day Facebook Fast

So those are some things to look forward to! :)