A Fresh Start.

Let's not talk about how I fell so far behind on Reverb 10 that I gave up trying to get my posts written (though the prompts are in my journal!). Or how I failed at the new start I wanted to make here back in October. It's 1-11-11. The perfect day to breathe some life back into this blog and begin anew.

What have I been up to, you might be wondering? The holidays, parties, nearly a month with my family in New Jersey, a horrible cold and a snowstorm later, it is back to the real world. To be honest, as much as I love December, I like real life better. I like getting my fruits and veggies, 8 hours of sleep a night and taking my vitamin. I like having a schedule and sticking to it. Another reason that I am glad to be back? I'm SO excited for all that 2011 will bring!

Here are my 2011 intentions:

-Get healthy/Practice Self-Care: Jesse and I joined the gym together, which will give me even more motivation to go. I'm 90% sure that I am going to end up getting a Vitamix, making green smoothies a whole lot easier. I'm giving the new PointsPlus program at Weight Watchers a go. I'm commiting to taking my supplements. Cooking healthy meals. Getting back into having yoga be a regular part of my week. Eating mostly vegan. Taking long hot baths. Trying to develop a meditation practice.

-Travel: Through a perk at my job, I won two airline tickets anywhere in the world that have to be used within the next year. Jesse and I have had some fun throwing around ideas, but I welcome any new suggestions! We also both have tickets to use on Southwest by August. We are thinking a trip to California needs to happen. This year we will also be headed to North Carolina to celebrate his friends' wedding and to Maine for some rest and relaxation (as well as Thanksgiving). Jesse also got a car in late October, which makes day trips and spontaneous weekend getaways a lot more feasible.

-Write: Journal regularly, write here on the blog and read lots more about getting a book published

-Work: Figure out my passion. Plan for next steps and where I see myself in 3, 5 and 10 years.

-Cook: Bake bread, macaroons and whoopie pies. Experiment with new grains. Use a whole lot more tofu. Figure out exactly how to use miso and then do it!

What are some of your 2011 intentions? How are you feeling as we slip into this new year?

My Mondo Beyondo List!

Ever since I took the Mondo Beyondo e-course, I've been constantly refining my "Mondo Beyondo" dream list. They encourage you to dream big and then dream bigger. I've hesitated to put it out there in the world but now feels like the right time. I'm looking forward to seeing how this list grows and changes over time, how I incorporate these things or accomplish them and hearing any input/advice/suggestions/comments from all of you!

-Get to my goal weight

-Run a 5 k

-Complete the 200-hour yoga teacher training

-Complete the holistic health counselor training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition

-Live in New England (or at least spend summers there--soooooo beautiful!)

-Go to massage school

-Become a gourmet vegetarian cook

-See the world: Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, more parts of Mexico and Israel, Greece, Brazil, India, Germany, and lots more of the United States.

-Swim with dolphins

-Learn Hebrew and Portuguese

-Make my own tallit

-Own my own house with a huge kitchen and a wrap-around porch

-Publish a book

-Teach prenatal yoga

-Sponsor a child through a relief organization

-Sleep underneath the stars on the beach

-Work at an organization that helps women and children

-Become a journalist and/or a freelance writer

-Teach something

-Camp at the Grand Canyon

-Pick my own apples and make a pie with them

-Become a doula

-Pay off my student loans (because this would equal freedom)

-Bake bread

-Volunteer my time

-Have children and raise them to be amazing human beings

-Work to legalize gay marriage

-Open my own yoga studio

-Plant a garden and make dinner with my own vegetables

-Get a Boston Terrier puppy

-Take a painting class

-Have a gorgeous but simple wedding

-Own a new (and not just new-to-me) car

-Hear Salman Rushdie do a reading

-Take a few types of dance classes

-Host Thanksgiving (minus the turkey) for my family

-Take self-defense classes

-See a zebra up close in its natural habitat

-Slow dance somewhere totally inappropriate

-Learn to make my own pottery

-Design my own website

-Trace my family tree

-Own a pair of outrageous high heels

-Become a tea snob

-Fly first class (just once--I want to see what it's like!)

-Crochet a beautiful blanket (after I learn how to read a crochet pattern, that is!)

-Keep kosher and Shabbat

-Complete an adult bat mitzvah class

-Go on a meditation retreat

-Take a workshop at Kripalu

And, because this list can be a bit overwhelming, things I've already done that would have appeared here: Travel (to Israel, Venezuela, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Italy, Spain plus lots of US places), put a prayer in the Western Wall in Jerusalem, gave horse riding lessons to handicapped kids, got a BA with a double major and a minor, completed a Spanish immersion program, been kissed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, completed the first level of yoga teacher training as well as pre and post natal teacher training at Tranquil Space, waited tables (I firmly believe everyone should have to do this at least once in their life), worked in human rights, completed a wine course, visited the mikvah, read at least 70 books a year since I graduated college, interned at the Holocaust museum, received my boating license, lived in the nation's capital, interned at my Congressman's office, started a blog, lost 70 pounds, wrote a newsletter, worked in retail, met Margaret Atwood and Adam Duritz, heard Elie Wiesel speak, voted for change, survived a near-death experience, saw a show on Broadway, been to a ballet, had several pen pals, mailed "just because" packages and cards to friends and family, raised a puppy, took leaps of faith, read (many) books in a foreign language, counted stars, wrote a letter to my member of Congress, amassed a serious collection of books and loved someone with all my heart.

{Photo credit: jillallyn}

Mondo Beyondo!

This week I started an e-course, Mondo Beyondo. The course, in the words of its founders, Jen Lemen and Andrea Scher: "This five week online class complete with inspiring lessons, real life stories, secret missions, audio interviews and hands-on activities will help you take your dreams from the realm of wishing into everyday motion. Supported by Andrea and Jen as your able guides and exclusive access to a community of dreamers, you'll find yourself equipped with the perfect tools and the just right atmosphere to take the risks you've always dreamed of."

There are daily lessons that are posted to the Mondo Beyondo online forum. It has already become quite an amazing community. I have a feeling that this course will be amazing fodder for my journal. Additionally, many of you know that as of late I have felt like I need a new path. I want to shake it up a bit and live a life that makes me happy, proud and fulfilled. I am not sure where those feelings will take me but I have a sneaking suspicion that Mondo Beyondo will get me at least a little bit closer to finding out.

I cannot wait to dream big and explore risk-taking with my fellow Mondo Beyondo-ers!

{Photo credit: D Sharon Pruitt}