Happy New Year and the Year Ahead!

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Jamie

2013.  

happynewyear

Take a minute and take it all in.  2013.  I get such a spiritual vibe from this number.  The number 13 was always a good number for me.

In my past marriage I actually got married on Friday the 13th on Elm Street.  True Story.  Perhaps why the marriage didn’t work out? 😉 kidding.

But seriously, the year 2013 has given me hope.  Hope for the future, hope for new beginnings, and the motivation I need to tackle the goals ahead of me.

Tonight I took some time to write down a few of my resolutions, and I’ll make sure to share a few of those with you.  However, there is one thing and one word that is defining the year ahead of me.

Open

I realize I’ve built up a lot of walls around me over the years, those walls have been built because of past hurts, because of life experiences, but it is time to tackle those walls down, and allow myself to be open.

This is the year to cultivate friendships, to form deeper connections, and to have more phone conversations.  It is truly the year to be OPEN.  That also means not giving a shit.  Letting the stuff just breeze off my shoulders and keep moving forward.  To treat others the way they deserve to be treated, and to be open to all people, and the way they live their lives.

This is the year for reaching out. A time to call a friend up and ask them out for coffee or a dinner date or even a lunch date.  This is the year for creating memories.

Resolutions

I have five major resolutions for the year ahead.

1) Add more Produce into my diet. 

Tomorrow I will share the perfect cookbook that is going to help me out with this one.  But the past year I’ve learned how important produce is to the diet and I have seen firsthand how it’s helped my body.  So, now it’s time to take it to the next level and create satisfying meals at home with more produce. Hence the starting of MN Girl Baking.

2) Get a New Job

It scares me to put this one out into the online world.  But yes, it has to happen this year.  And I will begin looking for the next challenge.  It is so hard trying to start from scratch all over again, but it has to happen.

3) Get my Writing Published Somewhere

It’s time to take a leap of faith, and put myself out there with my writing.  Let my name get known, and hope to gawd someone is truly listening and admires my writing voice.  It is my dream to be published somewhere whether in a magazine or article in a well known publication.

4) Try to Sell Some Photographs

It is a dream of mine to have a gallery opening one day where I showcase my photographs, but in order to do that I need to prepare my photographs.  Meaning to have them in decent sizes and frames.  So this is a project this year to print out some of my favorite photographs and get them framed.

And try to sell them.

5) Get More Organized at HOME

I have a great organization system at work, and with the blog, but when it comes to my home life, not so much.  So this is the year to zip it in the butt and do something about it.

Blogging Goals

I tried to keep this list very simple.  This is the year where I said I’d be more open, so that includes telling more stories.  Being more authentic and letting my readers learn more about me.   So I will be starting a weekly series where once a week I share a little bit of me. 

I’m also going to push myself with MN Girl Baking to explore the world of baking from casseroles to dishes to desserts.  I’ve always had a love of baking, and now it’s time to push my baking skills to the next level.

And I have found that people have really enjoyed my photography posts that I have shared.  So it is time to dig deep and share with the world more tips in the world of photography.  That also means pushing myself to learn more.

And last but not least:  To Pay it Forward.  This past year I have met some pretty amazing women that have helped me along with my journey of blogging so I hope this year I can continue to pay it forward by helping others.

Life List

I swear, inside my head, I have this huge huge life list of where I keep accomplishing more and more things off of it.  So I thought I’d try to write down a few things I’d try to accomplish this year off this supposed list.

1) Take a Trip up to Santa Barbara

2) Hit up the Balloon Festival in Temecula

3) Take a Wine Education Course

4) Go on a Hike

5) Take a trip to Joshua Tree

6) Eat at the Melting Pot (finally!)

7) Fly home for my sister(s) graduations

8) Read 25 books

9) Go on a Whale Watch Cruise

10) Have a Girls Night Out at least once a month.

11) Have a Date Night Out at least once a month.

So that’s it.  Those are my goals going into the New Year.  Some pretty hefty one, but it’s definitely given me some motivation and direction for the year ahead.

Happy New Year everyone.  Please share with me one of your resolutions, or if you’ve written a post about yours, share in the comments.  If I knew how to do a linky I’d create one. 😉

 

 

 

 


Categories: Fun Stuff, Life | Tags: , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

What is @priceless in your city? #la #lovethiscity #cbias

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Jamie

City Skyline of LALA (Los Angeles,) the city of dreams.  It’s so funny, being from Minnesota we had this image in our heads of LA.  That’s where all the writers, actors, actresses, and models went to.

So, you can imagine that I never dreamed of being here, but when that day came, and I told friends and family, they all looked at me, like really?  Lots of them put wagers on when I’d be back in Minnesota again.

What I wasn’t prepared for was how fast and easy it was to fall in love with this city #lovethiscity.  And how there is truly something for everyone in this city.  Whether you’re a movie fanatic, or a person who loves the arts, or are one of those foodies or even the sports (LA Dodgers, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, and the LA Kings) there really is something for everyone.

Outside the Music Center

Outside the Music Center

For those of you that love the arts, there are beautiful art galleries found throughout the entire city of LA.  There are also amazing theaters from the Long Beach Performing Arts Center to the Music Center that plays host to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion to the Mark Taper Forum to the Ahmanson Theatre.  And even small town playhouses like the Santa Monica Playhouse, the Pasadena Playhouse and others found all throughout the town.

catcherintheryeFor the sports fanatics there is also a little something for everyone in LA.  Up above lies a photo from the Dodgers Stadium, the beloved baseball team of LA.  But even down in the OC (Orange County) there are the Anaheim Angels.

And for those basketball fanatics, there lies the LA Lakers and the LA Clippers.  And there are huge hockey fans all throughout this town.  Who won the Stanley Cup last year other than the LA Kings.

beachWith the beach only a few miles away for many Angeleno’s, it has become a favorite place to hang out, spend a day at, and just have some fun and relaxation.

And not to mention, a destination getaway for those that travel, a place to come for the beautiful sunshine and to be near the ocean blue.

schmuckAnd for the foodie, LA is a great place to relish in those wonderful restaurants, and for those that love STREET food, LA is also the place to be.  With food trucks roaming the streets at every corner, and close to fun tourist attractions, there’s a little something for everyone.  On any given day you could have sushi, burgers, food from New York, Thai or Italian.

observatory3But, for me, the photographer, what is priceless to me in LA?  The amazing shots you can find throughout the entire city.  Whether it’s visiting the Griffith Observatory and getting a beautiful shot of the city below.

vincentthomasOr visiting the Port of Los Angeles, and capturing the beautiful Vincent Thomas Bridge.

koreanfriendshipbellOr visiting the Korean Friendship Bell.  There truly is something to take a picture of.  And it creates lasting memories for years to come.

So, wherever you live in the world, please share with me what is Priceless in your city?

For everything else, there is Mastercard!!!

Mastercard has just launched a new Priceless program for its members that offer valuable experiences throughout cities around the world.  LA is one of those amazing cities, and has experiences for the foodie, the art lover, the sports fanatic, and more.

Stop by and visit them on Twitter or Facebook and be sure to check out their site.

Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and Mastercard  #CBias #SocialFabric #lovethiscity

 

 

 


Categories: Life | 11 Comments

Saying Good Bye to 2012 Part 2

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Jamie

If you missed my first part of “Saying Good Bye to 2012” make sure to check it out.  It’s where I explored my journey from January to June.

Now, lets continue this journey.

July 2012:  This was my favorite month of the entire year, and for one reason.  The beginning of the month we went to Sonoma, CA to visit David’s family.

I also had a day of touring the wineries up there, and let me tell you, I was in heaven.

gloriaferrerAnd then of course our venture out to San Francisco:

sanfranciscoHowever, when we got back home, it was a pretty busy month too with a trip to the Dodgers Baseball stadium:

catcherintheryeIt was a memorable experience as we were let onto the field behind home plate, and given the full VIP experience.  Read more about it here.

And the end of the month I finally went to the OC fair for my very first time:

OC Fair 076

August 2012:

August was another fun month of hitting some festivals: Think BBQ Bonanza, Crawfish Festival, and an amazing food preview of the LA County Fair.  Along with a trip to Angels Stadium to see my boy, Torii Hunter, play some baseball on behalf of the Smile Generation.  Another fun month.

OC BBQ Bonanza 017

ReallyGoodBreadCrawfishFestival 039

It was my first time having Crawfish and I loved loved loved it.  Thanks for the experience Life in LA!

Angels Game @smilegen 081There’s my boy.  Just so you know, Torii was a Minnesota Twins player for years and I developed a mad crush on him and was so heartbroken when he moved out to the Angels, so this was my first time being reunited with him 😉 LOL.  If he only knew!

Naked PineappleAnd wow oh wow, the LA County Food Preview was so much fun.  All that food, and not feeling guilty about any of it.  😉

September 2012: The months just keep getting busier.  This month included my first trip to the LA County Fair.  A day at the LA Zoo, and another costume review.

LA Zoo and LA County Fair 443Are you really surprised that my favorite portion of the LA County fair was their wine marketplace?  yea, I didn’t think so 😉

davidDavid attended his first blogging event with me.  We just happened to be visiting with Tillamook Cheese at the LA Zoo.

carouselThis is my favorite picture of all of 2012 of myself.  Just shows the fun and my inner child personality here.  Also at the LA Zoo.

Halloween Costume 036And gearing up for Halloween with my costume review of this 80’s Roller Girl outfit.  😉

October 2012: This was a wonderful month with a visit to Las Vegas for Bloggy Boot Camp, The SoCal Social, and Fresh Summit all happening.  It was a BUSY month, but one I enjoyed thoroughly.

Bloggy Boot Camp 030One of my most memorable blogging experiences was meeting with David Mirassou from Mirassou wines for an intimate wine dinner with some other fantastic bloggers in Vegas.

grouopshot2

SoCal Social! 172The fun of the SoCal Social.  One, you just never know who you’ll fun into, but exploring through all of Old Town Orange.  A favorite one stop destination of mine.  Antiques, dinner, and friends.  Old and New.

Fresh Summit 102 Fresh Summit 119The fun of Fresh Summit.  The largest Produce Industry expo out there.  I tried DragonFruit and Lychees for my first time, and admire the amazing display of Melissa’s Produce.   A fun day!

November 2012: This was a more low key month which after September and October I was ready for a more low key month.  I focused on baking, and also cooking my first turkey with my lovely SO.

Chocolate MarshChocolate Dipped Candy Canes2And our first turkey:

Thanksgiving Dinner 091

December 2012:

I ended the year with a full month of activities.  Every year since moving out to LA I’ve made sure to do different things around the holidays to truly experience all that city  has to offer.  From seeing “A Christmas Carol” to Tree Lightings to Holiday Walks to even a day at Knott’s Merry Farm.  It was the season to be festive and I definitely made the most of it.

Shopping Cart Tree

The shopping cart tree along Main Street in Santa Monica.

christmastree

The Culver City Christmas Tree Lighting was a very festive night with the appearance of Santa Claus being escorted by police cars at the end.  Read the article on lifeinla.com.

San Pedro ParadeThe Festive Holiday Parade in the town I live in.

happyholidaysCarolers at Knott’s Merry Farm.  They really go all out during the holidays.  Love shopping through all the Christmas stuff at Merry  Farm.

Group Shot

Experiencing Circus Vargas!!! What a fun night =)

As you can see, exploration and experiencing life is truly how I go about living my life.  It is those experiences that truly enhance and help you create memories.

As I wrote this the past few days I realized how much happened in 2012 and it was fun reliving those moments all over again.  2012 was a great year, and I can’t wait to see what 2013 will be like.

Happy end of the year 2012, and wishing all of you a Happy New Year =)

 

 

 

 

 


Categories: Fun Stuff, Life | Tags: , , , , , , | 7 Comments