I've never been more afraid of the weather!!

I'll be flying to Chicago tomorrow morning. I am frightened to say the least. The recent record lows (high of -9) are disconcerting to say the least especially for a girl who gets the chills when temperatures hit the 40's. Lucky for me, the windy city has been warming up a bit - today the high was 22. I'll be sure to write an update as soon as my fingers have thawed.

I'll be on the lookout for flocks of geese!

I'm about a week late

I know the first week of January is already over and that any New Year's Resolutions should have been recorded and begun a week ago, but it's hard to make time to think about these things during the holiday rush. I've given myself a week to think about resolutions and it's a good thing, because ideas just keep coming to me! So here's my 2009 list thus far:

1.) Practice yoga 2x a week

2.) Get back into my routine of running 2-4 miles 4 times a week

3.) Go gluten free (this will undoubtedly be the HARDEST challenge! But, after discussing some health issues with my mom, we think it might be the evil culprit of some not-so-pleasant physical ailments) An occasional cheat with a biscuit at 24th street cafe with Daniel will work itself in :)

4.) Be debt free! I'm pretty close and that feels good, but I can't even imagine how awesome it will be to have it all gone :)

5.) Stay in touch more diligently with : Emily, Amy, Eileen, Andria, Jessica, Amber and Shaun

6.) Complete my home improvement projects in my room, my parent's office and (fingers crossed) Zack's room.

7.) Save enough money for my next trip. I am still undecided on the location or the time - maybe next fall (if I don't go back to school). The places I'm considering are Peru/Chile/Argentina, Eastern Europe - Czech Republic and Croatia, Thailand, or South Africa.

I'm sure I'll continue to add to this list as daydreaming is my favorite pastime. But, a week into 2009, this is where I stand.

A couple of things that I'm looking forward to in 2009:

1.) Spending an incredible week in New York City - staying at the W time square, eating at great restaurants, seeing Wicked on broadway, catching up with Eileen, ice skating in Rockefeller Center on Valentine's Day... 

2.) Attending the Insect Lore 40th Anniversary soiree at Town in NYC

3.) Going to Philadelphia - a city I've never visited - and catching up with Bree and Kim, long lost Barcelona buddies.

4.) Flexing my creative muscles with the brand new Insect Lore visitor's center/museum and planning the grand opening in the spring!

5.) Watching the Jr. Miss girls blossom into confident young women and put on a great program in March.

6.) Going back to Seattle

7.) A road trip from Seattle to Shafter with my best friend Jessica!

8.) Having Jessica be a Toews for the summer!

9.) Seeing new places, tasting new flavors, meeting new people...

I'm excited about 2009!!