Welcome 2011!

2010 is now just a memory.  But, wow, was it filled with some interesting stuff! 

I'll begin with my most memorable moment.  About a year ago, the hubby and I started contemplating a vacation.  A REAL vacation... travel to a far away place, staying for about a week, with no people, no work, no cell phones.  We found it at Sequoia National Park and the surrounding area.  It was the most perfect experience - perfect weather, perfect food, perfect hikes, a perfect "honeymoon".  We're trying to think of where to go next that might compare to this adventure.  It's gonna be tough.

We spent a lot of time doing other mini-vacations & day trips, also to some pretty cool spots - The southern coast of Massachusetts, Woodstock, Zoar Valley, and Allegany State Park.  You can see pictures of many of these trips in earlier blog posts.

Twenty-Ten was also the year of The Triathlon.  I think it was February when my coworker asked me to join her in participating in a sprint-distance triathlon.  I remember thinking "Oh, no.  I don't run.  I can't do that." (biking and swimming, no problem.)  Then she says "the run is ONLY a 5K" and the gears start turning.  "Maybe I could do this. It might be a fun challenge.  I'm in pretty good shape and I have till July to train."

SURE!  I'll do it.

The rest is history.  If you've followed this blog for any length of time, you know what happened.  You know of my injury in June and my lackluster performance at the Tri.  But since that day, I think I've worked out the bugs:  the bike is fixed, I'm running 3.1 miles at least once a week, and I'm excited to try again.  This year, the event is July 2nd... exactly 6-months from today.

So, what's the plan for 2011?

Well, first thing I need to focus on is getting a job.  Yes, after 3-years of surviving multiple layoffs from my company (every 6-months), I finally fell to the largest downsizing the company has ever had.  1400 sales people were let go in December, including me. 
But, ya know what?  I'm okay with it. 
It has given me a chance to explore new avenues and (hopefully) find a new career that I'm going to love.  I have not been passionate about my work in a long time - I'm SO ready to get that back.

Fitness is going to remain high on the list of "to dos" for 2011.  I have a treadmill now and an indoor bike trainer, so I never have to worry about weather or darkness again, if I don't want to (and I can no longer use either as an excuse not to work out).  I'm working on a plan to keep healthy and strong and be totally ready for the Tri in July (and maybe some other events in between).  I'm working on building my running to 8K (5-miles) at a time so that the 5K is a piece of cake.

As for the blog... I'll try to post every couple weeks (if not more), especially if there noteworthy stuff to blog about.  I'm going to continue participating in a couple of monthly blog-related events like... the photo-snapping 12-of-12 and virtual book club Turn the Page... Tuesday.  Who knows, maybe there's something else out in the blog-o-spehere that I should join for yet another reason to blog?  We'll see.

Finally, I am also leaning to crochet, so you might see a crocheted craft or two here in 2011.  I have a number of pregnant friends who all need blankets, so the craftiness will definitely be out there... you'll see those posted here once each project is done.

All-in-all, I think 2010 was a pretty good year despite some disappointments (can't be perfect, right?).  I'm hoping that 2011 is just as good or better - good health, good friends, good times.

Cheers!