And now let us welcome the New Year

At the end of last year I wrote about the things I aspired to do in 2013. Rather than mark them as formal resolutions, I concluded my list would be more like a manifesto, or mission statement, for my life. My hope was to repeat these intentions year after year, and hopefully a few of them rub off on the people around me.

2013 was pretty amazing. I've become a lot more comfortable in my own skin and that includes voicing my opinion. I mean, have you heard of Jennifer Lawrence? Women with opinions are awesome. I've grown less vulnerable by sharing these opinions through my writing. That means this thing I'm doing right now, sharing with you, is a big deal to me, and I'm very glad you're reading. For the sake of the new year, I'm repeating my manifesto of ideas for 2014. If nothing else, it's good reminder for me to keep striving to be the best version of myself and be happy.

Travel to new places. I nailed this one by traveling to Hawaii this summer with my parents. With a few short trips to Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City sprinkled in between, I'd say I was fortunate enough to have a wonderful year of travel. What's brewing for 2014? Hopefully more short trips here and there as well as a possible trip to the west coast. Stay tuned!

Exercise often and stay motivated. So, this was "run at least two 5Ks," but I think I only squeezed in one last year. I signed up for the Yuengling Light Lager Jogger 5K on April 12, but I haven't been very diligent in running lately. This dark, cold weather is not the best motivator for post-work runs. For 2014, I'm on the hunt for some safe trails to run in the Lancaster area, and I hope to get back into my morning yoga flow.

Get more sleep. I did A LOT better with this in 2013, and have enjoyed more restful sleeping patterns. I minimized my caffeine intake and listened to my body when I was stressed out. Sometimes that meant tucking myself into bed with a cup of tea and a book at 8 p.m. Hopefully this habit continues into 2014.

Cook or bake something new every month. This statement also changed from last year. I realize now cooking something NEW every week is just not realistic. It requires a lot of effort and patience. Once a month is much more doable. When I was at my parents' house over Thanksgiving, I copied down a lot of my grandmother's old recipes. I'm looking forward to reviving some of her delicious treats in 2014.

Give more warm greetings and farewells to the people I love. This is probably my favorite of all of my ideas. My family is the hugging kind, and I love it. What better way to stay happy and remind people you love them than a giant hug? Sometimes it's all we need to change our whole outlook on the day.

My wish for in the new year is to be happy. Embrace the people you love. Enjoy the things you are most passionate about. Stay beautiful. Be thankful for what you have. Help others. Achieve your dreams. Life is short to be anything other than happy. Cheers!