A New Decade, Goals, and Introductions!

I am excited to finally be starting this blog after many months of contemplation and procrastination! With 2010 just beginning, what better time than now to start a blog? It feels like just last year that we were ringing in the new Millennium and yet ten years have gone by and now we are looking ahead to a whole new decade! I'm excited for many upcoming things happening this year, many of which I hope to incorporate into the blog.

My name is Jaclyn and I am a sophomore at the University of Washington. I'm studying French, International Studies and English and I love it. I have passions in yoga, travel, art, food, healthy living, photography and exploring the world! I love being a student--I've studied in intensive art programs at Parsons, the New School for Design for the two previous summers before entering my freshman year. One thing I would love to do, though, is be a teacher--a yoga teacher. Getting certified is something I have been wanting to do for a few years, ever since I fell in love with the practice, and I know that it is something I want to pursue. I also love writing and hope to use the blog as an outlet and a place to help myself improve.

2009 certainly had its fair share of ups and downs but looking ahead, I'm excited for a year full of travel, adventure, friends, family, studying, yoga, fitness, health and happiness, food, music, art and so much more! My "resolutions" this year are more like a compilation or 2010 'bucket' list, things I want to accomplish in the upcoming year.

Start and maintain this blog
Travel (a lot)--study abroad in Europe and visit friends and relatives around the country
Meet new people
Continue my yoga practice and pursue teacher certification
do yoga in at least 8 different cities
write--find freelance writing assignments
start compiling recipes and continue cooking endeavors
volunteer
raise money for a cause
train for and run my first 5k
attend or host a blogger meet-up
do more art!

Whew! That's not even everything I want to accomplish this year! I'll continue to be enrolled full time in school and I am also continuing to look for jobs and internships. A huge goal of mine that isn't listed is to land a summer job or internship in a cool location, doing something amazing this summer.

Looking at this list gets me really excited. I wrote this list out New Years Eve day, on a ferry crossing when I was by myself, not doing much. Thinking about all that I wanted to accomplish in the next year was exhilarating. It's scary because I feel like there is a lot to it; writing, working, studying, moving, training for my first race, raising money and volunteering--but all things that I find fulfilling and exciting undertakings!

 I think sometimes people use New Year's resolutions as an excuse or easy way of putting off life changes that need to be made, but sometimes they can also serve a valuable purpose of re-assessing what you're doing and where you're going and help you to think of the next year as a whole--where do I want to be one year from now, where was I one year ago?--rather than falling into that trap of day by day, week by week and month by month monotony.

As far as my plans for school, I just finished my second day of Winter quarter. Yesterday I dropped off my contract for this spring's study abroad program in London I was accepted in to, in the English department. I can't wait to go, and although it may be scary and I am a little nervous, I know it will be an adventure!

Here's to a brand new year--a brand new decade--full of health, happiness and fun! Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog and I hope you enjoy following along!