hello.

“It’s never too late to be who you might have been.” —George Eliot

You never think you’ll lose your love and passion for those things that you were, originally, so passionate about. At least, I never thought I would. But, I did. I’d lost my passion for design. I kept at it, but I didn’t really feel that love for what I was doing. I’m finally rediscovering it. And, it feels wonderful. I plan on really diving back into what I love and pushing myself to do great work, and keeping my passion alive. This also means, I will be dusting off the camera and following that second love of mine.

Apparently I am an annual blogger. Maybe that will change. So much has changed in the last year. Changes I never imagined. Good, and bad, although mostly it hasn’t been a very good year for me. I’m hoping my 34th year, and going into 2014, will bring better things.

I went ahead and updated my 33 Things from last year, and I’m sad to see how few things I managed to do…and how some things won’t even be a possibility in the future…but some of those items will reappear in my 34 Things list below. Maybe this year I’ll be able to check more items off the list. Of course, there were a few things I didn’t even imagine that were great fun – making the All-Stars roster for the Charlotte Roller Girls. Going to Hawaii to play derby. Seeing my brother and family again.

With my birthday today, and being another year older, here is my 34 Things for my 34th year.

1. Get fit and healthy with the goal of dropping a dress-size and/or losing 20lbs. The focus will be on health, but it helps to have some specific goals.
2. Learn my camera, inside and out! Finally.
3. Heal (I broke my ankle), get back to skating, and make the All-Stars roster again.
4. Master my transitions (both directions) for derby.
5. Collaborate with someone on a kick-ass creative project.
6. Redesign my personal blog/spaces.
7. Launch new Being Wicked idea.
8. Create a wardrobe I really love.
9. Take photos regularly. Get back into photography.
10. Draw again.
11. Find meaning.
12. Go to yoga regularly.
13. Take a course in art, photography, design, art history – anything of interest!
14. Run a 10K race.
15. Learn to say “No” without feeling guilty.
16. Fly a kite.
17. Cook more.
18. Knit a scarf.
19. Disconnect more often.
20. Go white water rafting.
21. Go horse riding again.
22. Conquer a fear.
23. Volunteer regularly.
24. Actually plan something for my 35th birthday.
25. Read every unread book I currently own.
26. Sell a piece of artwork.
27. Visit at least one new city just for fun and exploration.
28. Go hiking in the height of Fall.
29. Successfully grow my own vegetables.
30. Be better about keeping in touch with my family. Regularly.
31. Reconnect with my mentor from college.
32. Learn how to identify twenty constellations.
33. Start a journal.
34. Let go.

So, last month I turned 33. I like lists, so I decided to make a list of 33 things to do in my 33rd year.

1. Redesign Being Wicked. It’s long overdue. (I did start on this!)
2. Launch new Being Wicked idea. (More to come soon!)
3. Launch my art idea.
4. Lose 20lbs. (Sort of. I lost quite a bit, but then gained a bit more)
5. Run 10k
6. Run a 5K in 30mins or under. (Done! Just did this on Saturday for the Race for the Cure 5k).
7. Finish the interior remodeling of the house.
8. Sort out the front yard (the back yard will have to wait).
9. Make roster. (roller derby). April 27  (I even made the All-Stars roster!!)
10. Start horseback riding again. (Sort of. I did go for a riding lesson)
11. Write letters on a regular basis. Real letters.
12. Cook more.
13. Volunteer with an animal organization.
14. Redesign my own blog/personal space (perhaps consolidate a few things).
15. Visit the Grand Canyon.
16. Pet a Llama.
17. Have a massage (and don’t feel guilty about it).
18. Stay in bed for a day reading and relaxing, and not feeling guilty about it.
19. Know my camera inside and out.
20. Go for a long hike in the mountains in Fall.
21. Relearn how to draw.
22. Get a new sofa.
23. Get my hair professionally coloured. (Highlights count, right?)
24. Join AIGA.
25. Resubscribe to .net Mag.
26. Finally go to the dentist and get this root canal taken care of (I hate being responsible). -( It was only some filling work. Thank goodness.)
27. Prune my Twitter, FB and Google Reader. (Could use a little more pruning in all honesty)
28. Visit the ocean again. Somehow. Somewhere.(April 27)
29. Create freebie stuff for folks: wallpapers, textures, patterns, icons.
30. Fly a kite.
31. Organise and backup all my photos (have some semblance of a system).
32. Create a wardrobe I really love.
33. Reconnect with my mentor from college.

As I dust off things here, I thought it might be good to play a little catch-up as to what I’ve been doing over the past few months, with the aim of actually keeping this blog active. We’ll see how that goes.

• Bought a house which needed some major updating inside, so we spent a few months working on redoing the walls, ceilings and flooring. We did a lot in that time, but there is still a lot to do, including entirely revamping the kitchen and bathrooms. It’s an ongoing project
• Just yesterday, we bought a new car! I’ve never owned a new car before, let alone such a lovely one. A 2012 Rav4 Sport.
• Picked up my camera again. It’s been awhile. I’m eager to get back into photography.
• Tore my ACL and PCL in my right knee during a derby practice so I was out of things for awhile. It was a good learning experience for me, and a challenge for my patience. Had my first MRI because of it. Fun times.
• Started hitting the gym regularly, including getting back in the pool and doing some laps. Feels great! Slowly losing the weight I’ve wanted to get rid of for some time.
• Ran my first 5K in just over 30mins
• Signed up for a number of other 5Ks, and my first 10K for next year
• Got to see one of my favourite bands, The Black Keys, live.

is a soul-saver.

is a time-sucker.

is worth it.