I have never been one to have a resolution for the New Year…but this year why not do 10? So here are 10 things I plan on doing and working on this year so I expect my family and friends to hold me accountable…
1) When going to the grocery store, don’t buy ice cream
This has become a rather unhealthy obsession…where I will eat at least 5 bowls of ice cream in a given week. Vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate granola and dark chocolate chips or M&M’s…errr my god…I’m salivating thinking about it! Since this is the year I turn 30 and my stomach will most likely start to grow exponentially I’m kickin’ the habit officially. 4 days in and so far so good.
2) Eat more vegan
I certainly don’t plan on giving up meat entirely but I can probably stop having meat in some form or another in every meal. I just want to limit my meat intake mainly because it just feels so gluttonous to eat it all the time. I respect the vegan diet and while I don’t think I could ever become one I at least want to limit how much meat I eat moving forward.
3) Consume less and recycle more
I recently finally paid the $75 to get a recycling bin so I can recycle at home. I have been so cheap about this and figured it was a good time to start. I also want to find more creative ways to use less non-renewable products both at home and at thirty-thirty and to find ways to re-use materials if possible. As an example at work I plan on re-using more Rubbermaid bins to store coffee rather than the extra step of using large gallon size plastic bags to store coffee that we use to fill our retail bags. While this creates an annoying step of washing the bins more often as opposed to just being able to chuck the plastic baggie when it’s empty it is much more sustainable.
4) Pay off my CEFCU credit card
This card has been a thorn in my side since 2009. It is the only credit card I carry a balance on and has been used in emergency type situations over the past several years and I’ve finally been making more payments than transactions on it. While I’m not sure how I’m going to pay it off I’d like to find a way. So…if anyone wants to give me $3,000 … you know where I work 🙂
5) Take our dogs to the dog park
This may seem ridiculous because we are now a family of four. But I feel Kam and I are pretty decent parents and are very involved with our kids day in and day out. So much so that we neglect our first two non-human children, Baxter and Koffea. I feel like all we do is tell them NO constantly or OFF or something like they are always annoying or in trouble. They deserve some fun every now and then too so I plan on making an effort to take them to hang out with other four-legged friends.
6) Be more involved in local politics
I never thought I would do this, but I registered to vote in 2014. I did so in order to be able to legally sign a ballot that would help get a woman named Linda Bolliger onto the City Council ballot. If elected this Spring she will help be a voice and leader to make some shiz happen in the warehouse district and for other small business owners and entrepreneurs. So, now that I’m registered I think I’d like to get more involved in local politics and also to help be a voice for the voiceless. Not sure how this will look but I plan on at least being more aware of the issues at hand. I definitely want to use my voting more to see Food Trucks become a thing in Downtown Peoria this year.
7) Relax at work a little more
I’m pretty high strung. As thirty-thirty has gotten busier that means I have gotten busier and I’m constantly wearing lots of different hats. However, I want to remember that my job is freakin’ awesome. Contrary to what many might think, there are very few days that I’m aware of this…and that needs to change. I plan purposefully trying to embrace what I’ve helped create and those wonderful friends and co-workers who spend their days alongside me.
8) Write more blogs
I plan on writing more. I love to write and it helps me reflect about what I’m learning and doing in life. This will annoy many of you but hopefully excite at least a few of you…
9) Talk about Jesus more
I’ve become so annoyed with Christians that it has become increasingly difficult to talk to anyone about Jesus….especially my sort of atypical views about him. So this past year I sort of just kept quiet and not have not really talked about anything I’m learning or thinking about in order to keep people from jumping down my throat. While I don’t plan on going onto Facebook and starting a discussion I at least want to do better about finding ways to talk about faith and spirituality in more causal and personal settings. I really care about these matter a lot and it’s not worth it to sit on what I think about God and not share it with others even if they may not like it…but perhaps I’ll find that many will be refreshed by what I’ve been refreshed by about God over the past several years.
10) Open a second thirty-thirty location
This has been something we’ve wanted to do for about a year now. And while we originally had thoughts about starting a second one outside of Peoria… we have warmed up to the idea of starting a second one in Peoria. More details to come but just be on the look out for some exciting things in 2015.
Happy New Year!!!
Ty Paluska 