The new year came out of nowhere. Ever since I moved to Scarborough it seems as though the days, weeks and months fly by. All of a sudden Christmas had passed and New Year's was on the horizon. For me, 2016 was a year of mixed emotions. It was filled with bad events such as my shoulder condition getting worse and worse, being stuck at a job that made me miserable and getting a new-to-me car that I put a lot of money into die on me. However, I was also blessed with many wonderful experiences such as graduating from college, moving in with my significant other, starting graduate school and getting engaged.

However, I never did make it through my entire list of new year's resolutions. I was only able to check off a few things on my lists and, honestly, those were resolutions I knew were guaranteed for me. This year I decided to try something new. I would challenge myself. I would write resolutions that were easy to obtain, hard to obtain and ones that would keep me working all year long. The following are just a few of the goals I have set for myself in 2017.

Become A Healthy Individual

This is such a typical new year resolution. However, it is one that I really need to strive for. I have a bad habit of eating poorly and snacking frequently. I'd love to introduce some new vegetables and fruit into my diet. This can be accomplished by eating an apple with my breakfast, packing carrot sticks to snack on while I'm with work and trying a vegetable I've never had before with one meal each week. This also means making fresh vegetables rather than canned or frozen ones. I'd also like to introduce myself to a new type of fruit each week. I've always stuck to apples, oranges, and grapes as my main fruit. Perhaps next time I'm at the store I could pick up an apricot or a grapefruit. Eating healthy also means learning how to cook healthy. I am a sucker for boneless buffalo wings, mac and cheese and marinated steak. I also hate salad with a burning passion. Lettuce lacks flavor, I can't stand tomatoes and onions are too strong for my taste buds. However, I could learn to like them or at the very least tolerate them. Becoming a healthy individual also means to cut soda and other sugary drinks from my diet. This is not to say that I won't ever drink soda. But I certainly won't drink it every day like I have been. I'll put more water in my diet and I'll start making unsweetened iced tea to sip on when I'm home.

Take My Vitamins Every Day

Last fall(2015) I was told that I had a vitamin D deficiency. My doctor suggested that I take a multivitamin with 800IUs of vitamin D every day. I did really well for about six months. After that, I would only remember to take them every other day, once a week, a couple days a month and eventually I stopped taking them all together. Ever since then I've noticed that my mood has gotten worse, I'm always tired, the lack of sunshine brings me down and that I've just genuinely felt ill.

By remembering to take my vitamins every day I can boost my health, my energy levels and hopefully my vitamin D levels!

Buy A House

This is a huge goal for both myself and my fiance. Living in a cramped apartment with stupid rules, such as no hanging anything on the walls, no turning the heat above 68 and no dogs, has really been a drag. Being able to decorate my living space has always been a way for me to express myself. I have so many knick-knacks, shelves, and calendars that I have nowhere to put. Buying a house will be an amazing step towards a bright future with my fiance and our two little fur babies.

Exercise

I realize that this could go under my "becoming a healthy individual" tab, but honestly, I believe this deserves its own resolution. I know a lot of people who exercise and eat poorly or eat healthy and don't exercise. I want to do both. Exercise has always been something I've struggled with. I'm uncomfortable in my own skin and going to a gym where people can watch me workout is anxiety-inducing. However, I have found a few workout routines on youtube that I think would be a great start to becoming comfortable with who I am. Thankfully, I have a fiance who is willing to do this with me and that support pushes me to better myself.

Plan My Wedding

There is a lot that goes with a wedding. You need to pick a venue, bridesmaids, groomsmen, an officiant, a date, a type of cake, a dress, bridesmaid dresses and so many more things. While I don't plan on getting married until the Spring of 2018, I want to have as much as possible planned by the end of 2017.

Spend More Time Outside

I used to love going for walks every time I drove down to Gorham to meet my fiance in the summer. We would walk around on the trails and enjoy the fresh air. But last summer when I worked all day on Saturdays it made it really hard for us to be able to go anywhere to enjoy the air. Being outside in the summer will also help with my vitamin deficiency.

I could go on forever about everything I want to do in 2017. However, these seemed like the most important resolutions for me to share. Happy New Year's everyone!