Happy New Year!

It's hard to believe that 2014 is here.  2013 sure did leave in a hurry!  I ended the year the best way possible and headed to Alabama to visit my family.  It was exciting to see my parents' new home and I always have a great time hanging out with them and my brother and sister.

Cheers!

Most of my time was spent just hanging out, but since the weather was great (unlike the frozen tundra I found when I returned home...) we got to take the pups to some nearby parks for hiking.  The first park we went to was a little tougher than Maddux and I are used to, but the sights were worth it!  The second park had trails around a canyon with gorgeous waterfalls.

Trail dogs! 

I got a decent amount of running in while I was away.  My brother and dad joined me for some of my miles around the neighborhood and a lake in their community and my dad and sister were nice enough to walk their dogs on a trail while I did my long run.  I was pleasantly surprised that my overall pace for my 9 miles was 9:18.  I'm hoping I can keep it up as my runs get longer!  I'm ready for a shiny new PR this year!

Woohoo!

We ended the year with our family tradition of dinner and a movie (I highly recommend Saving Mr. Banks!) and then played games until midnight hit.  It was the perfect way to end a fantastic (and fast!) year.

I suppose now that the new year has begun I should start making my yearly goals.  Since it's the Friday Five with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia (First of the year!  Can't be missed!) I'll go ahead and give you 5 of my best.

1. Stay focused on the happy in life.   I am a generally happy, positive person, but I also worry way more than what's probably normal.  Every day I'm going to take a few minutes just to think about the things in the day that made me smile.

Taking silly pictures with my brother and sister makes me smile.

2.  Be proud at the end of my races.  I really want to make a goal to PR (ok, let's be real, deep down it is), but I think more importantly at this point in my running I just need to have some races I can feel good about.  2013 didn't have many of those and I want to look back at my 2014 runs with a smile on my face.

3. Attend at least 3 Lucky Dog Animal Rescue events.  Whether it be fundraisers or volunteering at an adoption event, I want to make sure that I am giving back to the organization that brought my pup and me together.

4. Make a better effort in my relationships.  I have some pretty amazing people in my life, and too often I let weeks (or even months) go by without some effort at keeping in touch.  I want my family and friends to know that they are a priority.

Family far away means more FACETIME! :)

5. Try new things.  I tend to get stuck in ruts.  I find things I love and then I stick to them like glue.  I have a bunch of trails in my Doggin' Maryland book dogeared (haha) and I would really like to take Maddux to another class so he can learn some new things.  There are some classes I have my eye on this summer, and there are a bunch of places around here that I've been wanting to go to and haven't managed to find the time.  This year I'm going to get my butt off my really comfortable couch and go.

I know some of these are really open ended (and even vague), but this year I really want to focus on letting go of some of my anxieties and just be really and truly happy.  I put so much pressure on myself to be perfect sometimes that it backfires completely.  2014 will be my year to just chill out and relax.  I would love to hear your goals for the new year!  I hope everyone's year is off to a fantastic start!