Your Coming Year

Advice, in Advance

Like most people, I have reflected on stages of my life after they've passed and thought about what I could have done differently.  Often my regret is simply that I didn't appreciate what I had when I had it.

College comes to mind, when a dilemma consisted of debates with friends over which restaurant in the dorms should be the meeting spot for dinner, which season of Sex and the City should kick off the marathon, or which college bar should be the first stop of the night.  (Don't worry mom and dad-I studied too.)

{2005}

I think it's natural to live through an event or a time period and reflect on what you would change if only you had known.  If given the chance, twenty-nine year old me would grab my twenty-one year old college self by the shoulders and say: 

-"Take more risks!  Study abroad for a term.  Ignore that fear of the unknown and fear of missing out and step outside of your comfort zone." 

-"Take a language class.  Who cares if it meets five days a week and you want Fridays off?!"

-"Enjoy the years living with girlfriends.  Sharing clothes and having impromptu chats in the hallway seems easy, but someday you'll have to check seven different calendars to make girl's night happen."

-"Live it up.  Stop chasing the future and enjoy the now.  Life will not be this simple again for awhile.  Maybe ever."

There will undoubtedly be things I will wish I had known as the next decade passes.  For that reason, I'm willing to take advice from someone who's been there before me.  

While I don't relate to every item on this list, many are things that I am constantly working on, and others are things I could definitely stand to remember.

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13 Things I Wish I Knew When I Was a Twentysomething

By Candace Walsh, via Huffington Post

Dear Twentysomething-year-old Me,

1. When that man you have a crush on asks, "Are you a good girl or a bad girl?" laugh in his face, spin on your heel and ignore his calls.

2. Wear sunscreen. At least around your eyes and above your currently pert upper lip's cupid's bow.

3. Just because you share blood with people doesn't mean you have to give them the time of day if they are hell-bent on making you feel small, misunderstood and wrong. You've given them enough chances. Cut the cord.

4. Sign up for small automatic savings deposits that kick in every time you get paid. You'll be making down payments on your own future freedom.

5. Rejection is not a sign that you should stop doing what you love. It is married to doing what you love. It should not be kneecapping you. Embrace it.

6. If you have a problem with a valued friend, bite the bullet and talk about it. Don't just disappear on her or him.

7. Tell the truth. People really do sense it when you lie to them, and it makes them distrust you or themselves. It's the darndest thing.

8. You were raised to think that you should be married well before 30 -- and that everything else you fill your life with adds up to failure if you remain single. That's a giant bucket of steaming dookie. Be choosy. The happiness you're chasing is actually suffusing your life right now. You will look back on this time very wistfully when you've got spit-up in your hair and a husband who expects hot meals, a sparkling-clean house and you to resemble the cutie he married.

9. Reconnect with your gut. I know you were raised to ignore it, and to first please others. Without a connection to your gut, you have no compass. Listen to it. If it squawks, pay attention. The more you listen to it, the more you'll avoid messy/self-destructive detours and align with your own satisfying path.

10. You are so beautiful right now. Your skin is amazing. Your metabolism is forgiving. You have epic amounts of energy and curiosity. Do not look to others to fuel up your self-esteem. You're made of awesome. Own it and others will see it.

11. Go easier on your mother. Every single thing (except for maybe three) that annoys and disappoints you about her will be something you recognize in yourself as you get older. That's one big bakery full of humble pie you're cooking up right now.

12. Don't be competitive. Be collaborative. There's plenty of room at the table.

13. Your dream life is not something that will appear to you, or not, like an elusive, mythical unicorn. You build your own specifically perfect life every time you listen to your gut, shake off rejection, honor friends, embrace choosiness, feed your savings account, recognize your own arrogance and ignore dudes who speak bimbo.

{Feel free to comment with your own bits of advice!}

How to Have a Good Life

January is a time for resolutions.  

Eat healthier food, get more exercise, finally finish the projects that have been started... you know the drill.  We all do.  And by February most people have reverted back to living life the same way they did in December. 

I love the quote above for its simple advice on how to have a good life--something that I think we all want.  It isn't attained by a long list of strict resolutions made on January first, but by consciously focusing on what you want out of this life and how to get it. 

A good life doesn't look the same for everyone, but for me it's about the advice in this quote.

Happy 2013 to all!

Here's hoping that it's filled with happiness, health, peace and love.

Summer to do list

It's safe to say that summer has arrived in Busan.  The forecast shows nothing but sunny seventies and eighties!  I can't stop smiling.

{Here are a few things we can't wait to do this summer, in no particular order}

1. Finally make it back to a Busan Giants baseball game.

2. Explore Korea's many southern islands, and camp on one.

3. Watch the sunrise over Gwangali Bridge.

4. Listen to this song as much as possible, and take the lyrics to heart.

5. Celebrate three wonderful years of marriage.

6. Visit Jeju Island (tickets booked for August!) and climb Mt. Halla.



7. Walk along the Chenoggye Stream in Seoul. (This time without freezing.)

8. Make mojitos and drink them on our apartment's rooftop.

source

9. Eat as many fresh summer fruits and vegetables as we can.

10. Rent a kayak and take it for a ride.

11.  Get cocktails in a to-go bag.

12. Plan our trip for next winter. (Malysia/Indonesia/Australia!)

Belated Resolutions

January is here again.
  
2012 is the start of a new year, a new chapter, a new beginning.  

I could go with my usual resolutions, (yes I realize that I'm two weeks late) including: "lose weight, work out more often, be a better person..." blah, blah, blah.  

Instead, I'll use this lovely this list, found on pinterest, for resolution inspiration.

I think my mom would approve :)

Oh and since it's January, that means a Happy Belated Birthday to you, to me, to everyone.  

I hope you celebrated!

Border to Border

Last spring, two friends of Ryan's from Korea began a bike ride from San Francisco to Canada.  In May Ryan loaded up his new bike and joined the guys at the Oregon/California border, ready to work his way up to Washington. 

All ready!

The week he spent on the road was full of sunshine, rain, wildlife, camping, couch squatting, and eating just barely sustainable meals.  Ryan describes the adventure as an incredible, memorable, and exhausting experience.

The beginning

The riders

Oregon Coast

Dinner

Bandon Game Park

Staying with old friends along the way

Half-way there!

A stop in Eugene to see Alayna on her 13th birthday

She got Taylor Swift concert tickets!

Outside Salem

Willamette Falls

Ryan stopped to play tour guide for his friends once they reached Portland.  He completed the ride from Portland to Vancouver this past week, meaning he has now ridden the state of Oregon from border to border.

The end

Mission accomplished!

Resolutions

Like most people, I’ve made many New Year’s resolutions in my life.  Some that have stuck (switching to skim milk, limiting coffee to once a week, not biting my nails) and some that haven’t (cutting back on sugar, losing those last few pounds—hmm, maybe there’s a link there).

I was inspired by this list, taken from one of my favorite travel websites.  I especially love numbers 33, 43, 53, 58, 87, and 98. 

Ryan and I recently compiled a few resolutions of our own.

We’re both intending to study Spanish more often and continue the habit of reading more and watching less TV.  In addition:

Ryan

Would like to…
Cycle the length of the Oregon coast

Hike from the gorge to the summit of Mt. Hood

Work towards firefighting certification prerequisites

Fill his salmon tag (catch the legal limit of salmon)

Norah

I’d like to…

Be punctual, and maybe even early

Reach my goal weight healthily

Stick with the 30-day shred for the month of February (Hello Thai beaches!)

Spend less time on Facebook and more time on The New York Times or CNN websites

Accept people for who they are and not expect more than they’re capable of giving

We’ll do our best to stick with these for 2011.  

Good luck with your own resolutions if you’re making them!