Passport to Fun

Welcome to 2010 (two thousand ten or twenty ten depending on your ilk) and to a new decade! It feels like there is so much room for quality, resolution making. I usually avoid making official resolutions because they seem to be grandiose gestures with 1 month of follow through. However, yesterday I went for a lovely walk around Town Lake (Lady Bird -- again with the naming issue) and I decided to set down a few basic parameters. These are not as much resolutions as guidelines to push me out the door. It is a tad daunting to share these guidelines with you people since I know you are a bunch of nagging sticklers, but here goes:

1. Go six new places (breweries, countries, state parks, whatever)
   
2. Try 6 new things (DIY, software, cocktail)
   
3. Try 12 new recipes/ dishes (fairly self explanatory)
   

These don't have to be grand adventures, but that definitely counts as well. I can be a bit of a creature of habit. When I know there is something I like, I will return...restaurants, vacations, favorite recipes. But I love the feeling of *new,* so I am hoping to push against my habit-creature within. Examples from 2009 that could have made this list include: my trip to San Miguel de Allende, the inception of Mermindia, and my recipe find for delicious maple-syrup sweetened pumpkin chocolate chip bread recipe.

For 2010, I would like to use my passport at least once. The numero dos section is pretty wide open and opportunities could arise in the arenas of crafting, professional development, musica, and beyond. Finally, I'm pretty tired of my dinner/lunch options; hence my desire to expand my cooking repertoire. Recommendations for easy and amazing dinners are always welcome.

Happy You Year! What grand plans do you have in store for You?