Mason Jar Memories.

I’m at the yoga studio Mondays and Wednesdays, and my husband plays soccer on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so during the week, we are like ships passing in the night. In lieu of tonight’s usual aerial yoga class, I opted to spend some quality time with Mitch and the dogs. When I got home, he had set up a make-your-own-taco station while jamming the Mariachi El Bronx Pandora station. It was definitely a “This is why I married you” moment. Meanwhile, our tableside entertainment looked a lot like this.

Even though we are already nine days into 2013, we finally busted open our memory jar from 2012 – better late than never, right? Ticket stubs, race bibs, mementos from restaurants where we had good meals, corks, metro passes, little notes from particularly fun days…you name it, and we had placed it in the memory jar. I was impressed one little jar could hold so much!

We each took turns reading the memories out loud; it was fun to reminisce about the silly things we had done (Monster Jam, anyone?) alongside the more poignant moments of 2012 (the promise we read to our goddaughter at her christening). After emptying the memory jar, we took advantage of this downright balmy weather and went for a stroll with Drake & Caroline around the neighborhood.

Like Kenny Rogers said, you gotta know when to hold’em and know when to fold’em. Life will still go on if I miss one workout, and tonight I’m glad I folded’em so I could spend some time with my little family. Yoga will always be there, but quiet walks in the neighborhood when it’s 60 degrees in January might not.

After all, yoga is all about balance.

Hello, Goodbye.

The last day of 2012 started with a 75-minute hot yoga class at Be Yoga. During class, I imagined all the negative experiences of 2012 leaving my body with every drop of sweat (and there were a lot). Aside from helping me mentally and physically prepare to welcome 2013, it also took my mind off the fire I felt in my biceps and glutes throughout class – yowza. Later that night, Mitch and I spent New Year’s Eve with my family, as we have for the past four years. The only difference was Mel Gibson decided to join this year.

2012 certainly had trying moments, but it was also a year filled with new & exciting experiences. We bought a new car, moved into a house, became godparents to a beautiful little girl, and celebrated our first wedding anniversary. I left a job that made me miserable for one that I look forward to going to each day. I ran a 5k, then a 10k, and then a half marathon where I officially came down with the race bug.

While ringing in 2013, I thought of the New Year’s resolutions that I made last year; those I followed through with (more yoga, less stress) and those that could still use some improvement (more blogging, less wine). Is it okay to blame those failed resolutions on all my  stress over the world’s imminent end in 2012? No?

Apocalypse jokes aside, at the end of the day only I am accountable for my successes and failures, and I am determined to make 2013 an unforgettable year. I will run a race every month. I will learn to play a song on my banjo. I will blog multiple times per week. I will incorporate headstands into my yoga practice. I will be more conscious of what I put in my body (after I finish this pizza and champagne). I will work on chipping away at our debt so we can start seriously saving. I will step outside of my comfort zone – not just with fitness, but with food, music, traveling. And when in doubt, I will turn to Pinterest.

How about you? What are your goals for 2013?