2014 New Year's Resolutions

HEALTH:
 - Do you work the next morning? What time? Go to bed ten hours before you have to clock in to work. Sometimes when you don't get enough sleep, you get cranky. And you stay up late blogging or hanging out at Lux or at a show, when you really don't need to. In bed, lights out, and phone away ten hours before your daily grind begins.
 - Since you don't work most evenings, those might be good times for you to go to the gym you signed up for then forgot about. Even if you don't make it to the gym, you can still do some workouts at home.
 - It might be a good idea to only save alcoholic beverages for the weekend. You really don't need that vodka-cranberry on a Monday evening after a "long day at the office" or because "Matt's having a beer, I should drink too". Drink water, or coffee, but let your hair down and unwind on the weekends with your cocktail.
 - I'm not saying you're fat, but you've put on some extra, uhm...love. And we all know you can't stick to a diet for more than a day without getting cranky and demanding pizza. So, just be aware of what you eat and make healthy decisions: upgrade to a salad instead of fries, try the burger without a bun, eat more greens, etc.
 - Remember when you were in high school and you took that one yoga class and you really liked it? Remember when you stopped doing yoga and life got hard? Sign up for a yoga class and attend at least once a week, to get your crazy and busy schedule and plans out of your head for just one hour.
 - When was the last time you got a checkup for your eyes, ears, teeth, spine, lady parts, etc.? Schedule a doctor's appointment during January to see all your doctors to check up on your body and make sure everything's running the way it should be. Go back whenever they advise you to.
 - Your parents got you a really sick bike two Christmases ago. You should ride your bike every Sunday. Get some fresh air and ride it to the coffee shop, to the record store, to check the mail. Just get some exercise and let the wind hit your face and wake you up from your blogging slumber. Plus, you got that sweet phone mount for your bike so you don't have shove your phone in your pocket. Use it for map, music, or texting while you ride.

BEAUTY:
 - There have been a couple times last year when you let your hair get really ratchet. I know, you didn't really have money to touch up those gorgeous red locks. So let's try this: schedule a hair appointment every 6-8 weeks. This gives your hair enough time to fade from bright red to that natural orangey-red color that people assume is real, before it goes all "Ooh, sweetie, you need your roots done."
 - You know you're pretty...now dress like it! You're a big girl at your big girl job, so let's look like a professional. No more T-shirt and jeans to the office. Dress nice, but not fancy, to work. This shows that you're not a college graduate searching for a job anymore, but you're not yet the CEO of the company. Plus, you never know who's gonna show up to the office.
 - Remember when you used to be a girly-girl? Ah...those were the days. Let's bring back those girly days and maybe try wearing a dress at least once a week. You always feel so pretty and confident when you wear dresses.
 - You started this in 2013, now let's keep it up: wash your hair every other day, between 24 and 36 hours after the previous wash. When you wash your hair too much or too close together, your red fades, your ends split, and your hair frizzes often. Allowing your hair to "get dirty" gets the natural oils into your scalp for healthier hair.
 - I know this past year has been an up-and-down battle with biting your fingernails and letting them grow out. Please, for the love of God, don't bite your fingernails! Get your nails polished every six weeks, maybe even the same day you get your hair done. Just don't bite your fingernails anymore. You're done with that.

RELATIONSHIPS:
 - You have a beautiful relationship with Matt. Everyone can see it. If it fits your guys' schedule and budget, try to go on a date with Matt once a month. Sometimes life can get busy and it's nice to take some time away from the hectic plans and just spend time together. Go to show, go to a movie, go ice-skating, do something new, try a new restaurant. Just spend some time with that handsome man of yours. You both deserve it.
 - I know it's hard to see your family. Your parents live in Rio Rico, your grandparents and sister live in Gilbert, and your dad and his baby momma live in Chandler. It's difficult to meet with them when you're trying to work and pay bills and go to events that will build your portfolio. See them as much as you can, which can differ month to month, week to week. But always: communicate with them every day. They deserve to know what's going with you, and you to know what's going on with them.
 - Your friends are important to you. You've got a lot of awesome people who care about you. Most of them you only see/talk to on Facebook now. Schedule time to see your friends. Whether it's over coffee or lunch, catch up with those who support you in all that you do.
 - Continuing that last note: remember those awesome game nights you used to host all the time and how awesome they were? Host more events that your friends can come to. Do more game nights, do more mixtape exchanges, do movie nights, do clothing swap parties, do photo shoots, do bike rides, do bible studies.
 - You have a great relationship with Nicki and her growth in the Lord. Keep it up. See Nicki every other week. You guys are both busy (like crazy busy), but you both have some spiritual growing to do, and it's better together.
 - The most important relationship to maintain: God's. Read your Bible every day. If it's not the Bible, then a spiritual guidance book, such as those written by Rob Bell or Donald Miller. You don't go to church anymore, so you need to get your spiritual fuel on your own.

HOBBIES:
 - You are 23 years old and you don't know how to cook. YOU'RE PATHETIC. I'm surprised you've been able to maintain boyfriends for as long as you can without providing delicious meals not from your own kitchen. Learn to cook. I know it scares you: what if I cut myself? What if I burn myself/ What if the food sucks? Don't worry: if you're not failing, then you're not learning. No one said you had to become a gourmet chef, just learn the basics of cooking and make a meal every now and then. You spend way too much eating out anyways. Go grocery shopping and make dinner for yourself.
 - Remember those times your parents wrote you letters? Or when Liam sent you a letter? You got so excited. Write more letters. Send mail to your friends, especially those not in Arizona anymore. There's so much excitement and personal sentiment when you write a letter. Plus, you almost embarrassed yourself at work when you couldn't figure out how to put the stamp on the envelope.
 - You started Mixtape Mandi six months ago and it's been working out really well for you. Continue doing a podcast episode every week like you have been doing, but do more Mixtape Mandi stuff: make more mixes, write more reviews, host more music events. A year from now, I want you to be earning money off of this crazy awesome idea.
 - This one's simple and you'll do it no matter what: keep listening to new music. Go to more shows, buy more albums, meet more bands.
 - This past year kinda sucked when it came to money. Let's fix this: keep a budget. Make a note of when you spend money and get money, put some money away in a savings account, and make sure you pay your bills first before you run off to the record store.
 - You love taking pictures and watching people grow through pictures, so it's time to start your own selfie project. Take a photo of yourself everyday in whatever situation you are at the time. Keep a journal of your photos and post them to your selfie project blog.