IMG_3074BWEvery year, for the past few years, I have vowed this is the year. This is the year I get my shit together, man up, quit my job because I’ve launched my own successful location-independent business, lose weight, get a beach body from surfing and drinking cold-pressed juices and doing yoga every day, stop mishandling my money, and live the “good” life I daydream about constantly. (And for the record, I do know that I already have a wonderful life and so much to be grateful for).

Well . . . I am still sitting here, and on the outside not much has changed. But for once I don’t feel defeated or have any regrets. I have come a long way this year. I have learned to use our new digital camera for photos and videos and I’ve pushed myself beyond my comfort zone many times. Each time I did, I could feel myself getting braver and learning something new. I hadn’t realized how timid I was being until recently, but each time I took a risk and put myself out there, I was met only with encouragement, new opportunities, and new friends.

This is my final post for the year, I will be taking a little break until shortly after the New Year.  I want to say thank you so much for visiting me here! For fun, I’ve decided to round up my five favorite experiences from 2014. See you next year!

1. I finally went to an Heirloom Tomato Tasting. And it.was.awesome.

IMG_1619-TomatoDayCaseyFarm2. Jeff and I did the Vermont Cheese Trail to celebrate our fourth anniversary. In hindsight, not an activity that is particularly conducive to romance, but it was so much fun. I fell in love with Fat Toad Farm.

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3. I’ve lived in the area most of my life, but it was only this summer that I experienced the insanely gorgeous Blithewold Gardens in their full glory.

IMG_4239-Blithewold Mansion Bristol4. Stone Barns Center for Agriculture blew us all away. If I didn’t have adult responsibilities like a crazy dog, student loans, and a mortgage, I’d love to spend several months there as an intern.

IMG_4505-Stone Barns Center NY5. To indulge my flower farmer fantasies, I signed up for an eco-florals class with the intrepid Debra Prinzing. It only made the problem worse 😉

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