As 2013 comes to a close it is time to provide an update on my "My Lucky '13" list. Unfortunately, I did not accomplish as much on this list as I had hoped, but again my list are not "bucket lists", they are ways to make sure I keep going out and living.
- Read 13 books. I have always been an avid readers, but lately it feels like my book reading is lacking because life seems to be too busy. I typically read 2 or 3 books at a time so to read 13 books in a year should be a goal I can accomplish. –I didn’t quite get through 13 books. I did get 3 books read and I am currently reading 5 different books. I have been making time to read more.
- Try 13 new restaurant. This item is always an easy one for me to get done. There are so many great restaurants in the Twin Cities area and even outside of the Twin Cities. This is something everyone should do because it is a great way to get out of dining ruts. –I was able to try a number of new restaurants in 2013 including Pig ‘n Fiddle, Barbette, Shanty Town, Zzest, Prairie Tap House, Red Wing Brewery, Reeds Landing Brewing Company, Matt’s Bar, Black Sheep Pizza, The Nut Bar, Ward 6, Parlour, Bachelor Farmer, Lucia’s, World Street Kitchen, Pizza Lola, Fire House Grill, Katz’s Deli, and many more.
- Learn to make cheese. One of my favorite foods is cheese. I have seen quick recipes on making soft cheese; I might have to challenge myself to try making a hard cheese too. –While I did not learn to make cheese, nor move it to my 2014 list (it could still happen in 2014), I did enjoy plenty of good cheese. I met my friend Mark O’Conner who loves cheese as much as I do; we enjoyed our fair share of cheese in 2013.
- Learn to make pasta. I love the taste of fresh pasta and I have always wanted to make pasta since I was given a pasta maker from a dear friend of mine. I cannot wait to make fresh pasta for my niece Karley as she prepares for swim meets this season. –This goal has been added to my new list: “Fabulous ’14”
- Learn to scuba dive. Not many people know this about me, but when I was little I was deathly afraid of water. Another not so known fact about me is that one of my favorite sounds is the sound of being underwater. I love to swim. I love being surrounded by water. I took a introduction to scuba class when I was in Hawaii in the hotel pool many years back and have wanted to give it another try and actually leave the pool. –This goal has been added to my new list: “Fabulous ’14”
- Cook with Chef John Besh. If you follow my blog this item will look familiar. To cook with Chef Besh was #1 on my 12 in '12 list, unfortunately I was unable to have that opportunity. I did make progress in my journey to cook with him so I am not giving up.I am hoping this year will be luckier in achieving this goal. –This goal has been added to my new list: “Fabulous ’14”
- Climb the stairs of the IDS Tower. At 57 stories this iconic building is the tallest building in Minnesota. Climbing is part of reaching goals. I am going to climb the 1,280 stairs to reach this goal for 2013. –This goal has been added to my new list: “Fabulous ’14”
- Get a full time job. I was laid off from Supervalu in September 2012. I was able to pick up two part time jobs, however a full time job would provide would hopefully provide financial stability and benefits. –This goal has been added to my new list: “Fabulous ’14”
- Defend my Golden Whisk Award at the 2013 Minnesota State Fair. One of my goals in 2012 was to meet local baker Danny Klecko from Saint Agnes Baking Company in St. Paul, MN. Who would have known that meeting Danny would lead to the highlight of 2012-cooking at the Minnesota State Fair and winning the Golden Whisk Award. I had an absolute blast doing the demo and cannot wait to find out what the theme is this year. –This year my friend Danny Klecko made the decision to not do scheduled cooking demonstrations at the Minnesota State Fair. I did get to see and support Klecko at the monthly Saint Agnes Baking Company Retail Sales that take place the first Saturday of every month. (http://www.saintagnesbaking.com/first-saturday/) I encourage you to check it out.
- Be lucky enough to spend time with people who inspire me. I have such an eclectic group of people I know. They are in my life for various reasons. I want to spend time with them, but I am also adding other people that also inspire me. I think getting snippets of wisdom will be awesome. –I wasn't quite sure who was going to be on this list and what it would entail. I was able to spend time with a lot of different people in 2013. I think the person who inspired me most was my good friend Linda Cullen Wiley. I was blessed to spend 10 days with her on a solar project in Uganda for her non-profit Fifty Lanterns International. Read more about the trip clicking here: Uganda Trip
- Learn to read Braille. I love to read so I figure why not try to do it without my sight. –I started working on learning the Braille alphabet and numbers. It is something I want to continue learning. I even found apps that help you learn the dot placements.
- Increase the success of Small Servings. I started my blog in March off 2011 to share my life and my talents. I write about cooking, dining out, products I like, and some of the creative work I do. I have been given some great opportunities in 2012 to promote my blog and what I do as the owner/creator of Small Servings.- Small Serving is a blog I started in 2011 to share my life and my talents. I write about cooking, dining out, products I like, and some of the creative work I do. At the end of 2013, I learned how to create websites and worked on one for Small Serving. (www.smserving.com). I even have my first customer, Perez Custom Designs, which I am working on a site for.
- Go to San Antonio. My cousin Robert Weiser asked if I would put this on my list as number 13, so I did. A trip to San Antonio is always a fun time. –This goal has been added to my new list: “Fabulous ’14” in the form of Family & Flight.