2015 - The Year of the Bird

Happy New Year! 

What a wonderful New Year celebration it was - Logan and I were both in the wedding party of fellow pageant friend and baseball wife, Jordan Johannsen and her sweet, adorable husband, Logan Bawcom. We had an amazing time closing out 2014 and beginning the new year together with best friends.  

As I think about the coming year and all the possibilities, I am overwhelmed by God's goodness and how many doors He has opened to make this year one full of dreams coming true.


Logan was recently picked up in the Rule 5 draft (see earlier post for my attempt to explain the process) by the Baltimore Orioles. He will be starting the year on the 25-man roster at Spring Training, and if he continues to work as hard as he has these past three years, he will hopefully start the season in April on the Big League Roster! We've been treated so well by the Orioles fans thus far as they have welcomed us with open arms to "Bird Land." 


I will miss our Mets family tremendously and all the wonderful men and women we have met through the organization. The Mets gave Logan his initial opportunity to play professional baseball, and because of their belief in him, the Mets will always have a special place in our heart. 

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With so much excitement happening these past few weeks, and very little time to reflect on it all, I have finally sat down and tried to take it all in. Ultimately, I am attempting to prepare myself for his year's ups and downs, whatever they may be while setting new goals and aspirations for 2015. After reading several articles on 'New Year's Resolutions everyone should have,' I was most inspired by Elite Daily's post and from that have cut, spliced and responded to those I want to apply to my life this coming year. Behold -- 15 Resolutions for 2015:

1. Stop being so mean to yourself. We say some terrible things to ourselves we would never say to others. Learn to be kind to yourself. Start to love what's in my closet. I provide men with style and confidence through J.Hilburn - why not love my own style & wardrobe? I have signed up for Stitch Fix and hope my excitement for women's fashion is reignited! 

2. Don’t focus on losing weight, just focus on being healthy. Think about what you are putting into your body and make time to exercise. Your body is your greatest asset, take care of it. Run in the American Odyssey Relay. 

3. Continue to invest in those relationships that I value. Don't become discouraged because everyone else is busy. Instead, be persistent in your efforts to see those you love and cherish. 


4. Learn a new skill. There is always room for you to improve, but it doesn’t always have to be life changing. Don’t ever feel limited in your growth potential. Take a calligraphy class and practice the art of writing!

5. Stay off your phone in the company of others. If you can’t appreciate the time you are spending with that person, re-evaluate if that person is even worth your time.

6. Keep a journal. Writing about things that made you happy in the last 24 hours lets you relive the happiness. Otherwise, being able to look back on how you were feeling and reading what you were thinking at any given time is something you can appreciate down the line. Make an effort to blog once a month and journal privately three times a week. 

7. Conquer a fear and learn to embrace failure, remember it is a part of the process. The only time you’re not allowed to fail is when you have not exhausted all your options. If you failed, you did something most people won’t ever do. You tried. If you have trouble starting, stop making excuses and start again. If there is something you want to do, just f*cking do it. Learn how to buy & sell residential real estate just for fun. 

8. Learn to cook. Eating out every day is only going to make you wonder where your money went. Eventually, you will have to learn to take care of yourself, but it’s also a skill you can use to impress that special someone. Learn to poach eggs and make a hollandaise sauce from scratch so we can enjoy Eggs Benedict on a weekend at home :) 

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9. Leave the country – These past three years Logan and I have traveled to so many new and exciting places within the U.S. for baseball and this past fall we took a few fun trips to Napa and Annapolis. This year, we are making it a goal to save enough money for a trip to Italy in the fall. I’ve been planning on making this happen for three years, and 2015 is finally here! Let’s do it! 

10. If you hate your job, quit your job. Love what you do, and you will never work another day in your life. Continue to invest in my businesses and capitalize on my strengths to contribute to my team and thus. 

11. Practice meditation. Meditation is not about thinking of nothing. It helps build your awareness of your own thoughts and how you think about and treat others. With every distraction we have in this world, meditation helps you practice focus so you can appreciate being in the present. Do Yoga once a week, at least. 

12. Figure out the areas of your life where you want to improve, and ask for help. There are plenty of benefits to having mentors, but make sure you are ready before you start looking. Meet with financial advisor to find out how minimize debt on auto and student loans and help us create a budget fit for our lifestyle.

13. Start your day by expressing gratitude for what you have. Giving thanks and appreciating what you have allows you to scan the world with a positive mindset to uncover opportunities. Begin a morning "quiet time" with a Bible Study. 

14. Drink more water. It is easy to forget how important water is to living. Skip the sugary drinks and make water your new favorite beverage, you will live guilt free. 

15. Do first things first. We do a lot of things that are not urgent and not important to us but it’s often where most of our time goes. Think about everything that you do and how much it contributes to your overall happiness. If it isn’t helping your cause, don’t do it.

Cheers!   - E