Hobby Buffet: 1 exciting year, 12 new skills

     This is my brilliant new year resolution. To devote a whole year to all of the new hobbies or activites I've been interested in.  I'll be spending a month on each activity to learn all that I can, or at least all of the basics.  My goal is to end each month with a new understanding of each of these choices, some skills or creations I can be proud of, and possibly a new passion to go forward with.  I also hope that I can share some helpful information with anyone that comes across my page.

     Based on what's happening in my life at this point, there will also be some year-long activities.  Wedding planning, scrapbooking, and reading.  Developing my writing skills is another year-long goal but that is the motivation behind this blog!  Below is my year of activities.

1. JANUARY:  Calligraphy, handwriting analysis - I started hearing more about calligraphy when I began planning the wedding and people can actually make good money doing this!  Learning the basics could definitely add class to my wedding invitations and save me some money.  And even if I never make a cent doing this, beautiful writing is always a pleasure to look at.
2. FEBRUARY:  Photography - I've been really interested in photography for years, just never pursued it the way I should have. My goal with this is to learn enough to take beautiful pictures for myself.  If I discover that I have any real talent in it I may start saving for better equipment!  I'm really looking forward to this month.
3. MARCH:  Painting - This hobby has been a fun idea since high school art classes.  I love landscapes and would love even more to be able to re-create them on canvas.  I also consider this somewhat of a bonus hobby because I'll be able to decorate the bare walls in my house with artwork I can be proud of!
4. APRIL:  Candle, soap making - I was inspired to make candles after watching an episode of "How it's made" and seeing the beautiful creations. This will take quite a bit of research because I'll be going into this one with not even a bit of prior experience.  (Possible wedding favors here!)
5. MAY:  Personal fitness/training - I bought a fitness plan online and now receive countless emails from "fitness pros". There is so much information out there, I'd love to learn the facts myself and know the theory behind their strategies. Becoming a certified personal trainer is also a future goal of mine to supplement our income if we ever have a child!
6. JUNE:  Scuba diving - This is the activity I'm looking forward to the most.  Exploring is definitely a passion of mine and I'm intensely curious about what's at the bottom of those deep dark bodies of water.  This month I will get scuba certified and if there are no negative experiences, save up for my own equipment.
7. JULY:  Pole dancing - We currently have a portable "stripper pole" set up in the garage. We set it up for parties but after playing around on it we discovered it's an amazing workout! This one will be a serious challenge and I'm hoping the two months before this will have helped me build some core strength and given me a little bit of a head start!
8. AUGUST:  Gardening - Last year I planted random plants everywhere and they grew like a wildflower field. This year my goal is to grow beautiful plants (flowers and herbs/veggies) and learn the skills behind it.  This is the month I plan on getting married so in order to avoid being overwhelmed I will be taking notes and pictures all season for this month.
9. SEPTEMBER:  Languages (spanish, german, french) - My current goal language is spanish because I know a lot of the fundamentals but the language may change depending on our honeymoon destination.
10. OCTOBER:  Guitar - I learned a bit back in high school but I'd love to be practicing again and pass my previous skill level.  A lot of people around me still play and this seems like a fun group activity. 
11. NOVEMBER:  Cooking, cake decorating - Definitely the most useful skill. I hope to cook at least 6 nights a week, learn a lot of new techniques. and learn some dessert decorating skills during the month to round it out.  Some of the more advanced areas of cooking are still a bit intimidating so I'm looking forward to breaking through that.
12. DECEMBER:  Sewing - My best friend from high school helped me sew my prom dress. She and her mom taught me the basics but I've long since forgotten them. I recently had some fun sewing up a blanket and want to take the skill further.  There are so many similar hobbies to sewing (crochet, cross stitch, quilting, embroidery, knotting, macrame, needlepoint, etc!) I might try out a few side projects if this month isn't as hectic as usual.

     I know what this goal is going to do for me, I designed it to be a very entertaining year but I'd love for it to help out others as well.  Each month I'll strive for daily posts with pictures and updates about what I'm learning and working on.  I welcome all comments, suggestions, criticisms, experiences, etc!  Hope to see some readers through this journey and maybe even a few that would like to make a similar resolution!