Tag Archives: new year’s resolutions

Mar5

Girls Night!

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Girls Night!

Hello!! One of my New Year’s Resolutions was making more time for friends and fun and I am doing pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. My goal to achieve this was to have one outing per weekend with friends, family, or Johnny. Aside from a handful of lazy weekends, I have been crushing it and it has helped make my life feel fuller – especially considering that I used to have little to no work/life balance. This weekend, I had a girls night with a friend that I knew from high school but started hanging out with this past year thanks to our mutual bestie. We had a glorious night on the town planned until those plans fell through. Plan B was just as glorious, though!

Originally, my girl and I had grand plans of going to the Cashmere Cricket. Like literally everyone in the greater Akron area, this charming martini bar is our favorite. In fact, it’s where Johnny and I had our first date and celebrated our engagement! The Cashmere Cricket has the best food and drinks and the move was to go there for Pickle Martinis and their heavenly Grilled Cheese Dippers. We had been talking about it ALL week and were counting down the minutes until our food fantasies could come into fruition on Saturday. With a pep in my step, I headed to the bar to score us a booth and the joint was jumping. It was packed to the gills and a table wouldn’t be available for several hours later. Talk about a bummer!

Blessedly, there is always Plan B because the best Mexican restaurant ever, El Meson, is right up the street from the Cashmere Cricket. Like the Cricket, El Meson was hopping and it felt like everyone in our neck of the woods had the exact same plans as us! As luck would have it, we got one of the last tables available and were able to eat, drink, and be merry. This was actually a special occasion because my friend just had her second child and this was her first drink after the fact. It made me feel so good that she wanted to share in that with me. ❤

It was an honor to treat her and we did it up with margs and a surprise shot. Our delightful waiter randomly put shots on our table and we weighed our pros and cons. My MAJOR con was that the last time I took a shot at a bar five years ago I threw up immediately SMH. I have never taken a shot since but, hey, when at El Meson. I am pleased to report that it went down smoothly but 5/10 would probably not do again! Sometimes, Plan B just ends up being even better than what you originally had in mind and I don’t think we would have been getting random shots at the Cashmere Cricket! 😀

Cashmere Cricket will definitely be next on our agenda because we now know we should make reservations lol. I cannot wait for another fabulous Girls Night!

What is your favorite local bar or restaurant? What is a perfect night out for you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb16

Gym Bunny Update

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Gym Bunny Update

Howdy!! In November of 2024, I began making weekly visits to the gym with my brother. It was the first time I stepped foot in a gym since I was a teenager and, I’m not going to lie, I was pretty nervous. However, my brother wanted to improve his health and I wanted to support him so we became gym buddies. We have been going every week since our first visit and I am crushing one of my New Year’s Resolutions of maintaining that. I look forward to our work out every week and I am so happy that my big bro and I are committed to branching out of our comfort zone together.

My goal for going to the gym isn’t about getting jacked but toned, instead. I can most definitely feel the difference, especially in my upper body. Prior to working out, I had no upper body strength whatsoever and using the machines that targeted those areas felt like torture. But guess what? It got easier every single time. In fact, I have increased my reps to twenty-five on each machine I use and it was so exciting to have that undeniable evidence that I was making progress. The shoulder press still gives me a lot of grief, but I felt really proud of the fact that my reps on the other machines that I used to dread were completed with ease during my last visit.

I never had any interest or desire to go to the gym prior to making this change with my brother and it truly has become a source of fun. We love to see the familiar faces as we make our rounds and it’s encouraging to be in a place where everyone is there to improve themselves. If you are considering going to a gym or if you would rather chop your arm off than step foot in one – just give it a try! If you don’t like it, you don’t like it but it never hurts to try something new. I certainly fell under the “would rather chop my arm off” category and I ended up surprising myself.

As an extremely goal oriented person, the gym has turned into something incredibly appealing to me. I have found that the goals I have been setting are achievable and it feels great to meet and surpass them. The jury is still out on when I will try to increase the amount of weight on the machines. So, my focus remains on steadily upping my reps. My next number I’d like to get to is thirty-five and I know, without a doubt, that I can do it. And that is a beautiful thing!

As soon as the weather warms up in Ohio, we will begin incorporating some laps in the pool into our work out routine. I simply cannot wait but the first order of business will be finding an excellent swim cap to protect my colored hair!

Do you like to go to the gym? How are your New Year’s Resolutions going? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan21

Date Night!!

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Date Night!!

Hello!! As per my New Year’s Resolution, I have been diligently penciling in at least one outing per weekend. Honestly, I can’t remember doing so much over the weekends as I have these past few weeks and it feels awesome to be having fun! This past Friday, Johnny and I went on a special Date Night to celebrate his new position at work. We are simply thrilled over this latest development so a night out was definitely in order. Johnny wanted to go to the arcade restaurant located in downtown Cuyahoga Falls called The Workz. That sounded great to me because their food is the bomb, so off we went:

By the time Date Night rolled around, Johnny and I were both famished and, thankfully, we were seated immediately. The Workz is a really popular spot, especially on Friday, so we had a Plan B should it have been too crowded. Happily that wasn’t the case because we both had been talking about their food all week lol. We had a delightful waitress who recently moved back to Ohio with her daughter, who also worked at the restaurant. In between waiting for drinks and dinner we had a lively chat about recommendations for hair and nail salons and it was so nice for two reasons. 1) I love sending people to my go to salons. And 2) It took our minds off of how hungry we were!

After sipping on drinks, a Margarita for me and some tropical cocktail or another for Johnny, our food was hot and ready. I’m pretty sure I heard the hallelujah chorus when our meals arrived at the table! Johnny got a smashburger with truffle fries on the side for us to share and I got their white cheddar mac n’ cheese which is DIVINE. We were both enamored by the little basket the fries came in and even more so by the taste. This was the first time we tried their truffle fries (My favorite!) and they were easily some of the best I’ve ever had.

We made quick work of our dinner and decided to stick around for a bit longer to play some games. By this time, The Workz was pretty jam packed so we opted to get forty credits on a game card and head home afterwards. This didn’t take long at all because the hatchet throwing game took eight credits per player so we could only play through it together twice. However, I could have stayed there playing all night because your girl was a natural!! Almost every single throw, I got a bullseye and there was nothing more satisfying than hearing that “thwack”!!

After retiring home for the evening, Johnny and I finished building our Malfoy Manor Lego set and it turned out amazing. I can’t wait to show all of you! Needless to say, it was a very successful Date Night!!

What did you do this weekend? Do you have any arcade eateries in your neck of the woods? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan18

Ladies Lunch

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Ladies Lunch

Hello!! I decided to actually make New Year’s Resolutions this year and I am pleased to report that I have been crushing. So much so, in fact, that I even added a new goal to achieve. My primary focuses are to continue going to the gym, firmly saying “no”, making more time for friends, and taking better care of my teeth. Every weekend since, I have had some type of outing with friends or family and I really do feel better for it. With a crazy demanding work schedule, it almost seemed impossible to make time for fun over the weekend because I was too dog tired. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still tired lol but now I feel like my weekends are a source of pleasure rather than counting down the minutes to my next shift.

This past weekend, my outing was to take my sister, Kristen, and three sweet nieces out for lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Meson. It is the absolute best and a staple in my neck of the woods. I am always craving El Meson but the hankering was especially fierce as the Mexican restaurant we went to as a family for Christmas did nothing for me. So, I invited my girl squad to a “vanity lunch” so I could squash my cravings and get some quality time in with my four best girls.

Like myself, my girls live for Mexican food so our lunch was the perfect set up to eat, drink, and be merry – and did we ever! My eldest nieces went to town on queso and rice while Kristen and I opted for our usual vegetarian platters. We even toasted with her first drink since having my littlest niece in November and the Margaritas treated us just right! They always do, as did our favorite server who takes care of us every single time we have a lunch or dinner date. Dining at El Meson is forever fantastic, but he makes it that much better.

During the entirety of our Ladies Lunch, I couldn’t stop thinking about how lucky I was. This was my second weekend in a row that I got to spend time with the bestie squad! Prior to making my New Year’s Resolution, I honestly couldn’t tell you if I would have been up to those outings. And, I’m not going to lie, it is taking effort on my part to get myself out the door. However, once the plans are in action, it’s nonstop fun and that is exactly what I need. I even went out to lunch with a friend during my break on Tuesday!! Who am I and where is the normal, never does anything Lil Red?!

Ladies Lunch was a great success and I can’t wait to keep adding more plans to my agenda. It is making my life feel much more full and I am loving it!

What is your favorite local restaurant? What is your favorite kind of outing with friends? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan12

Extra New Year’s Resolution

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Extra New Year’s Resolution

Howdy!! I have never been one for making New Year’s Resolutions, but this year I made three: To keep going to the gym, to be better at saying no, and to make more time for friends. I am pleased to report that I have made good on all of those so far!! I had my first gym visit of 2025, I have been firm in saying no and not taking on more than I can handle, and I have made lots of fun plans for outings with my friends, nieces, and Johnny. I know we’re barely into 2025, but I am really proud of myself because these goals are not just empty words – I am actually doing it!

As I was feeling particularly inspired by my progress, I decided to add a new goal for myself after a trip to the dentist this past Wednesday. In case you don’t know, I had an oral surgery that went terribly wrong. It resulted in a lot of issues, particularly with my gums, and only intensified my fear of the dentist. Since all of that, I have been working diligently at reversing my periodontal disease. In fact, during my last appointment at the dentist, I only needed a regular cleaning rather than a deep gum cleaning. It felt like I was finally getting on the right track and I was thrilled.

At my appointment on Wednesday, I was a bit disappointed as my gum measurements weren’t as good as they were before. I had a decent amount of twos and threes, but way more fours than I remember. My hygienist reassured me that everything was still looking healthy. However, that just wasn’t enough for me and I knew I needed to reevaluate my oral health. Before I headed home, I announced that at my next appointment in May, I am going to have WAY less fours. My hygienist encouraged me and told me she knew I could do it and I can’t let myself or her down.

That night and every day since, I have been paying extra close attention to the technique of my brushing. My findings? I got LAZY after not needing a deep gum cleaning! The difference I felt when I was actually paying attention to brushing my teeth was night and day. This confirmed that I do have the technique down, but I need to make a real effort to fully commit to it. Challenge accepted because I’m crushing my resolutions so far so I know I can do this too!

I am expecting excellent results at my next dentist appointment in May and I think I am well on my way to achieving it. New Year, kind of New Me!!

Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions? How goes your progress? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan1

Happy New Year!!

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Happy New Year!!

Howdy everyone and happy 2025!! It is the first day of a brand new year here on lifewithlilred and it’s hard to believe that this is the eleventh New Year we have all celebrated together. My resolutions are prepped and I don’t know about you, but I am ready to take 2025 on by storm! I have to admit, this last month or so of 2024 sucked on ice and I am really trying to start this year on the right foot. The best way I know how? By being upbeat, positive, and knowing that there are plenty of good things to come in 2025. And, with all of you by my side, I know that to be even more true. ❤

I hope this New Year brings you so much happiness, cherished memories, and success. I cannot wait to see the fun we get into for lifewithlilred’s eleventh year on the blogosphere and I love you all!!

Happy New Year!!!!

Dec26

My New Year’s Resolutions

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My New Year’s Resolutions

Howdy!!! It’s that time of the year, people. When everyone announces all of the New Year’s Resolutions they’re going to break a month later lol. Hey, I am guilty of it too!! Making major changes sounds great until it’s time to implement them! So, rather than make goals that I am not fully committed to, I’m trying something new – To simply keep doing what I already am and improving upon it. Like the following:

Going To The Gym:

I started going to a gym to work out with my brother a little over a month ago and I never thought I would say it but… I freaking LOVE it! At first, I was definitely self conscious going there. I had no idea how to use the machines and on my first visit, kind strangers taught me how without me even asking. After those encounters, it was like any sense of embarrassment faded into nothing and I saw the gym for what it was: A safe space for people to improve upon themselves. The atmosphere, the people, pumping iron – there’s just something about it that clicked. My brother and I try to go to the gym at least once a week and we both plan on keeping up with that. I’m excited for the progress we are going to make and I can’t wait to go back after the holidays!

Being Firm In Answers:

In case you haven’t noticed, I take on a lot in my life and it can be really hard for me to say no to people. This is something that I have been working on for a long time and while I have gotten better, it absolutely still needs improvement. One of my goals is to not only be able to say no but to be firm with that answer. I am extremely guilty of wishy-washy responses because of the people pleaser in me and that’s not a good thing. This is a major focus of mine going into the New Year and it’s going to take some practice, but you can’t have perfection without it. I know that while it might be difficult at first, it will only get easier and I need to push myself to keep with it or I will just continue to be caught in the cycle of pure exhaustion.

Make More Time For Friends:

In complete honesty, by the time the weekend rolls around, it’s hard to make plans with my friends. It’s not because I don’t want to see them but because I am SO tired and SO stressed that I just want to be by myself. However, Johnny and I hosted a dinner party this past weekend and it was kind of a game changer. We all had the best time and it made me realize that I am missing out on a lot because I am not penciling in time to have fun. I’m not going to go crazy with it because I really do value my me time as I don’t get a lot of it during the week. But, a few extra hang outs now and then can’t hurt and I need to work on working up the nerve to plan them, stick with them, and have a great time. Despite getting much needed rest, my weekends always feel wasted and I know this goal will help rectify that.

These are my New Year’s Resolutions and I am sticking to them. In fact, writing them out gave me the push I needed to try even harder with these changes that I know will be good for me!

What are your New Year’s Resolutions? What is something that you are trying to improve? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah