In’s:

Cava

When I was younger, my mom loved the Mediterranean fast food restaurant Zoe’s Kitchen. We would always stop by on long drives to visit my grandparents to pick up our salad or bowl of choice. However, in recent years Zoe’s Kitchen has rebranded into what is now called Cava. I recently went to Cava after years of having forgotten about the restaurant. I decided to get a kids pita meal because it’s only $7 and looked delicious. I got grilled chicken, cabbage slaw, cucumbers, and lemon herb tahini on the pita with rice, hummus, and pita chips on the side. In addition, they have a wide selection of drinks that are free with a meal. This meal is perfect because it’s cheap, delicious, filling, and I don’t feel disgusting after I eat it. I have been to Cava four times in the past two weeks since I rediscovered it and plan to keep choosing Cava in 2025 over other lesser fast-food places. 

Crafts

I have always loved making crafts but haven’t gotten the chance recently to keep up with it. However, this year I plan to turn that around. I love making different crafts because it can be therapeutic and allows for creativity. Instead of choosing to doom scroll or watch TV, I want to use my free time to make more crafts. I would also like to handmake gifts as well instead of just buying various items. I think making homemade gifts is much better anyways because it holds sentimental value and can be customized to fit each individual. My favorite crafts to make recently have been making key chains, decorating picture frames, making bag charms, sewing purses, etc. 

Vacuuming

Vacuuming is my new favorite chore. In previous years, I would only vacuum my room maybe once every 2-3 weeks; this year that is all going to change. Whenever I clean my room at the end of the day, something always still feels a bit off. I’ve realized the vacuum adds a finishing touch. It makes everything feel much cleaner and the removal of dust and little pieces makes everything feel cleaner and put together. Personally, I can’t be productive if there is dust and little pieces of grit on the ground, so with the addition of vacuuming to my cleaning routine, productivity is increased while dirt is decreased. 

Filming and editing movies

During the summer, I go to a week-long summer camp with YoungLife. During summer camp, I love to bring my GoPro camera to film and interview other people around camp. I usually get at least six hours of footage by the end that I eventually have to piece together and edit into an entertaining movie. I have only recently started editing the video from camp last summer and I’m only halfway done after weeks of working on it. This year, I hope to edit the videos in my freetime more and start filming other events, too. I think it could be fun to bring my GoPro to football games or even school dances to capture the memories from my senior year. 

Frozen yogurt

Frozen yogurt is a severely underrated form of dessert. I love ice cream, but sometimes it doesn’t hit right. This is where frozen yogurt will fill the gap the ice cream leaves. Ice cream and gelato will still remain my favorite dessert but sometimes frozen yogurt is exactly the food that will satisfy a craving. It is also a food I will always be in the mood for. However, a big problem with frozen yogurt is that there are no good yogurt shops anymore. Yogli Mogli used to be the best, but it has since declined. I have hope that it will regain its strength and become better in the year to come. 

Out’s:

Texting

I think texting is going to become an out for many people this year. My main issue with texting is that it’s hard to convey emotion and tone in a text message which can cause issues. It can also cause people to behave differently because texting removes the human aspect out of a conversation. It’s easy to forget who is on the other end of the message and how it may sound to be reading it. I also don’t like texting because it gets annoying and I would much rather call or FaceTime. 

Wearing uncomfortable clothes

I loved picking out cute outfits with jeans and skirts and fun shoes in the past year, but recently I have decided to wear basically the same thing every day. It’s easier and more comfortable. My go-to uniform for school has been sweatpants, a tank top, and a sweater. This is the perfect outfit combo because it’s comfy, practical, and it works for all times of the day. In the morning it’s freezing outside so it would be impractical to wear a tank top. Inside the school, it can get very hot which makes wearing a sweater uncomfortable. While some people feel more productive when wearing a put-together outfit, it often can distract me because of the uncomfort. When wearing plain, basic, yet comfy clothes, I begin to focus on my clothes less which leads to more productivity. 

Buying things

This year, I am going to try to stop buying things that I don’t need. This includes going out to eat with friends or buying clothes just because they’re on sale. Instead of going out to eat, I want to cook dinner at home with friends. I love making homemade pasta, so I could learn new pasta sauce recipes to try. I also want to expand my cooking abilities and make a wider variety of foods from soups to steaks. This could also be a fun activity to do with friends as well. I also want to be more mindful about what I buy. I want to start buying clothes that are comfortable and good quality from a thrift store whenever I want a closet update.