Hi! I'm Jelena Meisel

I'm a mom and wife based in the Rocky mountains. I love cooking, hiking and traveling.

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goodbye 2016, hello 2017!

Jan 5, 2017

NewYear_NewMe

Goodbye 2016, hello New Year!  Another year has come to an end and what a year it has been! I can say it with certainty it was a year of many highs and a few lows, a complete whirlwind. I am grateful for the lows and the highs…lessons were invaluable and I’m grateful for the people that were part of them, but I am ready for the anew.

A nerd in me has to confess, I love this time of year – January, such a big word! The new year means a fresh start, new hope, and another chance to set out to crush my goals! The new year is so darn exciting with 365 opportunities in front of me for the taking. I like to think it’s the beginning of anything I want. Looking back, last year was about letting love and joy into my life, breaking down some walls and trusting again, and I also learned that love comes with losses. It was a year of living with no regrets, and plentiful of gratitude. I experienced wonderfully exciting things that had me thinking “wow, this is good life”! and certain events have brought on a lot more worrying than normal and my top priority for the future is to not let worrying take over my life. This year, I’m focusing on growth, professionally and personally and have deemed it my year of hustle. I’ve said it plenty of times before, I am not the one to make resolutions, but I’d like to put a little more emphasis on a specific word to be my focus for the next twelve months, that single word which ignites the fire in my soul – ELEVATE.

Elevate word of the year

“Elevate” verb (used with object), elevated, elevating – to move or raise to a higher place or position; lift up.”

“2017 was the year everything really changed for me!”  That’s what I want to be saying when I reflect on this year. Not that I don’t already love my life, my family, my work, my home, my adventures, but I know there’s MORE in store for me. I chose the word “elevate” because it applies to a lot of things I want to do with my life right now – all that I do, I want to elevate to the next level; elevate those around me, elevate in business, elevate my blog, elevate my health, elevate my finances, elevate my creativity, elevate my relationships, elevate my experiences….So let the elevation begin!

Do you have a Word of the Year you will be focusing on in 2017? I would LOVE to hear all about it!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and had the best time celebrating this new year we are now in!  Did you have any “lucky foods” for the beginning of the new year…if not, it’s never too late to have some and this “Lucky Winter Salad” is perfectly zesty and refreshing, and brings lots of luck and prosperity.  So if you’d like to get yourself some good juju in the next 12 months, this healthy black eye pea salad is for you!

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