Each new year gives us the opportunity to set our intentions for our personal, spiritual or professional lives. For me, this year brings the convergence of two of my passions, yoga and hiking, which I’ll be stepping up in a big way.

Creating this blog was the first step in giving me the courage to follow my heart and put myself out there.  I’ve met some wonderful people from around the world who all have a strong connection to the Camino. What I’ve realized is that everyone has a good Camino story to share —whether its their own, like Landon Roussel’s account in On the Primitive Way — or sharing another person’s story like Annie O’Neil does in her film, Phil’s Camino.

More inspiring stories are coming my way and I am excited to share them here on The Camino Provides. The purpose of this blog is an outlet for my lifelong mantra, “I love to share a good thing.”  Yet, there is something more powerful going on that is evolving in exciting ways, and acting with intention plays a big part of it.  Below are my goals for this blog, followed by my personal intentions.

Photo credit: April Enriquez

Goals for The Camino Provides:

1. Travelogue –  I will report about my Camino Portugués in late May.
   UPDATE: See My Camino Portugués Stages
2. Collaborations – Showcase specific routes by pilgrims who have kept great records of their Caminos.
   UPDATE: Friends provided route reports on the Francés, Camino Inglés & Finisterre, and Via de la Plata. See Route Reports
3. Partnerships – Develop trade and sponsorship opportunities with like-minded people, organizations and Camino-related services.
   UPDATE: See Sponsorships page and Camino-Inspired Gift Ideas
4. Online store – Offer new T-shirts designs for 2016.
   UPDATE: Not only do I have new T-Shirts, but I designed patches for your Camino backpack!
5. Finish what I started – Life was busy in the last few months. I owe you follow-up posts to:
   – The Quest for a Camino Backpack– After trail testing three backpacks, I finally found the right one for me!
   UPDATE: Done! See: Backpack Review: Osprey Sirrus Women’s 24
   – Favorite places in Spain, so far – This post generated so many suggestions that I need to create a “Must see places” list in the coming months.
   The content for these posts is in my head and on my hard drive, just waiting to be fleshed out. Thanks for your patience!

Personal Intentions:

1. Complete my 2nd round of Ultimate Yogi 108 Day Challenge. I’m scheduled to finish this Friday, Jan. 8th, so the 108th day is on 1/08. I didn’t plan it this way, but I like the numbers! For background, see this post.
   UPDATE: Done! Celebrated my last day on 1/08 with 108 Sun Salutations.
2. Start Yoga Teacher Training in March. I decided to go with YogaKula studio in north Berkeley because they have the best schedule and vibe.
   UPDATE: YogaKula postponed training start date to May. I’ll miss the first sessions as I’ll be on the Camino, so I will have to start in June. That’s okay, I already made up some hours by attending their Spring Yoga retreat on April 10 at the beautiful Green Gulch Farms and Meditation Center. I also can now attend the Wanderlust SF 108 Festival on April 24th! I signed up to volunteer with AIReal Yoga.
3. Practice Spanish. I have the Cuéntame: Spanish Conversion Cards by peregrina friend Cathy Seitchik Diaz. I will also attend some Spanish Language  Happy Hours through a group I found on Meetup.com.
   UPDATE: Well, the meetup that I attended was awkward, so I only went to one. But I did take some Spanish for the Camino lessons through the NorCal APOC Chapter.
4. Earn a Compostela in May. After a tour of Portugal with my dear mom, I’ll head north on a train on May 21st  to walk the Camino Portuguese. Starting point TBD and I’ll need to be back in Lisbon for flight home on May 31st, so this will be mi Caminito pequeño.
   UPDATE:
   
5. Camino Real de California with my Mother-in-Law. We’ve got our map, passports and plans to visit some Spanish missions on the Camino Real de California. For background, see Mission Walk… in this post.
6. Participate in Yoga For Hope in San Francisco.
   I hope to raise more money this year for the City of Hope Foundation that benefits patients with cancer, diabetes or HIV/Aids. See 2015 event.
   UPDATE: Sadly, this event didn’t happen this year! But, I did attend the Anusara Samavesha Festival in November
7. Complete professional sequence in copy editing in the fall. One of the perks of working for UC Berkeley is the free UC Extension courses they offer to staff.
8. Be mindful. This is a catch-all category to reduce clutter, focus on the present, listen, be grateful, share the love, and enjoy the journey!
   UPDATE: I started a new series called Mindful Mondays on this blog. I also taught seven yoga classes with meditations at my workplace!

It has been a wonderful and wild ride since I launched this blog in June 2015.  I thank my early supporters and look forward to making new Camino connections in 2016.

A short version of my New Year’s resolutions I wrote after the countdown to 12 noon at the children’s library.

With my husband, sister and nephews on our 2nd annual countdown to “Noon Years Eve.”  Not everything that happens in Las Vegas has to stay there!

Later that night we celebrated in true Las Vegas style. Here’s our first selfie of 2016.

We rang in the new year watching the fireworks on the strip from a secret location

Have you set any intentions for 2016? Put it out there and the Universe will conspire!