Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy New Year!

Here's to a great 2011, everybody! I enjoyed ringing in the new year at home with my family, some friends from church, and my BFF and her boy!

The very first picture of the year.

I'm always interested in people's New Year resolutions. I updated my list at 43 Things last week, weeded out some goals that sounded good last year but don't seem so important this year, added some new goals that I thought I'd NEVER reach last year but feel totally attainable now, etc. I realize that I won't accomplish everything this year, but I keep the list around to keep me on track. I think I've narrowed down my top ten resolutions for 2011.

1) Lost the weight. I'm so excited about this one! Weight Watchers has pretty much snuck into my life and even in the last three weeks, when I haven't been officially "on plan" and I've been indulging a lot in holiday treats, I still haven't gained. Super exciting! As much as I hatehateHATE the thought of Robin and Khy leaving next week, I know the first thing I'll do is stock the fridge with healthy food and go back on plan and start losing in earnest again. And I'm excited about the process and being in the process again.

2) Run a 5K this summer. I am so super psyched about this goal. I guess I should state that while my goal is obviously to run a 5K, I'll settle for finishing a 5K at any speed. My dad has agreed to run with me as a birthday present, and I think this will provide a nice running partner, plus healthy competition and inspiration. Just today he mentioned, "I'm going to go downstairs today and set up the treadmill" and I was shocked at how excited this made me. :) I signed up for the "couch to 5K" program, and got a free account at a running website, so I'm all set to start!
3) Take a yoga class. This has been on my list for a long, long time and I've been holding back from fear of new things, fear of looking stupid, body shame, etc. But I have this new huge amount of respect for my body these days, and for myself, and the community college just opened a new fitness center with a 17-session beginner yoga class, and my dad offered to payfor it as a Christmas gift, and I'm going for it! :) Now time to pick out a pretty yoga mat (you knew shopping was going to enter into the equation soon, didn't you?).

4) Spend more time/form stronger bonds with the kids. I am realizing these days how quickly my family is about to change. I'm anxious to start feathering my own nest, Maggie has experienced tremendous progress with her physical issues in the last year and is eager to get her hands back in total working order and get on with her adventures, Anna is starting to pursue things that will take her away, starting with a 6-week missions trip to south Asia this summer, and I look at the twins and Ruth and think, "Eek! They're becoming their own people!" I want to be a force of affirmation in their lives, and my time to be an influence in their lives is quickly running out. God has been really poured grace into my life this year, and now I want to be able to share that with my siblings.

5 & 6) Learn to manage my time and money better. Time is precious, time is money, money is important, and I want to learn to manage it all better.

7) Read through my Bible this year. I may turn this into a 2-year goal - I've been reading the blogs of other folks doing this and they agree that while it is possible to do it in two years, you get more out of it if you take 2 years. I'm using this plan from EWordToday which takes me through the New Testament then the Old (I might switch to the concurrent New/Old Testament plan - we'll see).

8) Post to my blog twice a week - This was one of my top resolutions last year and I think I've done pretty well on it! This is really the only way I'm using my writing skills these days and it's a self-respect thing to make time for it in my life.

9) Read the 100 Greatest Books. :)

10) Take time to live in the moment - this is really the only non-quantifiable goal in my list, but it's the one I've been working on in my life lately. Take time to realize that life is the here and now and that if you keep waiting for life to begin, then it'll be over before it's started. :)

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