I feel like it's pretty much required to start off the year with a list of resolutions, and I'm nothing if not a conformist (sometimes... when it suits me...) so here we go. (Please note that I have listed every single thing I hope to possibly accomplish, so if I fail on some here and there it feels like less of a failure in light of all of the successes.) (Nick please note that does not apply to item #7. Love you!)
1. Get in shape. (If there is a woman alive who doesn't have this on her list, I'd like to meet her. And punch her in the face.) I'm too broke to join the gym, but Nick and I are planning to buy a Wii Fit to get us through the winter, and once spring comes we'll get serious with frequent walks and bike rides. I've also started making salads with dinner, so once I get to the main course I'm no longer ravenously starving. Weight loss goal is 15 pounds + noticeable toning. Stay tuned.
2. Pay off a good chunk of our debt. (I'm sure this will still be a resolution next year too but I'd be proud of us if we could make a decent start on things this year.) We've curbed a lot of our spending in the last several months and gotten ourselves onto a pretty detailed budget, so we're making a good start.
3. Write a book. I've always wanted to for as long as I can remember, and I've always been too busy and hectic to just sit down and dedicate the time to making an honest attempt at it. But I've realized lately that I'm ALWAYS going to be busy and hectic... when it's not work and projects at home, it'll be planning my wedding, or raising my kids. If I never give this a shot I'll always wonder if I had it in me, and I'll never know. So my goal is to use 2009 to get this thing down on paper, because deep down I DO think I have it in me, and I just need to really commit myself to making it a reality.
4. Do my best to succeed at work. So it's not my dream job... At least I still HAVE a job. I also have benefits and a good salary. Yes, it's stressful. No, it's not particularly fulfilling. But maybe I can make it a little more fulfilling if I focus more on the positives, like bringing home a paycheck and being salaried (and therefore able to cut out on the afternoons that I really need an escape... or highlights). As long as I'm going to be here, I may as well try to get as much out of it as possible, right?
5. Be more faithful to the blog, and less easily distracted by life and reality TV. I'm trying to get myself into a "if I didn't post yesterday, I have to post today" mentality. I noticed when I attempted NaBloPoMo, the more I posted, the easier it was to come up with something to post about. Now that the holidays are over I need to stop making excuses and just get it done. Because I really do love it, and every time I come back I realize how much I missed it while I was gone.
6. Um, ditto for comments. I swear I'm still reading, I've just been completely slacking as far as commenting. Which is terrible, so I'm pledging to cut that shit out ASAP.
7. Get engaged! I have a good feeling about this one. Just a thought, diamonds make wonderful birthday gifts... especially diamonds that come with a kitten. (love you hunny!)
8. (for some reason I'm determined to make it to a nice even 10 resolutions) Keep up with my reading of actual books. Nick will think this is a cop-out resolution because there's very little I like more than curling up with a good book. But it's surprisingly easy to let a lot of weeks slip by without ever picking up a book. Between work, blogging, commenting, and keeping things together at home, sometimes all I have the energy for is a little mindless reality TV. In the last two weeks I have read (no lie) 7 books. I think this means I'm on the right track.
9. Buy a Kindle. (this may be the cop-out resolution). I'd like to say that this will aid me in making #8 a success (which it will... because God knows our condo can't hold many more books without exploding. And how convenient to just keep this in my purse and ALWAYS have books at hand??) But honestly? I just want one. So, so incredibly badly. You might even say I'm desperate for one. I need this like a crack addict needs a fix. It's pretty much incomprehensible to me that an onbessive reader like me doesn't already have one. So it needed to be on the list.
10. Be a little more focused on my duties at home. I want to keep the house cleaner. I want to cook more eclectic and more elaborate dinners. I want to spend more time love bombing Simba. I want to be more patient and loving toward Nick. I pretty much want to reach #1 girlfriend and mom status. :)
You NEED to write a book. It really is as simple as that.
Posted by: hautepocket | January 12, 2009 at 12:56 AM
Ooh, Kindle. Me want! Pretty much all your resolutions are mine too, except writing a book. Although I would like to start my photo/quote book project...
Yay, here's to us and a productive 2009!
Posted by: spleeness | January 02, 2009 at 04:08 PM
Wow, that's ambitious! My resolution is to not kill myself/induce ulcer. Good luck!
(And keep hinting... Nick will get it eventually, lol.)
Posted by: bex | January 02, 2009 at 03:29 PM