Here's to a New Year!

I'm not a fan of New Year's Resolutions.  On reflection recently I think I finally figured out why.  Resolutions are so easily broken and then it seems like you should just give up.  I think I prefer goals.  Goals are something to work towards, but you usually don't give up on your goals just because you've had a set back.  With that in mind here are some goals, bloggy and otherwise, for my new year.

* On this blog I want to be more honest, open, and introspective.  Not that what I've currently written is a lie, but it's not the whole story.  This post in itself will be the first example, let's see how far I can get...

* Get my act together with God.  I'm fairly certain that it's me that has gone in another direction.  Not exactly into anything bad, but just away.  That needs to change.  To help me do that I'm going to:

* Join Beth Moore's Siesta Scripture Memory Team.  It's only 2 verses a month, plus I got one of the cute spirals and I hope that helps the motivation...  I already have 2 verses picked out for January and one memorized.  Getting a head start should help, right?  So Lindsay, please keep me accountable!  Not that I plan to be able to go to Houston next January, but I think this is a good thing anyway!

* Make this Photo Prayer calendar to pray for my husband.  He's asked me to do this and I have, but not religiously (sorry, couldn't resist that pun!).  I need something to help me stay on task and I think this fits the bill.  I just got the photos with my latest order so I'll put it together when I get home.

* Be better about keeping up with the Bible study materials each week.  We're doing our yearly Beth Moore study starting this week and I have done 6... and never finished one.  I want to make this a goal and not get side tracked.  It will mean re-prioritizing my life a bit, but I think I need that too.

* In terms of life...  Brian says I always complain that I haven't gotten anything done.  And a lot of days that's how I feel.  It's hard to compare a life without kids and having everything accomplished at the end of the day that you'd planned, to a day with 2 small boys that was interrupted by one disaster after another.  Or even a normal day where the focus should be more on being with them and less on the stuff that won't really matter in the end.  Curtains?  Pshaw!  =)  But I will get them done, just not need to stress out about it anymore.  I'm giving myself a Mom pass and not feeling guilty about what doesn't get done.

However... the Mom pass does not apply to my body!  It doesn't help that as I write this I'm sitting in the kitchen where my sister-in-law is finishing a wedding cake and there are plenty of cake scraps and extra frosting...  But New Year's Day is a new day and this will be both a goal and a resolution!

* Go swimming at the Y once a week and try to get in at least one other workout day (child care permitting)!  Also, the eating of much more fruits and veggies needs to happen... it's so much easier in the summer when we have our awesome Farmer's Market.  And I think I really need to gain some self-discipline around the holidays.  Sweet tooth be gone!

Finally, on the totally me side of things (as if this whole post hasn't already been about me!)

* I'm hoping to get to go to the Rocky Mountain School of Photography workshop in March with my father-in-law!  I've never gone to any photography class, workshop, or anything.  I hope it's not too overwhelming.

* Beyond that I'd really like to be able to get some more paying jobs for my photography.  I'm not exactly sure how to do that, but making myself a better photographer is a good start!

*I'm going to do a 365 photography blog this year or maybe a Flickr set since I should probably learn more about that medium.  I'm thinking I may not start today... (although I could, I'm going to that wedding so certain to take many photos) but sometime soon.  And I may not post every day, but the goal is to take pictures every day and post them eventually.

I'm sure I could think of lots more things to add to this list, but I think this is a good start.  Happy New Year everyone, here's to a great 2011!  And happy 5 years of blogging to me!