Resolving...

Alicia posted quite a while ago about resolving. I am the type of person who kind of hates New Year's b/c of all the resolving. I tend to view it from a negative perspective - remembering what I resolved the previous year & then seeing how I haven't quite made the mark. *sigh* My perpetual condition seems to be not quite getting it done, whatever 'it' might be.

So, I usually don't resolve. It just kind of sets me up for failure. Then when the next New Year's rolls around, I'm all ready to be defeated. Ugh.

But this year, I'm ready to think about things a little differently. Who says you have to reach your goal within 365 days? There is nothing magical about that time frame. So, I'm going to do a tiny little bit of resolving & we'll see how I do when January 2010 rolls around ;-)

1. I want to finish the read-through-the-Bible program I started last year. I am not going to feel bad about not getting it all done in 2008. I might actually splurge & download the Bible to my ipod so that I can listen to God's Word while I drive.
2. I'm going to be more moderate in areas of food, exercise, & rest. I always seem to be a little out of whack here. I need to be conscious of what I eat & when & how much but I don't need to obsess about it (seems I'm usually one extreme or another). I need to exercise regularly b/c I feel so much better when I do. Every system in my body seems to work better. I sleep better. I work better. The time can just be hard to find. But training for the Indy Mini will help with that. Also, wanting to have Madonna arms by the wedding is also motivation ;-) And as far as sleep goes, I'm going to not guilt myself if I sleep in on Saturday mornings. I've almost completely eliminated the Saturday morning sleep-in from my weekly schedule. I'm penciling it back in!
3. Be frugal. Use coupons. Shop sales. Without fail. Avoid impulse shopping. Plan for purchases by saving. BTW, I almost always do those things, I just want to be more consistent.
4. Save enough money to get both our moms Kitchen Aid mixers for Christmas. I know that probably sounds a little weird, but Mike & I have talked this one over. We both love our mommas (& our poppas, too). We both love their cooking (YUM!). And both of these ladies have always wanted a Kitchen Aid mixer. And neither one of them has one. So, we're gonna save loose change & whatever else little savings tricks we can think of to surprise those mommas next December!
5. Finish the house & get all moved in and settled. This year I would like to make some progress on the yard, too. I really want a magnolia tree & an apple tree. I would love to plant a garden but I'm going to have to consult The Expert (my dad). The soil is riddled with broken bricks, chunks of concrete, & rocks. There must have been another house on this lot (it's an odd sized piece of land) at some point that was torn down. Lots of debris, people, lots of debris.

I think maybe I'll stop at 5. It's a good round number & already I feel a little daunted by my ambitions. 2009 is already shaping up to be a great, life-changing year. I trust the Lord to lead, provide, teach, & bless abundantly!

Anybody else have any resolving to share? Let me know what you're reaching for; it could be something I need to do, too! ;-)