RESOLUTE

I'm great at setting goals, but I'm not great at measuring my progress or getting to "completion". Because of this I shy away from the whole New Year's resolution thing. A few years ago I made this great scrapbook with motivational quotes and measurable monthly check-in pages for each goal I set, I kept it on my night stand so I'd look at it regularly, and still by March I dropped off-the goals weren't measured from then on and I have this great book full of goals I was a third of the way to completing...

so this year for New Years I'm going to try and take it slow, and here are the things I'm going to be resolute about doing...
I'm going to try and stop whining. Instead I'm going to work to see that a merciful Lord works in our family's daily life; and I'm going to record his workings in my daily diary. Just like we read here last week, I'm not going to sleep before I write, and I'll find something everyday. I've been consistant so far-and ya know what? Once I've started looking, it hasn't been too hard to see small and simple ways the Lord has been kind toward me and mine...
This year I'm going to work to develop my creativity. This will mostly be an exercise in better writing skills as I plan to write our adoption story from beginning to end with all the life lessons I can still remember peppered in between. The Laptop Christmas was to that end, and I won't let John be sorry he forked out the cash for me to have mobile word processing, I plan to use it to record one the greatest miracles of my lifetime (next to, of course, the miracle that sir John is still working to be my knight in shining armor despite the fact that my first resolution eludes to the fact that I am a perpetual whiner...)
This year I'm going to run another one of these. Or two of them...and I'm signed up for the SL city half marathon (all for you Erin Bailey) and will even step into the murky waters of the pond in Rexburg for the RUSH triathlon if my Boise girls are up for the girl's weekend (Erin, you are so invited). Yep, I'm getting back on the fitness bandwagon. Been off of it since about last November and my temperment, my pant size and my general outlook has suffered for it. Fitness in 09. Definately
I'm going to smile more. My smile muscles have been in serious atrophy this year. Time to work them out, as often as I can. Having John NOT on the road will aid in that as he is my personal joker-but episodes of the Office and Pushing Daisies will help. I'm also going to actually play the Wii with my kids instead of send them upstairs to play it without me while I sit in front of this here machine instead. Smile lines, bring them on!
And I'm going to play with them lots more this year. With our house on the market there is a daily scrubbing ritual going on here, but when the scrubbing is over, I"m going to the zoo and the library and the park and the back yard with these darling daughters. They are my last little ones, and they are not so little any more. I'm missing them for all the moving and all the teenagers and I'm done with missing them. Yesterday we went on a walk and then we ate lunchables in our car (so the kitchen would stay clean) and it was the best way I've spent a Monday in a very long time. More of those days to come, even with boxes and movers and new houses in the forecast. Sisters-prepare to play with us when we hit a neighborhood near you! There is nothing like mothering with the children of your friends and family watching-we are always at our best in front of others.

So there they are; the resolutions for '09. Manageable? Yes. Measurable? sure. certainly worthwhile. Here's to me becoming more and better in this coming new year.