Hope for a Good New Year.

Last night we wished good riddance to 2008, and welcomed 2009 with open arms.

So much has changed over the last year... and I've learned many, many lessons. 2008 was full of good times and also some bad. But what year isn’t? I’ve gone on many adventures and missed opportunities… lost some friends and gained new ones… laughed ‘til I cried and cried ‘til I laughed… I really think this was the year of give and take. I tried not to do anything that I would regret… been there, done that, and I didn’t want to do it again. This was a year full of heartache, of all different kinds, but out of that I have grown stronger and wiser. I have come to realize that I can’t always please everyone. In realizing that, I have seen how finally learning to stand up for myself and my feelings, has really revealed to me my true friends. I’m thankful for the great memories I have from 2008, but I pray for even more this new year.

Now, I know that some people say that New Year resolutions are never kept, and are pointless to make. But, I’m going to try for it anyway. I have a list… so I am hoping that I will at least be able to keep some of them.

ONE. I need to pray more. I really do need to work on my prayer life because I know that will strengthen my relationship with God. I do pray, don’t get me wrong. But I tend to forget to do so on a daily basis… and I often forget to pray for myself and the things I am struggling with. So, that is first and foremost on my list.

TWO. I need to read my bible more. That’s just it. I don’t do it nearly as often as I should… mostly because I don’t know where to turn first. I wasn’t really raised in a church, I never really went to Sunday school… so I don’t even know some of the basic facts about the Word. I need to change that.

THREE. Be surrounded by less drama and just get past the issues that were making things “weird”. I am an adult… and whether or not other people choose to act like one, I realize that I need to. Although I feel like I have done what I thought was right, clearly it wasn’t good enough. So, this year I am going to work on confronting my issues and get things resolved once and for all.

FOUR. The same one that everyone else makes every year: get fit. I really need to get back on track with my exercising. I also need to start being more aware of my portions while I am eating. There is NO way I am going to go on some crazy diet and eat only salads and fruit… I just can’t do that. I just need to watch how much I eat and when. Then, starting a stable exercise routine… mix it up a bit… get into the best shape I’ve been for a while before I leave for camp this summer.

FIVE. I want to start making more meals at home. I’m getting tired of frozen Lean Cuisine meals all the time, as well as turkey or ham sandwiches. I need to add a little something different into my meals, which I think will help me from going out to eat as much. So, I need to talk to my dad and start getting more of a variety of groceries.

SIX. I need to clean and be more organized. Now, I don’t mean obsessive compulsive status… but I am getting tired of the constant clutter. So by the end of January, I hope to have my room all cleaned up and I will try my absolute best to keep it that way all year.

SEVEN. I need to work on blogging more often. Now, I know that’s not a very serious resolution, but I think it’s a valid one. I believe that blogging is a good way to communicate and share your thoughts that maybe you wouldn’t feel comfortable doing any other way. So, I am going to try to do a “blog prompt” every week at least.

EIGHT. I need to finish writing a story and/or script. I always have these ideas in my head, and I constantly talk about how I want to make a movie someday. But that is never going to happen if I can’t complete one of my stories. I need to do that this year.

NINE. I want to start scrapbooking… or at least print out pictures and put them in albums. I used to do that all the time. However, since I got a digital camera, I never print out my pictures. That makes me kind of sad. So, I hope that by the end of this year, I will have created my “2008 yearbook” album.

TEN. Travel, travel, travel. I did a lot of that throughout 2008, but I want to do even more in 2009. This month, I already have plans to go on a Disney Cruise to the Caribbean with my step-dad, so that’s pretty exciting. Then, from mid-June to mid-August, I will be in Pennsylvania working at Trails End Camp with Cassandra… and I am totally excited! I also have a trip in planning to New York right after Christmas this year, to celebrate the welcoming of 2010 in Time Square. So, I already have a few adventures to look forward to… but there is a lot of time in between those that is waiting to be filled with even more great adventures!!

That seems like a long list, but I think I can do it all. I’m sure I will come up with even more as time goes by. But for now, if I can make those resolutions come true… I know that 2009 would one of the best years of my life.

May God bless you this New Year.
Laugh loud, smile often, love tons and enjoy life :)