New Year's Resolutions!!!

I LOVE New Year's Eve.  NOT the celebration in the evening ringing in the new year, because, with the exception of high school parties at my friend Dianne's, and one or two fun times since then, I think New Year's Eve is HIGHLY overrated.  I mean the day of new year's eve...a time for reflection, and excitement at the year ahead and all of the possibilities therein, and the "wiping the slate clean" bit....

Unfortunately, I believe in resolutions...even though I often give up on them by about...January 5th.  It seems that I have the same ones every year, and, looking back through my blog, the text below is actually a "cut and paste" from January 19th, 2009.  I'm reposting because, sad as it is to say, I need to work on the same things I always do.  Not sure it's going to "take" this year, but they are all worthy goals, and, with a new year on the horizon, maybe THIS year, I'll achieve them!

Addendum:  I DID delete #5...the one about completing debt management, because I did, and even though I need to start "tightening the belt" when it comes to the ONE credit card I do possess, I'm doing okay.  I replaced it with one about my job...which I'm not particularly enjoying these days...

Okay...here are my OFFICIAL resolutions for 2013...

1). Lower my cholesterol. Still high.  Still worrisome.  Still need to work on it.

2). Lose weight. Man...this one seems to be on my resolutions list EVERY YEAR. You'd think I'd have done it by now, but, I'm a little TOO FOND of fatty, salty, junky food. I've TRIED to lose weight, and have accomplished the goal, but then put it all back on when I get busy, or stressed, or bored. I started charting my points online again a few days ago, and even though I haven't lost AN OUNCE, I'm on the right path.  My REAL test is still the two or three hours before bed...the PERFECT snacking time...but, I'm working on it...ugh!

3). Get more exercise. Haven't done much with this one yet, but hope to get to the fitness center at the clubhouse after January 1 to do some time on the treadmill.  I've snipped cardio and free weight workouts from "Men's Health" magazine, so I'm "on the path" at least...

4. Drink less wine. Okay...I admit that I'm a little too fond of wine. Not slobbery, staggery, drunk fond of it, but DEFINITELY "it helps me relax" fond of it. I'm HOPING that the whole "lose weight/get more exercise" thing will assist with this resolution. Wine is HIGH in calories, and will TOTALLY defeat losing weight, which I think I REALLY AM now committed to doing...

5. Look for the positive in my job.  Apparently, "job satisfaction" is important to my psyche.  I've been unhappy with the way my job has evolved during the past couple of years, and am COMPLETELY overwhelmed with what's expected of me.  MANY people are in the same boat, and, in the grand scheme of things, it's not that big of a deal.  So...I am going to start looking for the positive in what I do.  I DO still get to "peripherally" being a librarian, and I DO "marginally" get to work with kids, and I DO still enjoy SOME of the people with which I work (okay...this one is going to be harder than I thought...)...

6). Swear less. Okay...I admit it (although if you know me AT ALL, you already know this)...I get EXTREMELY "potty mouthed" when I drive around the cities. It doesn't HELP that 98% of the drivers up here are COMPLETE and UTTER morons, but, in an effort to "detoxify" my commute, I am stating here, for the world (or at least the three people who read my blog) that I am vowing to curtail the "blue stream of trucker talk" that seem to pop so freely from my mouth. Enough said.

7). Spend MORE time with family and friends. I don't really need to elaborate on this one. I get too busy, and too wrapped up in things, and my personal relationships end up taking the brunt of it. No more (I hope). Family and friends are what it's all about, right? Why cut time from that for all of the "crap" that fills our days??

Okay...that's where I'll stop. I don't want to become TOO PERFECT too quickly (okay...even I'M laughing at that one). Honestly, I think that's MORE than a good start...maybe a bit too grandiose, but, that's kind of what New Years resolutions are all about, right? The "stretch goals" that we make to become the person that we truly want to be??!!!

Wish me luck, and I hope that YOU are sticking to YOUR goals for 2009...AND 2013!!

Here's hoping YOU are working on those "stretch goals" too.  Self-improvement is a good thing...right??!!!

Vicarious Cinematic Vacation

Standby travel can really SUCK sometimes...

Don't get me wrong...we've visited some AMAZING PLACES, and have seen some AMAZING SIGHTS because of Duane's employee and retired employee status with the former Northwest Airlines, but, times like now...when everyone is trying to get SOMEWHERE, it can really suck to not be able to get ANYWHERE.

So...to escape the dreary, cold, snowy Minnesota winter, since we couldn't actually GET anywhere (except for Phoenix, and maybe Detroit), we decided to see a movie each day, and visit places like Middle Earth...

the North Pole...

Paris (during the French revolution)...

and Washington, D.C. (during the Civil War).

LOVE the movies, and we haven't had a chance to see anything for MONTHS, so this was a GREAT way to catch up on recent releases, and see parts of the world (made up and otherwise) that we might not have had the chance to see...

I think tomorrow, we're going to London...

then Sunday we'll go on a cross-country journey with Barbra Streisand.

Monday...who knows??  Maybe WHEREVER "Wreck It Ralph" hangs out...!!!

Here's hoping YOU were able to "get away" recently too...whether physically, or just by using your imagination!!!!!

Christmas With The Family!!

Belated Christmas wishes!!!  I hope your holiday was merry, and the big guy in the red suit brought you lots of goodies!

As has been the case the last six or seven years, mom and dad drove up to the cities, and we celebrated Christmas here.  LOVE having them here, and we were able to cram LOTS of fun into a very short time.

They arrived on Saturday (after the heavy snow and blizzard conditions that shut down large chunks of Iowa on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday).  We had dinner at Robin and Dave's, and had a great time catching up.

On Sunday, we went to City Church to see Emilie and Abigail's Christmas program, then went to Stillwater for lunch at the Freight House and spent a few hours antiquing on Main Street.

As soon as we got back to Robin and Dave's, I headed back to Eagan to get dinner ready, as everyone came over for pork tenderloin, red skin roasted potatoes, and home made multi-grain bread.  It was tasty, and we had a good time!

Dave and dad started putting together the tansu cupboard that I bought online.  I'm SOOOO glad they did.  I would STILL be working on it now, if they hadn't.  They DID have to come back on Christmas eve day for an hour to finish, but it was still MUCH quicker than if I'd had anything to do with it!!!

I headed over to Robin and Dave's so that we could go to the 2:00 Christmas eve service at Wooddale Baptist.  It was a lovely service.  I hadn't been to Wooddale for years, so it was great to be back.  The orchestra was brilliant, and the choir was beautiful.

We did our traditional beef fondue for dinner, finished with the turtle cake from Cafe Latte, and opened our "main gifts" to each other.  After that, we watched "Mirror, Mirror" (a good movie!), then, as is also tradition, I slept over, and we all went to bed.

On Christmas day, we opened "stockings" (I put that in parenthesis, because we LONG AGO graduated from stockings...we now each have a BASKET in which to put all the stuff we give each other!).  I have to admit that stockings is more fun to me than the main presents from the night before.  We do a PRETTY GOOD JOB of finding little gifts, ornaments, candy, and "stuff" for each other.

After stockings, we had our traditional brunch, and then Emilie and Davey and I went to see "The Hobbit".

After the movie, we went back to Robin and Dave's, Duane called to be picked up from the airport (he went home to North Dakota for Christmas), we had Fat Lorenzo's pizza for dinner, then he and I came home to exchange gifts.

A joyous holiday, spent with my dear family, and a good time was had by all!

Here's hoping YOU were able to enjoy a festive time with your loved ones too!!!

Snow is GREAT...

...when you don't actually have to go out and drive in it!  I don't know WHAT happened to me...I used to LOVE LOVE LOVE snow.  I would wait for it, and wait for it, and ALWAYS be disappointed that more didn't fall with each snowstorm. 

We built snowmen, made snow angels, licked holiday suckers and packed them with snow to make our own version of "shaved ice", walked down Maple Street to the golf course and sledded for HOURS between the 6th and 7th holes, walked down the frozen creek beside the golf course (way fun...except for the year that my neighbor Brian fell THROUGH the ice, and had to be pulled back to our houses on the toboggan to thaw!), and, if the snow was just right (with some meltage on top that refroze) would cut plate sized circles from the top of the snow, pile them up, and play clumsy waiter!

 

Somewhere along the way though, I grew up, and had to trudge across campus in it during college, and clean it off my car, and shovel it off sidewalks, and slip and slide in it on my way to work (and back), and try to see over it at intersections to pull into traffic (since it piles up so much throughout the TEN months of winter here in Minnesota).  It's gotten to the point where I can't stand it anymore!

 

That being said, today has been LOVELY!  I recaptured a quick moment of that long ago love. Duane and I took a walk in a beautiful snowfall, and everything is covered in a beautiful blanket of white.  It hasn't been sanded, and scraped, and piled up into big ugly mountains that won't thaw until MAY, and the blizzard force winds that are forecast for later this evening haven't yet started to blow.

 

 

Here's hoping YOU were able to recapture some magic from your past recently too...if even for a few moments!!!!