This must be some kind of a record...

2 Days in a row. I'm on a roll!

As promised, here is a list of the things I hope to accomplish in 2009. (This list should in no way be considered exhaustive and is subject to change as suits my fancy.)

1. Lay down bamboo flooring in family room (Already part of the way there since we had to pull out the old yucky carpet that was in there when the washer overflowed.)

2. Replace the washer. DONE!!

3. Clean up the back yard (Get rid of trash, left over lumber from when we pulled down an old shed, '66 VW beetle, assorted outgrown big wheels/tricycles etc.) (February/March?)

4. Build 3-4 raised garden beds where aforementioned crap previously was and plant said garden beds with an assortment of exciting vegetables. (February/March?)

5. Order exciting vegetable seeds. (February?)

6. Lose another 40 pounds

7. Visit my grandparents in Arizona

8. Spend more time with friends and family

9. Get organized (Home, work, life etc.)

10. Paint remaining white walls something NOT white

11. Keep chipping away at making the bathroom more not yucky

12. Laugh with my kids every day

13. Train the dog

14. Streamline my life

15. Landscape the front yard and put up a fence (2010?)

16. Fix the gate (Been on a "Honey Do" list for a while)

17. Rearrange/reorganize the bedrooms, starting with the kids

18. Go back to school (April?)

19. Pay off credit cards

20. Blog regularly

21. Be more comfortable with myself

A pretty good start right? The front yard will likely be put off until '10 but it could happen. It's a long list but it touches on many different aspects of my life and the lives of my family. I'm a pretty good multi-tasker and some of it just won't happen and that's OK too.

Hello again...

So here we are again, dear friends.

I tried this once before and, as with many things in my life, I started out all gung-ho and excited and then slowly but surely got caught up in the niggling little mundane, day-to-day moments that take up your time but don't act to enrich it very much and the project fell to the wayside like so many half crocheted afghans. This time will be different!! (The mantra of so many slackers...)

So why? Why again? Why now? I'm glad you asked.

I didn't make much of a New Year's Resolution this year. I wasn't much of myself this New Year but that is a tale for a different day. I did finally make one New Year's Resolution and that was - "To be more loving and kind to my family". A good resolution, if I do say so myself. I've been working on it.

As the Lunar New Year came upon us (January 26th, 2009), I began to think anew about the things that I wanted for my family and myself this year. This is a stellar year! So much has happened already; A new President in the White House, a new job for me, a promotion for Dan, a trip to Thailand in the near future. This year has the potential to be momentous and I want to preserve and share all of it.

In addition to all that, I'm home from work with a stomach bug and it gives me a time to reflect.

I'm not a very strong person. Let me amend that. I have problems with will power. I have grand plans! Super, fantastic pie-in-the-sky plans! I have a problem when it comes to implementation and follow through. (As evidenced by my first blog...) So, soon to follow will be a list of the things that I plan to accomplish in this Year of the Ox, Time for Change, Year of Hope 2009.

Maybe a bit of Internet accountability will be the kick in the pants that I need...