Feeling Resolute.

So I've been slow to post the New Years Resolutions blog, but I figure. . .we're still officially in the 2nd week of Jan so it's not quite too late. Besides, if I post then I'll have you-- "the public"-- to answer to; perhaps you'll run into me and ask me how I'm doing on those goals. "Goals???? Yikes!"

A little accountability is what I'm lookin for, so here it is.

New Year's Resolutions. At our house, "we" actually love these things. "We" get this from Handsome Husband (who has a long history of a. setting goals b. keeping goals and c. being a big Steven R. Covey fan). We have an FHE devoted to them each Jan. Each child (myself included) is expected to come up with a reasonable amount. Handsome types up said goals and posts them for everyone to see. . . we even have quarterly reviews, folks. It's the real deal. So I just try and get excited about them since I know they are inevitable. And we all know that excitedness makes everything much more fun. So as not to be boring about 08 goals, I thought this year I'd organize them in accordance to the old Bride's poem:

"Something Old
Something New
Something Borrowed
Something Blue"

Immediately upon this organizational strategy's inception I realized that the color for 08 is certainly not Blue it's GREEN. Green doesn't rhyme with "New" so I had to change it to something else. "Lean" won out (much nicer than "mean" and more humble than "queen").

To Review,
revised poem now reads:


"Something Old
Something Lean
Something Borrowed
Something Green."

Hmmm. . . .Old.

That's easy. I'll just pick all those old "daily maintenance" goals I always do like diet (aka eat like Kara) and exercise (aka run like Reachel. . . no, no, no that's setting the bar waaaaaayyy too high. Yoga like Reachel. Much better.)

Something Lean?
Lean meats? Diet's already covered. Lean arms???? No, not any leaner than yoga affords.
Lean Budget? Yes!! That's it. Let's be lean with the finances. Keep your money instead of giving it to Target. Yes, very nice goal.

Something borrowed. . .
Reachel mentioned that she's
a. going to go to the opera more this year and also
b. going to bake better bread.

I will tag along on these two.

(Envision with me pulling my fresh made bread out of the oven, lofty and golden, tears in my eyes. . . crying because Madam Butterfly is playing in the background or is it because the bread is just that beautiful?)

Finally, something green.
Reduce, Reuse, Recyle.
I will do more of all of these.
(Did you know the city will give you a "composter" for free? Free fits into the budget! Okay, so its really just an old trash can that they drilled holes in, but it may be worth considering)

AND

I'm giving up having my milk bagged at Fry's.
Pathetically, this is a big deal to me.
They always ask: "do you want your milk in a bag?" I always say "yes, it is much easier to take the milk into the house when it's bagged."

But not anymore. From now on, I'm saying "no" and making an extra trip from the car to the house.

It's a sacrifice, yes. . .but I could use the exercise.

New Year Possibilities

"Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?" --Anne Shirely

"Nothing in the world that is alive remains unchanging. All nature changes from day to day, minute to minute. Only the dead stop growing and are quiet. Fresh water runs on and if you stop it, it becomes stagnant."

Ring It In With Black and White

Happy New Year. . . Again!!



January is a fantastic month. Hope. . . possibilities. . aging. . .all sorts of things to celebrate. We rang in the new year in Black and White this year with the Annual Bagley Family Party, delightfully thrown by R & A. As to be expected with Reachel in command, The New Year teemed with both style and character.

The Fondue and "mixed drinks" were delish and games most entertaining. An online reinterpretation of the best charade goes like this--Ashley acted it out. . .Overhead lights flicker. Flicker again. Then, low voice: "Ashley, Get upstairs. Now. Footrubs. (pause) Bring a Friend!" Ha! Any guesses who that one was ??

We let go of balloons at midnight with a wish for the New Year attached to them and Reachel even made us a mix CD with each song pertaining to either black or white (Back In Black accoustic cover was a personal fav.) Thanks for the tremendous party and here's to a great new year!