2010 Resolutions

These were my 2009 resolutions:

Loose 50 pounds. 

Scrapbook the boys' first years.

Learn more about photography.   

Find ways to teach my children altruistic values.  

Well, hmmm, I didn't really do any of these.  At least not in the way I'd intended.  I lost 10 pounds not 50.  I didn't scapbook a single DAY of either of my boy's lives (though they are well documented on this blog and on Facebook/Twitter).  I didn't really learn anything about photography other than having a 75-300 mm lens is really awesome.  And I didn't intentionally teach my kids altruistic values.  Anything they may have learned about altruism was purely accidental.

I won't let that deter me from making new goals for 2010 though.  I love the idea of new year resolutions.  I believe that writitng your goals down give you a better chance of reaching them.  So, without further ado, my 2010 resolutions:

Run a 5k race

•  This goal will replace my annual "lose xlbs" resolution.  If I lose weight during the course of training for my race, great, but that will not be my intention.  I simply want to do something I don't think I can do.  I also want to give myself a reason to exercise regularly. I HAVE to run several times a week if I even hope to survive the race.

Get back in the black

•  Living on credit cards has been unavoidable the last few months due to our financial situation.  But now that I have a job, I want to make sure that we are living within our means.  Even if we can't afford to pay off our credit cards this year, I want to make sure that we aren't accumulating any more debt. 

Stay connected with family and friends in Utah and California

• Now that we live in Portland, we will need to work harder to maintain the close relationships we had with our family and friends in Utah and California.  Unfortunately we won't be able to visit as often as we'd like due to our small budget, but that doesn't mean we can't call, do webcam chats, email/facebook, send letters/cards, etc. 
  
• I want to make a "family tree" in the boy's room with pictures of their relatives on the wall.  That way they can see their family every day.

Build a life here

• What this means to me is make connections.  Make friends.  Get better acquainted with John's cousins here.  Build our careers.  Join clubs or organizations to become a part of our community.

Be more active with the boys

•  This will be harder especially since John and I are both working and our schedules don't allow for a whole lot of sleep.  But I want to make sure that even though we're tired and maybe don't feel like doing much other than sitting in front of the TV during our off hours, we still make it a priority to do STUFF with our children.

 Make our marraige a priority

•  John and I now both work and in order to avoid sending the boys to daycare, we work opposite schedules (me mornings, him nights).  We have little to no time together.  I want to make sure that we're still connecting.  Even if it's just a love note stuck to the fridge.  Our family doesn't work if we don't work.  Doing everything for the children is great, but if we let our marraige fall apart, that hurts the children the most.  We have an amazing relationship, and I am determined to keep it that way!