Out with the old, in with the new!

Wow. Another year over. And this one really flew. But it's been a good year. I can't remember too many awful things that happened, which is a good thing. Call me Pollyanna but I just feel like each year gets better and better. Maybe my expectations keep dropping. Or I'm happier with less. Or I'm just chronically optimistic. Whatever the case, I feel incredibly blessed by my life. My family, my children, my friends, my job...everything. Far more than I probably deserve.

I'm always kind of excited about New Years because it's a time of newness. New calendars. New goals. It's like starting over with a clean slate, even though the first day of the year really isn't much different that the one before. I guess it's more of a mental thing. I really find myself wanting to dive into the depths of my closets, junk drawers and garage and just clean stuff out. Throw it away. Quit hauling it around and stepping over it and rummaging thru it. I mean, if it's sitting in boxes and the recesses of the closet, is it serving a purpose? Is it really that valuable? It's funny because for the last few months, I've really felt this pull to minimize things in my life. No, not my friends or my oxygen intake. Just the stuff that is taking up space. I want what I have to be of quality not quantity. I read a book earlier this year (The Lady in the Palazzo) and one of the ladies in the village had a quote that I just loved: "The less you have, the more important it becomes." It was how she lived her life and while she may have had very little materialistically by choice, she had a very rich life through her friends, family and experiences.

So for 2008 I want more quality time with my family & friends, more happy memories, more laughter, more sunshine on my shoulders, more sand in my shoes and less STUFF. But that doesn't mean you should forget my birthday.

Happy New Year!!

Random Thoughts

Wow, that's quite a list of books that I've read this year. Not as many as I'd hoped - my goal was 100 books in 2007 - but I think I kind of overshot that one not realizing that would mean reading on average 2 books a week. My current book is #34 on the list, which isn't bad. In my defense, several of the books that I read were 700+ pages each, so that's really like TWO books. Anyway, I'm nerdy and last year created a spreadsheet to keep track of my literary accomplishments and will continue to do so in 2008. It's kind of fun to look back at what I've read. I've already got a stack of books waiting to be read in 2008, not to mention my ever-growing wish list at the library.

Since the New Year is almost upon us, everyone starts talking about New Years Resolutions. I haven't made actual resolutions in years, because frankly, I can't take that kind self-abuse. I mean, why set myself up for failure? Instead of resolutions, I try to set a few goals to accomplish over the next year. I think of it as my List of Intentions. What's on it this year? Hmmm....let me think.

1. Finish up a couple craft projects that have been patiently waiting for my attention.
2. Quit spending so much time on the damn computer.
3. Make my husband go on a vacation with me.
4. Be more active!
5. Revamp my wardrobe.
6. Learn how to use my camera and take some really awesome pictures.

That's all I can think of at the moment. I'm sure there will be more. But my head is starting to pound from all this thinking. Or maybe it's my cold that's making it hurt. Time for more Sudafed!

Happy Festivus!

So the other day, Hubby rolled all the coins from our coin jar (aka the pickle jar in the closet) and gave me the coin rolls to take to the bank to cash in. I swear, the man is finally catching on and realizing what I'm all about. He told me to take the cash and buy myself some of this:


And God love him, I did. Bless his little heart, I think he may have actually been listening a couple weeks ago when we had a "talk" about me and my needs. I don't recall actually telling him I needed top-shelf vodka, but far be it from me to question his interpretation. I think he hit the goose on the head.