that's what i meant

every year i make "new years resolutions." i usually have about 5-10 and this year is no different. often times, they are things i meant to do, not things i actually accomplish. i mean to do it, but i usually can't keep it up. for 2009 i knew i would not be able to "keep" many resolutions so i strove for two - to workout about three times a week and to read the Bible all the way through in one year. i did pretty well on the working-out, and have lost all my "baby weight!" woohoo. i also finished the whole Bible. pete and i read the same schedule and we finished on time, dec. 31st. i am glad i did it, and we decided that we would read the whole thing about every seven years (that's how often the israelites had to). my favorite old testament book is probably genesis, joshua, or ruth. i enjoy the stories. i have a least favorite which is ezekiel - it was hard for me to comprehend, and it was long. new testament favorite is probably acts or philippians and new testament least favorite might be philemon only because it is more personal and hard for me to apply to myself.

so, for 2010, i have 5 categories of resolutions with a few goals each. i would like it if you could keep me accountable to them or at least some of them. if you don't care about my goals for twenty -ten then do not read on...

here we go:

1. family

- continue using e-mealz (i cook at least 3 times a week now)

- teach jane as much as i can in this stage of her life (shouldn't be too difficult since i am with her all day)

- focus on being the best wife i can be (which is also related to being spiritually close to God)

2. physical

- workout (at the gym or otherwise) 3 or more times a week

- eat less sweets (so if you see me eating lots of cookies at church, don't let me)

3. Bible and prayer

- for my "devos, quiet time, God time" what-have-you i am going to study the passage that corresponds to the sermon that week. we started 1 corinthians at church this sunday and we will study it in Bible study on wednesdays so i will hopefully understand it well by the time i am finished.

- pray for a different person/family/topic each day. i'm hoping that will help get my "prayer life" on track.

4. mental/professional

- i want to read 12 books this year, one a month is the goal. so send me some ideas because i need about 8 or 9 more. all varieties of genres are okay. i have a fiction book and Christian "self-help". i would like a parenting/discipline book, maybe a classic, and anything else that is not too long.

- i am still working on this one, but i want to write/finish writing a professional article and submit it for publication.

5. personal/fun and friends

- practice guitar more often and challenge myself to learn more

- get out of my comfort zone and talk to more people at church besides just friends and connect more with friends i don't see often enough

there you have it, and a happy new year to you!