HAPPY NEW YEAR

  Well it's a new year, and I'm sure most of my goals are pretty much the same as everyone else's. To get in shape. I'm not to far off with that. I ran all the time up until December, then all areas of fitness almost ceased completely. I gained close to 7lbs due to my love of christmas baking. Well now Christmas is over and most of the junk has been consumed, so I've renewed my gym membership and started running again. I plan to utilize our stationary bike at least one evening a week as well. So I'm going to register for the Rock and Roll half marathon that's in Seattle at the end of June. I hope some of you will join me. I would like to  aim to complete it in under 2:10. I hope that is a realistic goal. I am also contemplating running a full marathon in October. I don't know if I could do that, and if I did I would just attempt to complete it and not give myself a time goal. So those are my fitness goals.

  Other goals include live a more peaceful life, meaning yell at my children a lot less. Exercise more patience, be more spiritual, stop gossiping, be a better example to my children, be less worldly, show more gratitude. I need for my children, especially Miete and Lillias to feel more love and acceptance from me. I want to boost their sensitive self esteems. I want them to be happy and feel good about themselves, and not easily be offended by others. This is mine and Christophers responsibility, and I know we can do better.

  I want to be a better friend. I have a dear friend Beth who lives in Texas. I haven't seen her in five years and I miss her terribly. I know that affording a plane ticket to go see her might be unrealistic at this time, but I hadn't spoken on the phone with her until last Sunday in at least four months and before that a year.  That is unacceptable. I have a good phone plan, so I really have no excuses. I want to be a better friend to her, and to others.  I need to be more supportive and serve others more.

  Okay, I think that about sums it up. No it doesn't. I keep thinking of more things about my life that I would like to change. Save more, spend less, write in my journal more, blog more, work harder, keep my house cleaner. I do keep my house pretty clean, but all my little drawers and cupboards are hiding secret messes. That is an almost overwhelming task. One drawer at a time.

 I love my children and Christiopher so much and I had such a wonderful Christmas break spending time with them. I am sad that school starts tomorrow and the sleeping in is over, and we are back to our routines. We've all gotten along so well these past few weeks, and there has been a lot less contention in our home. I really hope that with school and school work we can try to keep stress to a minimum and that peace and harmony will prevail in our home.