Do you make resolutions? Do you call them "goals" or "things I want to do" or "plans" instead of calling them resolutions? I call them all those things, but resolving to do something sounds so much more committed, doesn't it, so that is what I call it.
Do you follow along with Ali Edwards and do one little word for the year? I do that, too. One year I did her class, but that was too much work and introspection for me, and I fizzled out long about March. I am, however, able to keep that word in the front of my mind all year, and find it a great help. Here are some of the past year's words:
clean (for eating, living, thinking, talking, and of course literally as in housekeeping)
still (I liked this one a LOT. I got so much from it that I did it 2 years in a row. )
grateful
Do you think maybe I come up with words from this, that I have on my bathroon wall?
This year's word is purpose. I want to live this year purposefully. To accomplish things, and to make decisions purposefully and with intention.
Part of the reason for the word is that I feel I drifted through 2012 as a reaction to all that happened in 2011. I mentioned a while back that I would talk about where I went and why I quit blogging for so long, so here we go. Feel free to skim or skip! 2011 was a year of big events, changes, and scares and by the end of the year I was drained. I was just plain tired and needed a break from any extra demands and stress. Here is 2011 in a nutshell:
April - Kelsey graduates from College at age 20. BS in Accounting. So proud of her.
April - Kelsey moves back home to live while looking for a job. We don't mind at all!
May - oh my, the rain won't stop.
May - the week before Kaitlyn's graduation party, the basement finally gives in and water comes seeping and rushing up through the floors. Newly remodeled laundry room and Kaitlyn's bedroom are ruined. Partly finished rest of the basement also had to be gutted. Lots of stress and work. Tears, too.
May - graduation party held inside due to rain. Actually we deemed it a very sucessful party, as the close proximity of many quests meant more mingling.
May - Kaitlyn graduates High School. So proud of her!
June - Jim has not been feeling and doing well. Goes on oxygen full time. Starts lots of testing ...chest X-ray, Ultrasound, Pet Scan
July - first week of July - Kelsey packs her car and drives off for Alabama to live and work. I can't even attempt to try to find words to describe what that was like.
July - Jim has lung biopsy. Lung collapes. Overnight stay turns into 8 days in hospital, as his fragile damaged lung will not seal up and heal. It finally does, and he comes home weak and tired. Doctor says at his age (60+) to expect 1 week of healing for each day spent laying in the hospital, and does indeed take that much time. Lung biopsy reveals the mass was benign. Upside....Jim finally quits smoking for the first time in 40 some years.
August - take Kaitlyn to Bozeman and move her into the dorm for her first year of college at Montana State University.
September - oh...it is a quiet house. Weird. Not always bad, but a big adjustment. Bad eating starts, as the chief cook (me) has a hard time adjusting to cooking for just us two. PB&J anyone? That's enough for dinner, right?
October - day before Halloween, I go to hospital ER department after a miserable night. Have appendix taken out, and overnight stay in the hospital. Ultra sound done to diagnose problem also reveals a mass in my pancreas.
November - I need an endoscopic ultrasound to check mass. Amazingly, no doctor in Billings does this. Have a choice of Denver, Salt Lake, Mayo Clinic, Seattle, Kalispell or Rapid City. We go to Kalispell mid month for test. Mass is benign.
December - Kelsey flies home and we have both girls home for Christmas. My parents also fly home from their winter home in Arizona. It is a great Christmas and great end to a stressful year!
With all that out of the way, here are my intentions for a purposeful life in 2013:
-Loose weight (yeah, I know). I have a specific goal of number of pounds and by when I hope to have it off.
-See number one. Stick with " loose weight " for real this time - past January. 2013 is the year. Rely on help from my buddies who have the same goal. Help and encourage them, and let them help me. Work on an attitude of this is a lifetime thing. Add good habits and loose some bad ones.
-Exercise 30 minutes every day. No matter how much I hate it, even I have to admit that I can spare 30 minutes in my day. And usually, it is just the getting started that is hard...once I get going I often stick with it longer than 30 minutes.
-Get a new kitchen and entryway floor. This involves removing old flooring (5 layers in the kitchen, and 1 layer of ceramic in the entryway). We have already started the process with removing the kitchen floor on Dec 23. Nothing like a little demo work and mess right before a big holiday! It is a Johnson tradition.
-Replace the ugly ceiling light in the living room.
-Get new kitchen countertops.
-Paint the kitchen cabinets. Yes, remove doors, sand, paint and rehang. New hardware. This is a huge job. But it will look so nice with the new floor and countertops.
- Get the dogs groomed more often. Yeah, a real earth-shaking resolution. But I hate spending the money on dogs, and I let them get pretty scruffy looking. I need to buck up and just do it.
- Continue to whittle away at the stash of fabric and quilting projects I have. No buying of new fabric unless it is needed to finish a project. Make at least three quilt tops and one totally scrappy quilt. Continue making little projects like pouches, totes, and tablerunners.
-Travel, specifically to a quilt convention in Las Vegas. I am going alone if I need to, but want Mom to come with me. Must work on convincing her, but with penny and nicket slots as a bonus activity I am hoping it will be an easy sell. Would love some one on one time with my Mom.
-Travel, to a family reunion event my cousin in Seattle in trying to organize.
-Eat well. Exercise. Loose and then maintain a healthy weight. Feel better. Be around for a long time so when the time comes I can meet and enjoy my future sons-in law and grandchildren. Yeah, really just more of #1 and#2. Must keep reinforcing that particular resolution.
-Go to bed at a reasonable time - get more sleep.
-Blog often, at least 3 times a week. So far, the Cross Town Challenge Felicia and I are doing has made it easier and lots of fun. Hope I can keep up with the once/week plan!
So there is 2011- 2012 - and 2013! I put my resolutions out there for all to see.....maybe that will help keep me accountable. See you in a day or so with another 2013 card.
