New Years Resolutions

The end of the year is always time to reflect on the past year and look forward to a new beginning with the coming year. The end of this year, also marks the three year anniversary of when Flaco and I started trying to conceive our first child. I have been thinking about what a person can do in three years. Three years is longer than being in the Peace Corps (that is 2 years and 3 months). In three years  a person can get an associates degree or be over half-way done with their bachelors degree (generally, this takes 4 years). If we had gotten pregnant right away, our child would now be almost 2 ½ (he or she might have been born in September 2009 – wow!!!). In three years time the presidential election is coming back around as are the summer Olympics. A lot can happen in three years!! But, one thing has not happened. . . . . 

So, every year I make new years resolutions. Some years I am more gung-ho about it than other years. This year I would like to call them goals, rather than resolutions. I have decided that 2012 is going to be a stellar year for me and Flaco. I’m done with the bullshit. Done with the sorrow and the misery and the waiting, waiting, waiting. This year is going to be different. It’s going to be off the charts and totally rockin’! I have read the book The Secret and listened to the CD. I listen to Joyce Myer every morning. While The Secret can be a little on the hokie side, the main idea is good – that by thinking positively about something, believing it to be true, the cosmos works to make it so. In Joyce’s words, God wants to give us abundant life, we just need to believe it is ours to have – or something like that. My point is, I am calling positive abundance into my life because I am stating these things as truths that have already happened. 2012 is awesome – not might be, not could be, but IS. Perhaps you think I have gone kookie or lost my marbles. Honestly, I’m not really into the ooie-gooie celestial stuff. I think I’m a lot more pragmatic than all that. However, all the pragmatism in the past did not get me anywhere really. Rather than moving forward, I felt that we move backwards in 2011. Backwards in terms of our finances, our relationship, and the whole infertility fiasco. So, I’m adding a sprinkle of spirituality into this coming year, in hopes that by faith and belief and sheer mental determination, 2012 will be a year of miracles and abundance. 

So, for my goals in 2012. I have three. I thought I would list them here, since it will make them available for anyone to hold me accountable to them. Without further ado, here are my 2012 goals/resolutions.

1)      Financial – in 2012 we are getting out of debt. I have already devised a plan to pay off the debt we have, bit-by-bit. The good news is we will have paid off several smaller debts by May, which will allow us to dedicate more financial resources to the bigger money suckers. But, getting out of debt will mean we will be able to save more money and not have to live paycheck-to-paycheck. It will also mean we will be able to do more things – like take mini vacations or treat ourselves every once in awhile without feeling guilty or worrying about how we will put gas in the car the next week. So, 2012 will be our year to break free from the bonds of our debts. Woopie!!

2)        Weight – Yes, this is everyone’s resolution every year. But, I figure it can’t hurt to give it a try yet again! My goal is to lose 50 pounds, which is a little less than a pound a week. I will do this by eating smaller, healthier portions and walking with my sweet Canela (she is the dog I brought back from Nicaragua, I call her my Nica princess and love her to pieces. She loves to go for walks and she is always very good). I’m not a gym person and I am not a runner (too many things jiggle), but brisk 30 minute daily walks are totally do-able. I like to ride bike as well, so maybe as a gift to me, when the debt is paid off, I can get a nice bike. 

3)      Clean house – To make room for all the new blessings coming our way (mainly, a child) I think it is time to get the house in order. The whole house. Top to bottom, bottom to top. We need to cull our wardrobes, get rid of unwanted, unused junk, de-clutter, and get everything in a proper place. I started doing this when I was getting the house ready for the home study, but since then things have piled up. So, time for some organizational systems to be put in place (and enforced) and get it all ready. Yesterday’s potential placement made me realize that my house, my car, and my life needs to be ready at any moment to welcome home our baby. So, I will set a cleaning schedule and whip Mr. Flaco into shape so that our house is never not ready for company – if that makes sense. This is probably going to be an on-going venture, since things happen that make cleaning a low priority (like illness or an über-busy schedule). Still, I think it is a worthy endeavor and so I have made it a goal. 

I wish everyone a healthy, happy and fabulous new year!!! 2012 is going to ROCKS!