Tuesday, January 1, 2008

New Year's Resolutions

Very original topic, no? Along with the rest of the world, resolutions have been on my mind the past few weeks. I usually go with the standard "try to be a better person" and leave it at that, but this past year has been rather unique. The more I've thought about it, the fewer ideas I've had.

That's not to say I'm perfect and there's no room for improvement. I'm sure if I asked Ibis to make a few suggestions this post would be a mile long – stop nagging, iron my shirts, learn to carry a 10-gallon water galphone – so we'll leave him out of this. I was chatting with a friend yesterday and said I've done so much this past year I think I'm set till 2009, maybe 2010 if I push it.

Here's a run-down of 2007, both good & bad:

- Eliminated my debt (but closed my 401k to do it)
- Successfully sued UPS
- Quit my job I'd been at for 7 years
- Took a 4-day road trip
- Moved to another country
- Met my mother-in-law, but buried her 2 weeks later
- Gained 14 nieces & nephews (this actually happened in '06, but I didn't meet them until moving here)
- Bought my first home
- Lost those last 5 pounds
- Had a teeny, tiny cancer scare
- Discovered the world of blogging & started my own
- Wrote a book


After reading over this list I feel like I should include "Became an Adult", but I still don't feel like a grown-up.

It's been a busy year and I've accomplished a lot of things, many of which were past resolutions that never seemed to happen (debt & the weight). I don't regret the changes in my life, but I do long for the day when we can go back to our old lives, whatever that means. I don't think we'd be able to pick up exactly where we left off; we've changed too much and learned a lot about ourselves. This year has taught me that I don't want to work in an office, we were WAY too materialistic, and I really miss my friends and family.

The thing I want for this coming year is out of my control, and therefore cannot be used as a resolution: getting Ibis' papers and approval to return to the US. And all the fun that goes along with that. If you have any suggestions for me, feel free to let me know.


And, I did consult Ibis and he said my resolution should be to learn Spanish. So there you go.

7 comments:

Kristine said...

Well, you're on your way to learning Spanish better so at least you've started on the list...

Congrats on losing those last 5lbs. What's the trick, though I'll have to quadruple it?

Janna Leadbetter said...

Yes, what a year you've had! It sounds like you've learned a lot and accomplished much. I don't think anyone could blame you if you took it easy in '08. But, best of luck with everything that has potential in this new year!

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Sadly, the trick for the five pounds was climbing 4 flights of stairs countless times per day & eating when I'm truly hungry. I've got my portions under control for the first time in my life!

After reading other blogs about resolutions, I'm feeling like a slacker. I AM planning to continue writing, I just haven't put it in, ahem, writing.

Kate Boddie said...

Sounds like you had a pretty busy year and I'm with you, I'm not a resolution maker. But you should make one and it's to fulfill your tag! Ha! Check out my Son of a Bitch post.

Aimlesswriter said...

I think you will learn the Spanish by osmosis if you're living in Mexico.
But it sounds like you've had a great year. Yay, you!

jennifer said...

That is a VERY impressive list for 07!

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Thanks. I'm tired just reading it!

Oh, and I forgot to mention I go running five times a week - that helped me lose weight too.