Wow, 2009 was quite a year. Looking back, it was more eventful than I originally gave it credit for. I moved to a new house; sweated out the loss of a job and change of job responsibilities; spent a week in Vegas, a couple of different week long trips to Texas, and a week in New York; celebrated and mourned my 30th birthday; had major, life changing surgery; gained three new baby cousins - Andrew, Keller, and Dawson; struggled with some life altering decisions; and many other things I can't think of right now!
To be honest, there were many times that 2009 was overwhelming, frustrating, and hard. There were other times that it was fun, carefree, and exciting. Through it all, I can look back and say I am truly blessed.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have given thought to New Year's Resolutions and their validity. I have never really made New Year's Resolutions, and if I did make any, I sure didn't stick with them long. Sure, there are many things I would like to do, and are on my list of things to accomplish/change. I want to do something cool; something great; something inspiring, or at least interesting. When people ask me what I've been up to, or what's been going on in my life, I want to have something to say other than - "oh, the usual; go to work, go home, repeat." I loved the movie Julie & Julia, and found it to be rather inspiring. I want to do something like that, only different. One thing I am certainly trying to incorporate into my every day life is to do things differently once in a while; branch out. It could be something as simple as buying a different kind of cheese (yes, I have done that) or trying a different kind of wine (doing that, too), or it could be more extreme (I'm still coming up with an extreme). I am toying with the idea of training for a half-marathon, but I'm still not sure about it. I haven't been doing a very good job of training for my 5Ks, so I'm not sold on this half-marathon thing yet. So, for 2010, here is my short list of "want tos":
I want to:
- Try new things weekly
- Try many new recipes (I always collect them, then don't try them!)
- Continue to set monthly exercise goals and work to achieve them
- Purge many things that have accumulated in my house
- Write more hand-written notes to friends & family
- Take more time for myself
On top of those, I'm hopeful for a major life change in 2010. I would love for 2010 to find me living south of the Red River once again. I'm not sure exactly how that will happen or when it will occur, but it is a goal. As I anticipate that transition, my heart is aching and hopeful at the same time. I love Kansas City, and I have met many great people here. My heart aches at the thought of leaving these relationships. However, I am hopeful for the future, and confident that this is the best decision for me and for my future.
What about you? What are you looking forward to in 2010?