New Year's Resolutions

This has been a whirlwind of a week. I decided to squeeze in a short road trip before my break ended, and visited my friend Jessie and her new baby girl in Virginia. Then it was back home for a day, only to pack up and head back to the ATL on Wednesday. I worked all day Thursday, had friends over that evening, and unpacked, undecorated, and got organized for school today. Phew. My list of things to do in the next couple of weeks is still really long. Needless to say, I haven't been very true to my new year's resolutions...yet. Tomorrow feels like a good day to start. :)

I am actually pretty serious about my resolutions and find that I do pretty well when I look back. I think the key to this is always re-evaluating where you are, what is working, what isn't. I had a professor in college, a wonderful Christian man named Dr. Tommy Kiedis, who taught our class (by making it an assignment) to do what he called "checking our gauges." Every month we had to evaluate the different areas of our lives by answering specified questions about ourselves and decided whether our spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, and financial tanks were empty, full, or somewhere in between. By looking at where we were, it was easier to see where we needed to go and evaluate what we need to do to get us there. It has been a very helpful method for me.

This year I came up with some personal goals, but I wanted to share at least a few to get you thinking about your own. Maybe I will even find some accountabillity here.

Physical- I think everyone makes some sort of physical resolution with the turn of the new year. I try really hard not to make my resolutions too challenging, so that I give up before February and wallow for a day, saying yes to every piece of junk food that passes my way. I try not to make too many goals that require big time commitments. Time is not always on my side. So here are 2 of my 2011 resolutions for my body.
1. Experiment with 3 more kinds of veggies-I hardly buy veggies anymore unless they come in a can. (Yikes!) Last year half of my fresh veggies went bad before I could eat them, because I didn't know what the heck to do with them or if I would even like them...Don't shake your head at me.
2. Go to sleep by 10:30 every night- I have been seeing one in the morning lately more often than I'd like to admit. It's mostly wasted time too. And I'm a girl who needs her sleep. Sleep is good.

Mental/Emotional-These don't have to go together, but a lot of times they do. I'll share a few of these, because they have to do with you!
1. Take at least one picture everyday-I am not a photographer by any means. I would rather people be taking pictures of me. :) But I have been really lacking in pictures lately, which has made me sad, because I love to have those tangible memories and I always have projects in need of pictures. (Another resolution would be to become a better photographer, but hopefully after taking 365 pictures, I will have learned a thing or two).
2. Take sewing lessons-last year my parents got me a sewing machine for my birthday and said they would pay for me to get sewing lessons...this hasn't happened yet. My family seems to think if I would just experiment, I would get better at it, but truth be told, I'm rather intimidated by the machine. Formal lessons would do me good. Any recommendations of places in ATL?
3.Blog 3 times a week-I'm not making any promises, but I don't want my blog to go neglected any longer. I will take breaks every once in a while when things get too hectic or I take a vacation, but I want to be the kind of blogger that feels like your friend.

Relational-Relationships have been harder here than at any other time or place in my life. I've been blessed with a few really close friendships here, that I could not do without, but man has it ever been a tough year for me relationally. Here's a couple of my less personal resolutions.
1. Get connected with people at church-this has been on my to do list since I got here, and God has sent me back on the church hunt because of it.
2. Make dinner for friends once a month- I love to have people over, and I need something to make me cook. Enough said.

Occupational-I can't believe I start seeing clients this summer. I might pee in my pants the first time I actually counsel someone. Seriously.
1. Pray for clients every day, starting now-God knows what they need better than I ever will.
2. Give 100% every working hour- Maybe I can do slapshod work for myself, but not for others.

Financial-I had to quit one of my jobs from last semester because of classes. Things were tight before that, now things will be even tighter.
1.Be able to continue to pay for just as much as I did last semester-I am still not completely financially independent from my parents, but I am working towards that. I look forward to that day.
2.O gosh, this is embarrassing...but to keep you entertained I will share it anyway...No showers over 20 minutes- I LOVE showers! If I had an hour to shower I would. I do my best thinking in the shower. If I have to cry, I do it in the shower. Yes, I do sing in the shower. This resolution will help keep my water bill down. I used to make the excuse that I needed the alone time in the shower, but since I live by myself, that excuse went down the drain (pun intended).

Spiritual-for lots of reasons my list of spiritual resolutions looks a lot different this year. I usually have a list of verses to memorize and books to read. I usually have some spiritual number of minutes every day I want to pray. But something inside of me is changing.
1.I want my life to be more about being than doing-for me this has meant less doing, a lot less doing. I know that Christ is part of who I am, but I've been so into doing things that make me look like a good Christian that I wonder if I really am a good Christian, the kind that Christ uses and the Holy Spirit flows through. More about that another day.
2. Find a church where I can really be a part of the body of Christ-I am really uncomfortable with leaving the church I have been at since I moved here, but I am more uncomfortable staying there. This is my resolution I look forward to least, even worse than 20 minute showers.

If you can believe it, these aren't all of my resolutions, yet I am extremely optimistic. By now you are tired of reading and I need to be tired because I have less than a half an hour before my new bed time. God bless you if you read all of my ramblings. I love you all for reading. Every one needs a few fans in their lives to cheer them on.