O the blessing of a new year!

(note: I have to make this quick so I can keep some of my goals ;) )

I LOVE having fresh starts. I love getting up in the morning realizing that I have a whole day to do the things I feel are important and the things I feel need to be done. I love my birthday because I have another year to make even better than the last. I love Sundays because I know after the sacrament, I can start again and do better. And I love new years because I can set goals and try to do better than I did the year before. I loved 2008. It really was a FUN year! It was definitely the year of road trips, really fun and memorable vacations, online classes, seminary teaching classes, a new apartment complex, many decisions about my degree (which I think I have finally made), ballroom & social dancing, seeing our families a lot, time together, writing/producing/directing our own play etc.

Tonight for our family home evening we wrote down goals, specifically weekly goals. We have goals for this year and some of them are:
--BOTH of us graduating this year
--Getting really good grades to keep up our full tuition scholarship
--I want to get a job after I graduate
--Richard student teaches
etc.
We have other goals for this year, but they can also be broken down into weekly goals which we specifically wrote down tonight. So here are some of my weekly goals for this week (which may be every week as well...)
--Eat 3 good meals a day (as a student, sometimes I get too busy and skip breakfast & lunch)
--Take my vitamins everyday
--Read my scriptures for an hour
--Go to bed no later than 10 and wake up no later than 7
--Eat sweets only once a week
--Exercise for at least 30 minutes
--Do yoga and meditate before exercising
--Drink 64 OZ a day
--Plan healthy meals everyday
--Say family prayers kneeling
--Say personal prayers kneeling
--Read scriptures as a family
--Write in my journal
--Pick up the house every night before bed
--Don't speak badly of anyone
--Do something to de-stress before bed
--Weekly temple trip & date night
--Practice piano 1 hour on Sundays
ETC.

So my weekly check list of these goals are hanging in my bathroom next to our daily schedule so that we remember to do them. My biggest problem is remembering them! I have all the intentions to do them, but my problem is just remembering enough to do them! So this should help keeping them close to where I get ready for the day, go to the bathroom etc.

I am really excited for this year because of all the things that could and will happen (specifically GRADUATION!!!) and to have another year with my sweetheart. I think that is why I love the new years the most: it means another year to spend with the love of my life.

(Another picture from our 2008 Christmas card photo shoot)
Yeah that one!
He is the reason I smile so big and am so excited for this new year!