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There are certain moments in life where you see a different side of things.
Last night was one of those times. My husband is one of those people who can get along with anyone. He can spark up a conversation with anyone. He was able to get my girlfriend’s husband, who is normally shy & introverted, to completely open up and have fun. I thought about this event last night and realized this is one of the things I really enjoy about my husband. I am the opposite and am not good at sparking up conversations. I start nerdy conversations or what would be considered ‘normally off the wall subjects’ and people tend to give me ‘the eye’ that I am wierd or they cannot relate (for instance on a normally off the wall subject, I am really knowledgeable in tarot & numerology and if you get me started I will go right on into the subject). Then…
During a Christmas party, my son told me he had so much fun talking with my mom in a deep conversation. And when my son was telling this information to me, I was cherishing that he was connecting with me in our own conversation. This is a rarity, as he is a teenager and we have our issues connecting, much of the time. I enjoyed that my mom can connect with her grandson, like she did, and I would like to learn how to do that with him more.
Anyhow, you are probably wondering what this has to do with presenting my 2009 personal New Year Resolutions. This year, “Keeping it Simple” is about connecting with life, friend’s, family & community. It’s going to be about finding the true sense of my life. Exploration into my personal realm and how to connect with those I love and cherish. It’s about enjoying the simple things in life like making a warm loaf of bread. Then enjoying it with butter & jam and a hot cup of tea. Or fully decorating one room at a time and seeing, enjoying the fruits of my labor. About crafting with my hands or spending special moments with my family. The ‘simple’ list goes on. And so with out further adoo, here is my 2009 Personal New Year’s Resolution(s):
Keeping it Simple
Health
- Just, Walk More
- Start eating Healthy again by using The Great (10″) Plate as reference
- Get outdoors more (ex: find a new trail, time @ the beach, picnic in the park, start gardening again)
Personal
- Clean my photo collection up – put photos in albums/frames, delete unnecessary pics from computer, etc…
- Take a ‘hobby’ class solely for pleasure – thinking cooking or craft or yogapilates class
- read a historical book(s) for pure interest – thinking Egyptian, the hidden tunnels in France or the Civil War
- learn to read & understand a full book in a foreign language – a kid’s book count
Family
- Learn to understand my husband more. Fully realize those things I truly cherish about him.
- Learn to connect with my son more – spend time connecting with my son over coffee or a meal. His youth years are numbered and I want to fully enjoy them.
- Continue nuturing my great relationship with my daughter. Alot of the baking & crafting will be done together, I am sure.
- Learn to make Shortbread Cookies (to enjoy with my tea), a Loaf of Fresh Bread (for my butter & jam), and Biscotti (cuz I love the stuff)
- Cook at least one recipe from each untouched cookbooks I’ve bought (probably about 6 cookbooks. Not too many)
- And possibly, defeat my fear and throw my first dinner party
Crafting – 65% Handmade gifts 4 a year
- Complete my 2009 Personal Handmade Gifts (see Calendar) – if the gifts are not constructed in time, then I will purchase remaining Handcrafted gifts from Etsy or Craft Fair (supporting ‘urban’ artists)
Finances
- Keep on track with my Snowball Schedule
- Save 1/2 (or $2500) of the money needed for a family trip to Hawaii (target trip date: Summer 2010)
Charity
- Discover ways to donate a bit of time or money to local charities. MoneyMateKate’s Cheap Charityblog is great inspiration to me.
House
- Finish decorating the kitchen before moving onto another room
- Focus on decorating one room in the house at a time
Rediscover… realign my life. This year is about gaining a deeper understanding and connecting with my life. To slow down and enjoy the full process of things in my life. Alot on my plate? Maybe. If it is too much, then I will revise. It’s not going to be about making it a ‘must to complete’ every task. It’s about taking a step back and relishing in the moment. I just have a feeling this is going to be a good year! And I will be sure to share my resolution efforts with you.
So, with that… start everyday with a smile and develop your personal footprint with your best effort. 
~MF
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Christine,
Well thought-out goals–true to your values! I like trying consciously to connect with your teen. Best wishes for 2009!
What great goals Christine – you totally just made me cry…. I want those too!!!!
What a sweetie you are — I am so glad that I found your blog a few months ago!
Enjoy your day!
Great goals, I really found your commitment to homemade gifts interesting. I hope you share as you make them! I am always looking for ideas
Happy New Year!
Hi there-this is such a lovely post, its great to have bonding time with the men in your family, I’m the only gal! I’ve just come back from seeing a pantomime at the theatre with my boys and we had such a good laugh and a great time, its these experiences that you remember for a long time to come!
Your 2009 resolutions are awesome. I may lift some of your idea for my own.
Christine I love all these goals. What a wonderful 2009! And I love the idea about 1 room at time. I tend to focus on all the rooms in my house and should adopt that idea. PS-I would love to go to your dinner party! I’m sure the eats will be superb!!
you will love hawaii. hubby and i went for our 2 year anniversary. we saved up for a year and paid cash for the entire trip. we spent 5 days in waikiki and 4 days in maui. it was amazing. VERY expensive though. we spent $3000 just on flight & hotels and then another $2000+ on activities, food, and a small bit of shopping. soooo worth it though.
@ RTC: Thank you. I understand being a teen is tough, but now I am finding out how tough it is on the parental side. lol!
@ jpkittie: Ah, thank you! My hubby thinks they are really good goals, too. He is determined to work on our relationship together. It will be a year of learning.
@ D and D: Of course, I will share them with you. I just ordered the cutest pattern for Chicken Potholders. Will post soon.
@ Sharon Rose: How fun. I haven’t seen a pantomime in such a long time. Its those times we cherish. I look forward to building moments w/them during the year.
@ Shtinkykat: Please do. I look forward to working on these resolutions this year.
@ Budget Mama: The one room at a time was my hubby’s idea. I am the procrastinator and scatter brain my ideas/progress. So, I am gonna try the one decor project at a time. And the dinner party… I’d be glad to have you over!
@ Tiffanie: I have been to Maui, once. But this time I really want to bring the whole family. I’ve been researching some pretty good deals and will have to plan out a frugal fun way for vacationing there! I just love the constant nice weather.
those are great goals! just remember to keep reviewing them every 3 months or so. i know you will be successful
@ dinah34: Thank You! I am actually pretty excited about conquering my resolutions this year.
Christine – I like your list of goals. It gave us some food for thought.
-1MansMoney
@ 1 Man’s Money: Thank you. I think it will prove an interesting year for me.
lovely goals! It’s good finding other pf bloggers that are looking at simplifying life and blogging about life in general, there’s more to life than the balance sheet:)good luck with achieving them!
Hey Christine, it is rightly said ,true greatness lie in simplicity . So, all the best with your simple goals ( they all sound great and noble )! Happy to have found your blog. Great going !
Fabulous list of goals for the year. Some of them sparked something in me which said ‘Yeah, me too’
@ Louise: Thank you! I never realized how hard it is to simplify. I wonder if I can even ‘survive’ a simplified life. lol! So use to the everyday havoc. Will slowing down be for me? hmm…
@ snigdhasbouquet:Hi! thanks for stopping by. Oprah says it the year for hope. Let’s see if I can accomplish my goals and find ‘my’ life again. Enjoying it along the way.
@ livingmyrichlife: I think they are big goals for me. But since I wrote them down… I am hoping it will keep me on due course. I look forward to its progress. This year’s course is a ‘me’ journey. How do we manage to move along and sometimes forget the ‘me’ part? hmmm.
Those sound like fab goals! Good Luck!
A great list! I think your husband & mine must be related.
@ Frugal Trenches: Thank you! It’s gonna prove to be a busy year!
@ Tracy: Thank you. Why do you say the relations? Does this have to do with the New year?