Goals for 2009

So it’s that time of year again; I realized the other day that 2008 is almost over and, gulp, we were quickly entering into 2009, almost the end of the first decade in the 21st century. It’s so hard to think of how the last 10 years have gone by, quickly at some points and dragging at others, but the fact that almost a decade has gone by and I can remember parts of every year within it makes me feel…well, quite old. The first decade of my adult life is almost over. Already.

One thing that I’ve done over the past 2 years of this decade is to document my goals for the upcoming year, and I’m really glad that I have since it has given me a chance to look back on my priorities and dreams for that year, and to see what, if anything, I’ve accomplished. So, without further ado, here is my list for ’09 (nine in ’09) Now not all of these are deep or complex, some of them are just things I would like to do more of, silly things, but others are more serious and fit into the larger picture of my life, so I hope to at least accomplish some of those, without ignoring the little things as well.

1) Get Pregnant: this is obviously something that might not happen, since I can’t really control whether it happens or not, we’ve been trying for over a year now and nothing has happened, but I know for certain that this is something that I want, I’m (and we’re) ready to have children, the time is right, so I am making it a priority. Whether this means getting medical help or just doing whatever I can to help it happen, I need to keep my focus, because I want to be knocked up by the end of this year. My #1 goal.

2) Travel outside of the Maritimes at least twice: I’m very happy that this happened in 08, and I want to make it happen again next year. One trip I want to make is to Toronto to visit my friend Anna again, that was a nice “mini vacation”, and it was relatively inexpensive, so I’ll probably go again in the spring. The other I’m not so sure about, ideally I would love for this to be the year to head to Italy, I’ve been wanting to go for a long, long time, and now that I have a friend there, it would end up being somewhat inexpensive, depending on what kind of flight deal I can get. I really really, really want to go, it’s a life long dream, I know I will probably cry when I get there, that’s how much I want to go, and if there is any way that I can do this one, I want to do it. The biggest luxury, but also the most worthwhile one.

3) Take more (and better pictures): I’ve had my camera since March, so almost a year, and I think it’s time I took it to the next level technically. I’m going to invest in a new lens and a photo editing program in January, and I really want to take my photography up a notch (or 2 or 3). Really learn how to work my camera, how to edit properly, and how to develop a photographer’s eye. Whether this means taking a class or reading books, or just practicing every day until I get to where I’m happy, I want this skill of mine to improve.

4) Read at least one book a month: Plain and simple. I’m not going to force myself to read anything, if it’s non-fiction, fiction, fluffy or not, just to read one book a month. Easy peasy.

5) Save up (almost) half of a down payment on a house: Ever since Dan started working back in April, we have managed to save about 1/5 of what we need to buy a house. I would like to increase the savings if possible and save about half of what we need to buy a home in Sussex in the next few years. This might be a tough one to do, but Dan should be getting a raise or 2 next year (although we will also start paying off Dan’s govt loans…eek), but as long as we save as much in ‘09 as we did in ‘08 I will be happy.

6) Journal more on my scrap pages: I’ve accepted my “style” in scrapbooking and am generally happy with what I scrap/how I scrap/how frequently I scrap, but one thing I’m not satisfied with is the journaling I add (or don’t add, in most cases) on my pages. I need to dig deeper and really focus on the words I use and what I want to say. Even if it’s just a silly page, I want to look back on it in a few years and really feel like I expressed myself as accurately and as vividly as possible, to leave behind my life, all aspects of it, through meaningful words.

7) Maintain some form of exercise: This is going to be hardest one, by far, since I’ve never been one to naturally enjoy exercise. I can go through phases where I will get into the routine of exercising (like running or Pilates), but it’s not something that comes naturally to me, I have to work at it, which makes it hard when I feel like being lazy, which is all.the.time. BUT, my weight has been creeping up on me lately (sniff sniff), and I’m no longer satisfied with my body as it is, so starting as soon as possible, I’m going to do my Pilates and when the weather gets a bit nicer, I am going to aim to start running again and possibly run in the 10km in July that I did last year. Maybe swim or something as well. Wish me luck on this one!

8) Quit (or at least tone down) the casual swearing: This is a bad habit of mine that I let sneak up on me from time to time and it’s time that I got it under control. Swearing now and then is cool, when it’s needed and when it’s the only thing that can be said it’s fine, but throwing it into casual conversation for no reason is just not going to fly with me. I’m smarter than that and I won’t let it get worse.

9) Umm, did I mention get pregnant?

I truly believe this.

These little guys came to me in the form of a Christmas card from my friend Jory. I believe they are from Etsy, but I'm not sure from which shop...they look kinda Ashleyg to me, don't you think?

Happy New Year!