Workin' on Resolutions!

I have 23 items on my New Year's Resolutions List for 2009. And in answer to your question, "No, I am not kidding." And to your follow-up question, "Yes, I am a very sick individual." There, now that we have your shock and judgment covered, we can move on.

My list for 2008 only had 8 resolutions, so either I've become more adventurous or the crazy has been dialed up a notch! I vote for crazy, since out of 8 items on my list for 2008 I only accomplished 4 of them.

And yet as the clock struck midnight on December 31, 2008 my new list was compiled and I was committed to a year of change...a lot of change. Ah, change. It's like a warm cookie; a cookie I'd like to kiss right on the lips! What? That doesn't even make sense. I'm just going to walk away from it.

Anyways, because we're more than a few months into this glorious new year I decided to check up on my progress with the aforementioned list and see how I'm doing. Care to come along?

1. Learn to sew.
Yeah, this has NOT happened for several reasons. A. I do not have a sewing machine. B. Sewing requires time and space...two things that are in very short supply at the Leonard household. and finally C. I do not have a sewing machine. It's listed twice because it's key!
2. Learn to communicate.
Marriage is my favorite! That said, nothing in life will show you where you suck quite like marriage. So, with that in mind I will work on communication!
3. Save money so we can start a family.
When you said "save money" did you mean "spend money"?...cause that's what's going on in our house. One for me, one for you, one for me, one for you...none for Rusty Jr. Oh, it's sad!
4. Workout on a consistent basis.
Does mixing the brownie batter count as a workout?
5. Eat less processed foods. Make as much as I can from scratch.
I have tried to stick to this. I make a lot from scratch. However, biscuits and rolls will forever in our home be made by Pillsbury. I tried "from scratch", I'm going back to "from the can".
6. Read one book a month.
Well I must have been on crack, because I haven't read one book in 4 months. Although, I didn't specify length of the book...Goodnight Moon here I come.
7. Eat chocolate whenever I feel like it, and don't feel guilty about it.
Done and done!
8. Live a balanced life.
Define balanced. Nope, never mind. No matter how you define it, I'm not doing it. I lose.
9. Practice yoga.
I have the yoga tape, I have the yoga pants, I even have the mat. What I don't have is the time. Namaste!
10. Commit to one day a week of "play"
Rusty and I have really been working on this one. We try to take a walk together or have dinner (not in front of the TV), or spend quality time out of our house each week. I think we can give ourselves an A for this resolution. Finally!
11. Take a cooking class
The year's not over yet!
12. Read at least 5 minutes in my Bible every day
It's not every day, but I've become MUCH more disciplined in my Bible reading this year.
13. Get involved in a life group or a small group
Working on it!
14. Learn to love the body I've been given and stop trying to achieve perfection.
Perfection isn't achievable? Someone should tell a sista' earlier in life!
15. Get moving everyday.
I move. I move from my bed to the couch, to the car, to my chair at work, back to the car, back to the couch and back to my bed. That totally counts! Alright, this has been rough during the winter months, but I'm getting motivated. Swimsuit season will do that to you!
16. Keep my desk clutter free and organized. Clean out the junk every Friday.
Hahahaha! That's pretty much all I've got to say on that.
17. Paint my nails more often.
How do you girls do it? Look at you with your perfectly manicured nails! I tried this one and I just don't think it's going to happen. Typing on a keyboard all day, shuffling through papers, and washing the dishes each night is killer on nail polish! Maybe when I become a lady of leisure I can achieve this goal. Until then I will embrace a good nail file and a clear top coat!
18. Blow dry my hair most days of the week.
For a girl with naturally curly hair this is a rather lofty goal. My locks are not wash and go friendly! But I hate spending the time to blow them out...and then curl them up EVERY day. Admittedly I have been wearing a lot of hats to off-set the lack of salon-style in my 'do!
19. Try a new hairstyle, one that scares me and my husband.
I am not kidding, this was actually on the list. And I did it! Blonde, blonde, blonde, blonde, blonde. Need I say more?
20. Don't see morning as the enemy.
Oh, but it IS the enemy. Sneaky little sucker! I have worked on this resolution in honor of my early bird husband. And surprisingly I am doing quite well! There are still days when I'm convinced that everything before 8 am was created by the devil himself...but those days are fewer and farther between.
21. Volunteer with an organization that helps underprivileged or abused children.
I am so sad that I haven't done this one yet! BUT, again, the year's not over!
22. Perform random acts of kindness...anonymously.
I love this one! "Hello, my name is Rain, and this is my dress made entirely of wheat..." I know, this makes me sound a little bit like a flower child, but I'm keeping it. I think it's important that I look for ways to serve other people before myself.
23. Be thankful for everything; remember how blessed I am.
I should sew this on a patch and carry it around with me, because this one is hard to do when you're in Cub on a Saturday morning! Seriously people, the aisles are like roads, you have to stay on your side...and there's no stopping in the middle!!!

That's the list, that's all 23 things I think I can accomplish this year. As you can see I'm still a work in progress in most of these areas, but I'm ok with that. Sharing them with other people helps keep me accountable and it's a good reminder to me what I'm supposed to be working on.

Do you make resolutions? Do you keep them? Want to share??