On resolutions and fresh starts

Do you start each New Year with resolutions?  Do you follow them?  Chart your progress and track your success?  I must admit, I normally don't.  It's not that I dislike the idea of resolutions.  Quite the contrary.  I embrace the idea, and support anyone who chooses to celebrate a new year with new goals.  It's simply that I've never really taken the time.  I'm probably also secretly afraid that I will fall short of my resolutions and end up disappointing myself.  

I've been thinking a lot about resolutions this year.  I've been reading many blog posts about resolutions, and getting different opinions and attitudes about this topic.  It seems like everywhere you turn, someone is resolving to start something, or improve something, or achieve something.  Gyms are full, grocery stores are packed with people resolving to cook more, homes are being cleaned with more frequency.  But how long will it last?  What is it about human nature that so many of us seem doomed to fail at many, if not all, of our resolutions?  In 2007, a British psychologist found, in a survey of 3,000 people, that 88% of all resolutions end in failure.  This Wall Street Journal article from 2009 helps explain the science behind failed resolutions.

Maybe this is why I never make resolutions.  Or maybe I just haven't wanted to do something badly enough that I was willing to put it out there and have tangible proof of my success or failure.  This year I decided to really think about resolutions - generally, and then specifically - about what I wanted to change in my life.  What I have worked out is this: at the heart of it, a resolution is a choice.  A commitment to change a habit pattern.  Somehow, for me, this makes resolutions more palatable.  While I can choose to make a change at any point in the year, the significance of a resolution on the first of the year is not lost on me.  A fresh start for a fresh year. But perhaps the key is to make resolutions that reflect a choice, rather than a goal.  Instead of "I resolve to lose 10 pounds in 2012", why not, "I resolve to live more healthfully and exercise 5 days a week."  While some may say the alternative is less specific, I find it more motivating and more important.  Better yet, a choice to live cleaner in the new year, if done correctly, will undoubtedly result in some amount of weight loss, or at the very least, improved health and physique.  To me, it seems less daunting and more positive and empowering.

So here it is.  In 2012, I resolve to be more mindful - to make better choices for myself and my family.  More specifically, I resolve to live better, by cooking and exercising on a regular basis (at least 4-5 times a week for each).  I resolve to be more positive, to use less negative language, to look for the hidden blessings and on the bright side of things.  I resolve to choose my words more carefully, to teach my child without yelling, to support others with positive language, and to support myself with my better choices.  I feel lighter and refreshed after making these "resolutions', rather than overwhelmed and terrified of failure.  A positive start to a new year, wouldn't you say?  

Hello Again

Well hello there friends!  It's been a while, hasn't it?  Another year has passed into the history books and I realize it's been around 6 months since my last post.  I know I have resolved more than once to be a better blogger and post with more frequency.  I think that past experience has taught me that I require a more realistic goal when it comes to blogging.  So instead I'm going to simply resolve to blog when I can, and when I feel inspired to write.


So much has happened since I last posted, and to recap it all would take days, if not weeks.  So rather than taking up too much time with that, I'll hit the highlights.  Our move east was successful, and while we miss the slower pace and great friends out in Nevada, it was time, and we have all adapted quite well.  Pilot Pete started a new job that he loves, was promoted, and received his next set of orders.  Surprisingly, these orders will take us back out west later this year.  We'll be in a city we lived in for a year back when we were first married, and while this development was a little unexpected, we are, as always, excited for new opportunities and adventures.  This is Navy life after all!  Little Dude started preschool in September and has been learning and experiencing all kinds of new and exciting things.  We've dealt with a few growing pains along the way, but he is proving to be quite the champ when it comes to dealing with the change and instability that comes with our crazy lifestyle.  As for me, I am finally feeling more settled and grounded, one of the things that I felt I had been struggling with for quite some time.  I think that some times you just need a little change of pace to get to where you want to be in life!


2011 was a great year for all of us, both individually and as a family, and I have high hopes for 2012.  We'll face plenty of obstacles and challenges, but hopefully with light hearts and smiles on our faces.  Today is a fresh start, and, as my dad always says "the first day of the rest of your life".


Happy New Year!!  

Another year...how did that happen?

Exactly three weeks after we moved to Nevada Pilot Pete celebrated his birthday.  Well, here it is, three years later, and he's celebrating another birthday.  Shocking, I know.  These things do come along once a year.  What is shocking, at least to me, is that we've now known each other for 18 birthdays.  We haven't always been together on this day, but it's a day I never did, and never could, forget.  It is a great day, to be treasured and celebrated.

Happy Birthday to an extraordinary person - a great father, husband, and man.  My life is better because of you.

We sure have come a long way!

Sometimes you just need a little pick me up

It's been a slow start to the week over here.  I've been dragging a bit for some reason.  I could blame it on winter doldrums, but the temperature has mostly been above normal for this time of year.  I could blame it on the fact that January is my least favorite month and always seems to drag on, but low and behold, it's February!  So, while I try to pinpoint what exactly is making me feel less than peppy, I think I'll indulge a little.

Just a little something I made to help improve my mood

Seven years

Yesterday was our seventh anniversary!  I had a post planned, but when I went to start it last night, I found blogger and google were down.  And when they were still down at 1:30 AM after we finished watching "The Kids are All Right", I decided it was time to call uncle and hope for better today.  Luckily blogger is back up and running.

We're listening to...

Holiday music, and lots of it!  I have never really been a huge fan of holiday music, probably because what I remember from my childhood was the old and boring music playing on the radio on Christmas Eve.  But this year is different, and I find myself in the mood for some great holiday music.  Luckily for me, over the years the quality of holiday music has vastly improved, and it seems like nearly every big name in the music industry releases at least one holiday album during their career.  Thanks to iTunes, I can get my hands on pretty much any kind of holiday music I could imagine. 

They say it never rains in Southern California...

Well, they lied!  Nearly 3 weeks ago, we made the trek to Anaheim from our home in Northern Nevada.  After an 8 hour car ride, we were thrilled to get there and get out of the car.  Little did we know what was in store for us.

We live in the desert, so rain is a rarity.  For someone who lived in Florida for 24 years, moving somewhere where the average rainfall is 5.3 inches per year is a bit of an adjustment (by comparison, my hometown of Tampa, FL experiences an annual average rainfall of 44.7 inches).  On the day of our departure, we woke to the unmistakable sounds of rain.  Rain!  How exciting.  Until it wasn't.

Apparently, like Charlie Brown and his rain cloud, the rain decided to follow us to Southern California.  It rained the entire 3 days we were there. It rained, on and off, but mostly on, for the two days we spent at Disneyland.  It rained so much that we were forced to buy rain ponchos.  Ponchos.  I have never in my life worn a rain poncho, not under any circumstance.  As a kid, when we would visit the Florida theme parks during the summer we would make fun of the tourists in their neon yellow rain ponchos.  What - did they think they were going to melt?  Well, we became those tourists - wandering around the park in our neon yellow ponchos, trying to stay dry.

Despite the rain, the little dude was in high spirits (which kept us in high spirits), mostly because all he cared about was finding Mickey Mouse.  More on that later.  Luckily, no photographic evidence exists of the dreaded rain ponchos.  Not that it matters - the image of those ponchos is seared into my memory.  An auspicious start to an entertaining trip.

It's the most wonderful time of the year

I have a small confession to make...

I LOVE TV.

When I was younger, I think I probably would have chosen movies over television.  But that was back when the pickins were slim and shows hadn't achieved the feats of storytelling and effects they have recently.  I did have a few shows I watched regularly, but they did not excite in me the passion and fervor today's television shows do.  (This is not an exaggeration.  I get really into my shows.)

On the whole, we don't watch a great deal of television in our house.  This is deliberate.  When the little dude was about 4 months old, I started to notice how captivated he was by the tv.  So my immediate reaction was to turn it off.  It wasn't until he was a year and a half that he really watched anything, and that was a movie on a 6 hour car drive home from California.  The car was new, and there was a convenient DVD player in it...

These days he enjoys a Disney movie now and then, or an episode of Sesame Street or Clifford I have stored on the DVR.  But for the most part, the tv is off during the day.  When he goes to bed however, it's a different story.  I think this falls under the category of do what I say, not what I do.

I'm a bit of a couch potato at night.  Sad, but true.  I love a good tv show, and there are so many to choose from.  The bar has really been raised in recent years, and I find that most of the shows I watch are better than most of the movies we rent (going to the theater these days is a non starter, due in no small part to a certain toddler).

So tonight when the little dude's asleep and the house is quiet, I'm going to treat myself to brand new episodes of my favorites.  And a few new ones too.  Well, technically they're old, since they're remakes.  Don't even get me started on the seemingly lack of original ideas in Hollywood.  Annoying as it is, it doesn't seem to stop me from tuning in.

The iconic theme song from Hawaii Five-O has been replying in my head for the last week.  Time to see if it lives up to the hype.  Fall tv season is, for me, the most wonderful time of the year.

These are days to remember

School started in our little town yesterday.  I was leaving the dentist's office as the high school across the street let out for the day.  As the students poured out of the school it took me back.  It's been 17 years since  I started high school.  17 years since I met my husband.  Where did the time go?

As I look back across the years, I realize that things are both simpler and more difficult now.  With age comes wisdom, for sure, but with age also come complications and responsibilities.  I look at my little dude, who turns 3 in December, and I am in awe of how much of life he has ahead of him.  I try to imagine him as he starts on his way, walking into school for the first time.  I try to imagine him as a teenager - what will he look like?  What will he sound like?  Who will he be?

Fall is my favorite time of the year.  I love the crisp feeling in the air, the smell of logs burning in fireplaces, the sound of a whistle on a football field..  For me, it's a feeling of renewal, the start of the school year, and of new things to come.

Little dude's still a few years away from school, but seeing the kids in our neighborhood waiting for the bus reminds me that it's not as far off as I think.  For now I'll try to enjoy the time we have together, muster as much patience for the rough times, and remember that it'll be over in the blink of an eye.  These are definitely days to remember.

I am not a digital girl, but I live in a digital world

I have been spending a lot of time talking on the phone lately. This isn't something I have done in a while. Ever since I joined the rest of the world on Facebook, Twitter and with texting, I have noticed I do a lot less talking and a lot more typing. Since doing this I've also noticed that I have a lot less personal contact with people, and I think my friendships may be suffering because of it.

On the one hand, friendships have become a lot easier to cultivate with all the digital advances we have. Meet someone, get their phone number. Text them. Friend them. Message them. All of these outlets provide myriad ways to get to know someone faster than ever before. But are we really getting to know people? Sure, we know a lot about people. Where they went to high school and college. Where they work. When their birthday is. How many friends they have. But does knowing a lot about a person mean you actually know them? Who they are, what they think and feel?

I think the quality of a friendship far outweighs the quantity of friendships a person has. So I've been on the phone, getting to know my friends. Talking about things we are looking forward to, hopes for our children, places we want to visit, etc. At the end of the day, I am remembering that this is why it took me so long to adapt to all the new digital toys and fads. I'm old school (or maybe just an old fart) and pretty happy that way. I'll continue to keep up (or at least try to) with the trends, but I'm going to remember that the personal touch never goes out of style.