Back on track

Hello again!  It's been a while, hasn't it?  We've been busy over here: a deployment, a trip to Disney, a cross country move, first day of PreK, first broken bone, and so much more.  I'm working to get back on track, so bear with me as I organize my thoughts and get into the blogging groove once more. <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/6506571/?claim=qmyxcrbayy5">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

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!!  

Our week in pictures

Going

Going

Gone!

The three amigos

Waiting for Pilot Pete to get out of his plane

Last flight in the squadron...a great tradition!

East, baby!

One last day

Today was out last day in Fallon.  It is so hard to believe that we have been here over three years now.  When we moved here we were new parents (and under 30!) without a clue.  We leave here older, wiser, and still clueless.  As I drove to the base today for the last time the soundtrack to Out of Africa played in the background as I  reminisced on all that has happened in the last three years.  (I know - overly dramatic on my part!)


In the beginning of our marriage, we moved twice in less than two years.  In those halcyon days, moving was exhilarating, challenging, and exciting.  This time it's a little different, and I have a feeling that this is the new standard.  It's no secret that I haven't loved living here, in the "Oasis of Nevada", and yet leaving is very bittersweet.  This is the only home our child has ever known.  He was a wee thing of three months when we moved out here, and despite living in two different houses over the past three years, moving across the country is a concept I'm not sure he fully comprehends.  How do you explain to your child he won't see his two best buddies for a good long while?  How do you explain that part of Daddy's job involves moving often?  These are the questions we are beginning to face as a military family.  The bottom line: I have no idea how to handle it.  We're learning and making it up as we go.  It's a constant battle and balance to figure out what he needs to hear and what he can handle.  I think it will always be a challenge.


We've been so lucky to meet amazing people everywhere we've lived, and Fallon has been no exception.  We've been able to spend a good deal of time with our two favorite families over the past few days.  They have taken care of us like family, and we will miss them terribly.  Tonight our imminent departure really sunk in, as Little Dude's friend E hugged him and said "I love you".  I nearly lost it.


Tomorrow our adventure starts as we're finally on the road.  I can't believe it's time.