did you make any new years resolutions? i did. and this year, i hope to keep them. the decision to be resolute should not be taken lightly. however, by march i’m usually waining in my excitement to exercise more or eat healthier food. no, i’m sorry. thats a total lie. my enthusiasm for exercise wains within 20 minutes. i’ve never experienced a runners high, or any high for that matter unless you count the after new years sale in the dillards shoe department. as all you fellow shoe lovers out there know, that sale is a fricken marathon!

but this year, i resolve to be more creative. i want to rediscover that buzz that used to burst out of me every day. i think it started when i was a kid and my grandparents bought me shel silverstein poetry. i stood reading for twenty minutes in sams club the other day when i saw there is a new book of poems. i laughed out loud!

i want to be more open. chatty. you’ll be hearing a lot more from me even though this foray into personal online exposure is a bit daunting. i’ll share my failures and my successes and the random stuff in between. i also want to be less procrastinaty. i’m super good at that. this post is already 11 days late!

i want to learn something new. not like cooking or anything domestic. my mum says the only reason i have a kitchen is because it came with the house. i once set fire to rice crispy treats in the microwave and i recently had a gas leak ‘incident’. needless to say, i’ll be learning something new elsewhere. actually i bought lightroom 3 and i’m still reading through a massive book before i import my first photos. i’m excited about it. there are thousands of videos and online tutorials to read so i feel like i’m back in college – but without the midterm. i have a feeling this is going to be a fantastic year and i want to be prepared for it!

i made some goals too. yes, i want to weigh 20 less pounds by summer, but i have to give up the cake for that to happen. so lets get real. my sister once gave up ice cream for a year. i think that would be hard for me but still within the realm of possibilities, so i’m going to try it. to all my 2012 brides and grooms out there – feel free to smack me in the head if you see me eating an ice cream.

a more serious goal is to landscape my yard. i’m better at cooking than i am at landscaping, so i have my work cut out for me. i’m envisioning giant flag stones and lots of drought tolerant, self sufficient, sun loving bloomers. i’ve got the gutters hooked up to the rain barrel and the compost bin out back so at least i’m ready for more than just those 5 lonely onions in my raised flower garden. i think they grew out of pity since all the other veggies committed suicide.

so i guess it all boils down to growth. personal growth. taller, not wider. feel free to encourage me. you know, toss in a little miracle grow support and we’ll see what comes in by next spring!