Happy 2014!

January 1, 2014

The New Year--January 1st, specifically--is the time of year we all tend to make promises to ourselves that we ultimately fail to keep.  So why do we keep doing it?  Why set ourselves up to fail?  Well, because it's hard to get somewhere if you don't have an idea of where you want to go.  Now, if I don't make it all the way to my goal, or even if my goal changes in the course of the next year, that's okay.  I can't beat myself up about it if I don't reach the end of the line, so to speak, or if my road takes me down a different path.  As long as I get started in the right direction, I can feel good about the progress I've made.

So here we go. 

Yes, I'm going to make the obligatory resolution to lose weight/eat better/become more fit.  I've got some tools in place to help me track what I'm doing via Fitbit, and some plans in place for Lisa and me to encourage each other on this path.

I've used this blog in the past as a means to express my philosophies and observations, but also as a place where I can record family events and memories for posterity, including photos of family and friends.  I've gotten away from that purpose somewhat, so I not only want to keep up with that here for this year, but I want to back up and post previous events and photos that I've missed this year.  Every six months prior to this year I have had Blog2Print create a hardback copy of all of my entries as a permanent record--I want to update and then have those published from 2013.

I want to continue to pursue photography in new ways, as well as explore other artistic formats.  In 2013, I did some photography work for a friend of mine, and I dabbled in painting (in oil and acrylics) and even sold my first painting.  There's definitely more in those fields I want to explore.

I intend to continue to be mindful in how and why I teach, so that I can continue to grow and guide my students to the best of my ability.

Most importantly, I want to continue to work at being fully present with my family and friends, and be the best wife, mom, sister, and friend I know how to be.  The traditions and memories we are building now are the times my kids will look back on in their future, and I hope they are memories of love that they cherish.

To that end, our first pictures in the new year are of our traditional pizza night with my family, Lisa's family, and some good friends.  We've also got pictures from the Lutjens-Smith/Gaetje family Christmas gift exchange.  I'm so thankful Lisa was able to bring her kids (and a couple of their friends--Tia and Kimberly) up on the train today to spend the first few days of the new year with us.