2012 Resolutions in Review.

So…resolution time.  But first, it’s of course important to take a look back, & see what my resolutions for last year were:

1. Read at least 2 books a month:  This is the only resolution that I actually 100% achieved.  According to my Pinterest Board, I finished 36 books this year!  Granted…14 of those were youth series’ books (Finally read Harry Potter and re-read the Chronicles of Narnia).  But they’re still BOOKS, doggonnit. 

2. Follow Through on Exercise:  Umm…ermm… yeah.  Not as much as I should have. I think I was doing pretty well until August, when I started taking a class at the university.  Then “class time” kinda started taking up all of my usual “gym time”.  But now that my class is over, I’m hoping to see improvement in this arena. 

3. Not to Live Inside my Cubicle:  Umm…I think I have to call this one a draw.  My original quantification for this was to take at least 30 minutes a day to go for a walk, take an “actual” lunch, or at least take a mental break.  And I have definitely gotten better, whether it be going for a mid-day drive to run errands, or taking a real, sit down lunch with my coworkers in the break room, or just stepping outside for 15 minutes to call & chat with my mom.  But I definitely don’t do it for 30 minutes a day.  That’s tough for me.  Because that’s an extra 30 minutes I have to tag onto the end of the day…and frankly…I like going home to my hubby at a decent hour.  Throw in the 3 extra hours per week I already had to make up for while taking my class, and yeah…really hard to try to make up a lot of extra time.

4. No. New. Recipes:  BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA… *wipes tear away* Yeah…One week after making this resolution, I got my invitation to join Pinterest.  EPIC RESOLUTION FAIL.

 

So…what’s on the to-do list for 2013?

1. Travel out of the country twice: We have a ski trip scheduled for mid-January to British Columbia.  We’re also in the process of trying to schedule a “Maycation” with some friends around Memorial Day.  But that’s still a work in progress.  We usually go to the Gulf around that time, but this year, we’re aiming for something more tropical that actually requires a passport.  There’s some debate as to whether a cruise vs. all-inclusive resort is better.  I’m split… I like the idea of a cruise because it means more notches on the “proverbial travel belt”, but less stuff is included, and at least three days of our vacation would just be hanging out on the cruise ship, rather than “being” somewhere.  Plus we live 12 hours from the nearest cruise port (New Orleans)…although, I’m always down for a trip to NOLA.

2. Take, and hopefully PASS, the ASBOG exam in October:  For those who don’t like to click links, that’s the exam(s) I need to pass in order to become a state-certified professional Geologist.  Right now, I’m just a “Qualified Geologist”, which means I’ve got all the requirements, but haven’t taken the test.  It’s a pretty nasty S.O.B… two exams (one on Fundamentals, one on Practice, 8 hours, a total of 250 multiple choice questions)…and a $425 price tag.  So…ideally…I just want to take it ONE time.  But we’ll see.  I’ve got a lot of study materials, so hopefully I can take those to the gym with me and tackle two birds with one stone.

3. Drink More Water:  I am habitually dehydrated.  I’m horrible, really.  I nurse a cup of coffee until about lunch time.  Then have either a soda or glass of water with lunch…and that lasts me until I leave work.  Then I have another glass of water or tea or something with dinner.  And that’s about it. 

4. Keep reading…but read more non-fiction: Of the 36 books I read in 2012, 9 were non-fiction, and that’s including Thomas Moore’s “Utopia” (which is technically fiction, but it’s more of a philosophical, social commentary type of fiction, and it’s like 500 years old).  Five of the non-fictions were Mark Twain travelogues (I’m a HUGE Twain fan, since he’s from right here in Missouri.  By far, the most easy-reading 19th century books, ever.  For 2013, I’d like to read one non-fiction for every fiction.  I’ve started with C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity”, and am really enjoying it so far.

 

5.  And the only goal specifically related to this Blog—Get 100 new blog followers in 2013.  New growth here is very important to me; otherwise, why do we do this?  Why do we put ourselves out there?  To share our experiences with interested people, am I right?  To make someone think, or laugh, or get inspired.  So if you’re reading this, and you like what you see, it would be super-wicked-awesome if you’d clickity-click one of those buttons up on the left side of the page & follow this blog via Facebook, Pinterest, FeedBurner, or Google.  Yes.  I’m inviting you to stalk me.  It’s totes okay.  Well…in the virtual sense.  I would prefer no active, creepy, B-list slasher film “in-real-life” stalking.  I am just NOT motivated enough to run away from you, and my house has no upstairs or basement for me to stupidly try to hide/trap myself in.

 

So you…yeah, YOU: What are your resolutions for 2013?