A new year, pretty much the same me

Happy New Year! *flings confetti in your general direction while noisemakers sound*

Are you one of those that comes up with resolutions every January 1st?  I didn't ask whether the resolutions are actually kept.  I tend to not wait around for the new year for resolutions; when I decide I am going to do something, I just do it.  Oh, that is not to say that when I come up with an idea I start right away.  Oh no, I will mull it over this way and that way, then sometimes I shelve the idea and come back to it.  I just don't tend to wait around for an arbitrary date to start something: January 1st, Sunday, Monday, after the holidays.  In September after thinking and wanting to for a couple years, I started back to church.  There wasn't anything special about that Sunday, just happened to be when I finally worked up the courage and did it.

I don't know that I have any resolutions for the new year, but I do have plans.  This year I am finally going to complete the couch to 5k program.  I have been talking about doing it since Gwendolyn was a baby and she is now four and a half years old.  That is way too long to be talking and thinking about doing something without anything to show for it.  I have started it a couple times, but never seriously and never made it past the first week.  This year I am doing though.  I want to be able to run with my girls.  Plus I hear all sort of good things about "runner's highs" and endorphins and I want that.

I intend to participate in the project365.  I figure this will make me figure out how to use my dslr* that I got for my birthday last August.  Plus it will be nice to look back and see my entire year rather than just the spurts of pictures I take and all the special occassion/ holiday pictures.  I'm thinking maybe weekly I will post my shots here.  *And it isn't that I haven't worked with my camera and started figuring it out: I have read books, tutorials, and my manual meaning I know just enough that I get confused trying to make the camera do what I want.  I'm determined though.

Those are the only to things I want to do, but I think I will devote time this year to finding my peace.  I tend to get internally riled up and then I can't get my mind to calm down which amplifies everything.  So this year I will find my peace.  I will give myself time that I need, I will give my children and husband time and attention they deserve, I will make conscious efforts to have improved quality of social interactions (no matter how socially awkward I feel and how strong my impulse is to be a hermit), I will better manage household chores and cooking that way I don't have the frazzled late afternoon hours and conversations of "What do you want for dinner tonight? What are we eating?  When is dinner?" and so hopefully, I don't become so anxious when people come over, and I will let go of people and things that interfere with finding and keeping my peace.  These are big things, but I think with little steps I can achieve my goals.