Happy New Year

We went to Berlin for two days to celebrate New Year's Eve. It was a lot of fun and once I upload all of my pictures, I will post some of them.

Like many others, for me the beginning of a new year marks a time to reflect and think about the past year as well as what I hope to accomplish/achieve in the year to come. On the drive home from Berlin, my husband and I were talking about all that we have done in not only the last year, but the past decade, since it's now 2010. We graduated high school, met each other in college and fell in love, graduated college, got our first place together, got real jobs, moved to Oregon, we both got our master's, got married, bought a house, and moved to Germany, and I started my doctorate (just to name a few things).

I wonder what I will have to say about our lives at the end of the next decade?

There are a few things that I have on my mind for 2010.

1. Get in better shape which includes eating a healthier diet and trying to cut out as many processed foods as I can. I want to do weight training at least 3 times a week and incorporate more running into my workout schedule. It's time to firm up the tush and get in on the skinny jeans action. I would like to see some "winter padding" shed and some inches lost, but I also just want to feel the benefits of being stronger and active in my daily life. Over the holidays I took a little hiatus from exercising and I started to feel awful, so I want to reap the physical and mental benefits of exercise. Hubby too!

2. Relax and go with the flow. I am not gonna lie, I can be really uptight sometimes. Wanting to be in control, not really being flexible and calm, and not liking situations that aren't planned out. But, I have realized recently, during my efforts to be more relaxed, that it is a lot more fun to just enjoy the moments that life has to offer without getting flustered and giving my sweet husband a hard time. When I am more chill, my husband and I get along better and I have a lot more fun. Not everything needs to be planned out and if plans change, sometimes it's for the better.

3. Make a quilt. I am so excited for this one! I met a nice woman here in Germany who is going to work with me and teach me how to make a quilt. When I was in the US over the holidays, my mom and I went to a fabric store and picked out some super cute fabric for my very first quilt. My grandmother makes beautiful quilts and I never learned from her, but I would like to acquire the skills, so that I can someday teach my daughter (or son) and carry on the tradition. I am going to make a baby quilt to start and I am so excited for the day I can bundle by baby in something that I made with my own hands during my time in Germany.

4. Think more about others and less about myself. I would like to make more of an effort to try and see situations from other perspectives and to be more sensitive to the needs/wants/ideas of others both in my professional life and in my personal life.

5. Read at least one book for pleasure each month. I read so much for my classes that it can leave little time for reading for fun. Even though reading for information is important, it's also important to take the time to read for relaxation and enjoyment. I got some new books when I was in the US and I already finished a couple of them. I read Precious and It's Not All Flowers and Sausages. I also bought The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and I am reading The Secret Lives of Bees right now.

I am excited to get started on all of these goals/resolutions.

Happy New Year everyone!