#52 Stories: Story #14

What goals do you hope to achieve this year?

I don't always post new year resolutions, but I do make some goals for myself each year.  When the kids were at home, I'd make a point of teaching this in Family Home Evening each new year--for them to take time and think about what they wanted to accomplish and then refer to the previous goals to see what they'd achieved.

These were my goals from 2014, for an example (& these are still hanging on the bulletin board in sight of the computer):
Attend the temple once a month
Keep up with the Sunday school reading
Eliminate the word "crap" as an expression
Watch what I eat
Write to missionaries once a month

In 2014 to the present, I kept some of these better than others.  I ended up being a temple worker in the Mt. Timpanogos temple for a year about 2015.  That kept me at the temple almost every week.

My SS reading was a hit and miss thing--but now I am teaching Gospel Doctrine every other week, so I have no excuse NOT to keep up.  I have to!

"Crap!" as an expression is slowing leaving my natural speech pattern--but "Holy Mackerel" and "Holy Smokes" have made a raging reappearance.

I have watched what I have been eating--specifically since last March.  I began using a little app on my phone called Lifesum and it gives me a calories counter and exercise tracker.  With that help I have lost 23 pounds.  I'm not done yet, but I will still be continuing with this one.

Writing to missionaries?   You'd think that I could do this with my eyes closed almost since we can email missionaries now. I've slowly pulled back this goal but I will like to write to my family members who are serving missions--right now that means Sister Green in Pennsylvania.  I used to write the each of the missionaries serving form our ward, as well as any of the stake committee YM or YW that I served with in my Stake YW calling. Those letters were hand written and sent in the mail with a stamp--all over the world--for about 6 years.  Currently we do not have any young full time missionaries from our ward.  But I'm still up for this for our niece McKay.

So this year, for 2018, what will my goals be?
1) continue working with my little phone app to count calories and exercise more regularly to loose a few more pounds to be healthy and in better physical shape.
2) write to Sister McKay once each month as she serves a mission in Pennsylvania.
3) call my parents more regularly--once a week or so.
4) find out what I need to do to renew my teaching certificate and get things in place to do that
5) attend the temple monthly

Happy New Year!

2012 has come and gone...and 2013 is upon us.  I unplugged this weekend and wasn't on the computer so there was no update yesterday.  But I can tell you I was supposed to chaperone a 9-stake dance last night, but as 9 o'clock came--when the dance was supposed to start--there were 24 adults milling about and only about 8 kids there, I volunteered to go home.  I hope it picked up for those that stayed.

I came home to find Genius Golfer in bed watching a movie, asleep.  So I restarted the movie to try to watch with him, and after an hour he growled that it was too loud.  So the movie when off and I went to bed about 10:30.  We are party animals.  NOT.

The Girl went with her friends to two different dances--including the one I was supposed to work.  They must have had enough of a good time to be a little loopy.  The Boy watched TV and played video games home by himself, after a full day of snowboarding.

Here's hoping your NYE was more exciting than ours, and that 2013 will bring happiness and success as you do what is right!

Let's Roll!

Today is the last day of our Christmas break from school.  Frankly I am ready.

I am ready to get back on schedule...getting up on time, going to bed, eating dinner together, etc.  Vacations give me no schedule and, while it is fun for a while, my life works better with a plan.

So, welcome to 2012.  Let's get going!

Happy New Year!

Looking ahead, with optimism, you can imagine good things to come.  The key is the optimism.  When the cousins woke me up this morning before 6 AM, with the computer telling me is was just 1 degree and seeing the ground covered with snow made finding that optimism a little harder to find this morning.  But I feel excited that I have new opportunities coming, new chances to serve and learn and grow.  That is where the joy that comes with a new year comes from, I suppose.  Happy New Year, one and all.

Auld Lang Syne

Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old lang syne?


CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.


And surely you’ll buy your pint cup and surely I’ll buy mine!
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.


CHORUS


We two have run about the slopes, and picked the daisies fine;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot, since auld lang syne.


CHORUS


We two have paddled in the stream, from morning sun till dine;
But seas between us broad have roared since auld lang syne.


CHORUS


And there’s a hand my trusty friend! And give us a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll take a right good-will draught, for auld lang syne.


CHORUS

Robert Burns' poem set to a traditional folk song is the traditional English anthem for the end of the year and the dawn of the new.  Did you know it has the same meter as "American the Beautiful" so the lyrics can be sung interchangably?  Me neither.  No matter how you sing it, or even say it, it symbolizes endings and beginnings.  So tonight, as we toast the old year away to history and ring in the new year full of hopes and wishes, I hope we can keep our friendships that buoy us up, strengthen family ties even if they don't, and  always look forward with faith and hope that things will improve, knowing we can each do just a little better than we did this year.

Happy New Year, friends!  Be safe, and I'll see you right here again throughout 2011.

Wisdom of Anne

In Anne of Green Gables, at least the miniseries that I love and own on three discs on DVD, Anne shares with Miss Stacey her regret about something she perpetrated on Gil or one of her other fellows on Prince Edward Island. Miss Stacey, being the loyal and dutiful mentor she is to young Anne, reminds her that tomorrow is another day. And though very unlike Miss Scarlett of Gone with the Wind fame, Anne muses back to her that "tomorrow is fresh, with no mistakes in it".

Well,my friends, today is like that proverbial tomorrow. Albeit, today is the first of the new year. Therefore, our whole new year lies before us with no mistakes in it.

Of course, if you know anything about me, you know the mistakes will quickly be made, and probably several a day if my course and pattern continue.

For example, last night, Genius Golfer and I met two other couples and a dear single friend (who was wise enough not to bring a date with him, knowing he was dining with the group we have become) whom we had attended our last singles ward with together. Dear Single Friend Gary is delightful in every way. And yet I shot my mouth off and teased him, not just a little, but over the line. It is just that he makes it so easy to do. And he gives it just as good as he takes the teasing, so it is hard to fight such spontaneous thoughts.

So, to begin the new year, I'd like to apologize to Gary for teasing him about the children's menu last night at the Texas Roadhouse where they do not serve creamy cucumber dressing on the house salad and where our server, Josh, was already sweating bullets as he came to take our order for dinner last night.

This will decidedly not be the end to my apologizing, but I do hope I learn to recognize the need for the required apology faster so as to apologize in person, and eventually avoid crossing the line and needing the apology in the first place.

Well, I can hope. New Year's Days ought to be full of optimism.

Happy New Year!

Last night I was wondering to myself, 'What is it about New Year's that makes people drink so much more than any other day?' I'm not a drinker, but I have a theory that seems to work in my mind.

At New Year's Eve, people remember the past year. They think about the things they did or didn't do, the goals that they met or didn't meet, the opportunities that came their way and what they did with those opportunities. I think for some people, this dredges up a lot of regret and sadness that the year ending didn't live up to its potential for them. This in turn, makes then sadder and more regretful and drives them to drink, to try to forget all the sadness and regrets.

Now, like I say, I am not a drinker, but as the year came to an end last night, I thought about things too. Some things made me sad, others made me regretful. But most were happy memories, full of gratitude for another year, for family, for health, for time to doing things, help people, make changes. I ended up drinking too, but my flavor of choice, is of course, Diet Coke!

The New Year's Eve and Day are just calendaring notations. I figure there is already a way set up to make changes. You needn't wait for the turn of a new year to turn a new leaf. Every time you set a goal for yourself, it is a New Year chance to get better, do better. The important bit is to decide to change and make things better. Only you can do that. I can encourage, cajole, torment, tease, and wish for you--but only YOU can make changes that will truly affect your life.

So, while I wish each of you a very Happy New Year and do indeed hope 2009 will hold peace, joy and happiness for you, only you can make that happen. So here's a wish that you have a moment of clarity and realism and make goals that will uplift and encourage yourself to do better in ways that only you know.

You may see a list of New Year's Resolutions from me here, but probably not. I set goals for myself, but most will seem silly to other people. That is OK. I am here to just tell you the goals you make for yourself need only to help you. But if there is something I can assist you with in meeting those goals, I would consider that a privilege of friendship, and would be happy to do it.

Good Luck and Happy 2009!

Out with the Old...In with the New?

As 2008 fades away and the bright shiny New Year comes in tonight, I am knee deep in a project to clear out, clean up, and make better use of the space I have in my house.

I have a lot of TShirts. I come from a TShirt family. I enjoy picking up a shirt when I go somewhere. I like to think it commemorates the visit and helps the memory last a bit longer. Since I don't wear a lot of jewelry, TShirts are always appropriate souvenirs for my kind of travels. You know, the ones where swap meets are part of the itinerary.

Several months ago, I cut the fronts and backs out of my travel TShirts and set them aside for a TShirt quilt. This is my third one. I have a completely quilt of TShirts from high school plays, teams, and clubs. My mom made me one from TShirts from many years of Girls' Camp. So one more for my more recent travels and collections and mementos.

I guess this feels like the right thing to do as I tend to subscribe the "Use it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do, or Do Without" philosophy. Maybe not to the extent of my Grandma Bernice who literally saved EVERYthing. The quilt will end up on a winter bed around here and the backs that are blank make fantastic rags. So here is my effort this week to "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle".

I'll let you know how the project turns out when I get it done.

In the meantime, I am off to see Sister and Nephews with The Boy and The Girl for our indoor surfing activity. I plan to stop at the Gas 'nSip for a really big Diet Coke to try to help me hold my tongue, then Genius Golfer and I have a standing hot date with our last set of now married friends from our former singles ward for the early bird New Year's Eve dinner out. Then apparently, we are headed to SIL#1's place for games and treats with GG's family.

If you head out tonight, be sure to celebrate responsibly. I KNOW we will.