So, It's a New Year...

So, here we are in 2009. I have a feeling that this year will be one of many changes. First off, my best friend from High School, April is having a baby in August (which is a great month for giving birth, if you ask me!). I'm totally stoked for her and her hubby. They've been married for just as long as I have (plus one week exactly), so perhaps it's a sign that I should start thinking about it...

But first things first! We're looking to buy a house before we start in on the baby situation. The last lease we signed for our apartment was only for seven months, so it's up on April 5, 2009. The hubby hub keeps saying that we can do month-to-month after that, but if I get my way (which I will because I have been waiting LONG ENOUGH!), we'll be out of there by then. It's not that I don't like our apartment--I do. It's a cozy little place for sure, and it has served us well enough for the last two and a half years. But therein lies the issue--it's little. Things have begun to accumulate around the edges (of the bedroom especially), and I feel as though we're overflowing it. Plus, it's not big enough to do the kind of entertaining that I want to do. We packed 14 people and a baby into my living/dining/kitchen area for Christmas, and it was not particularly comfortable. I'd like to be able to host my friends and family comfortably. So that's New Year's Resolution number 1: Buy a house!

Generally I don't make resolutions because, let's face it, they're hardly ever actually accomplished. But, you know, it's always a good thing to have goals, so I've come up with a few goals (note, not resolutions!) that I will be mindful of and be working towards in 2009. The first, obviously, is to buy a house, which is really more of a joint venture. The rest are individual goals.

I. Be Crafty
I've already started along the course of this goal in taking my pottery class, and I fully intend to continue with that. I would like to expound on my craftiness by focusing on other things in which I currently only dabble, such as drawing. I am also going to make it a point this year to expand my knowledge and experience in the area of photography. Other crafty hobbies of mine include scrapbooking (both for reals and digitally) and crocheting. I've also had a nagging urge to take up jewelry making (which is another one of those crafty things that is also useful!).

II. Finish Up That Whole Associate Degree Thing
I would really like to be done with the first stage of my college education already! I graduated from high school almost six years ago. It should not take anyone six years to finish an associates degree. But, thanks in part to the state of Utah's residency requirements, I'm still working on it. So, hopefully, by this time next year I will be enrolled in the bachelors program of my choice at the U of U instead of still plugging away at the community college. This goal will be greatly helped if I am able to convince the powers that be that my Spanish 201 and 202 courses should count as the foreign language credits they want me to take again.

III. Be Healthy
Isn't this everyone's new year's resolution? Of course it is. Who doesn't want to be healthy? It really should go without saying, but for the sake of my list-making OCD I'll include it anyway. I am planning on investing in more yoga supplies, and buying a TV for the bedroom because there is not enough room in the den to be doing tai bo or yoga. Plus, who wants to see Billy Banks on a 42" flat screen? Not me!

IV. Write!
This is self-explanatory, really. I like (read: LOVE!) to write, so why don't I do it more often? Mostly because I make excuses about not having the time. So I'm going to make the time to do more of it. Simple as that.

V. Stay Organized
I like to be organized, it's true. Every six months or so I go on an organization spree and my house looks fantastic for about two weeks. Then I get lazy again and things start to pile up. I'm going to focus on keeping things tidy and organized so that the little projects don't build up into big projects.

I think that five is a good number. I've always been a fan of five--easier to keep track of things in increments of five, if you ask me, so we'll just go ahead and stop there. It's going to be a really good year, I think. I'm very excited about it!