The meaning of today

I LOVE NEW YEAR'S EVE...I think it has to be one of the most special days of the year...today is the last of it's kind...the last day of the year. It's the end but also a chance to begin anew...

When I was a kid, New Year's Eve was a big deal...although I grew up in NYC, we never Times Squared on NYE. But we did dress up to be at home and take our annual family photo. And mom always cooked a feast that we would start eating at midnight.

As a grown up with little kids, NYE has been seriously toned down...no partying. Although, a couple of years ago we had our friends, Eric and Jessica over to hang out and watch tv and eat munchies and drink beer 'til midnight...WHOOPIE - we're such party animals!

Every year though, I do take the time to think about what the year has brought me. And every year, I find that I am more blessed, more lucky and more rich than I was the year before. I take this night and the next day to be my chance to start over again - to be better than I was, just yesterday.

Resolutions for 2009:

1. Be more organized in every area of my life - work, school, kids, laundry, photography, scrapbooking. This will help with #2.

2. Finish what I start. Projects, assignments, laundry, etc. Under this comes the ability to follow up if necessary on things so that I can get them to completion. While I didn't have a lot of unfinished business, I did feel like not being as organized as I should at times, caused me to drop the ball for a few things...

3. Stay positive. I need to not be such a worrier and channel all that energy into #1 & 2.

4. Blog more. I should keep a journal but blogging is more fun - and you can put pictures in it.
I'm going to aim to blog 3 times a week (at least - if I get more in, great!!!)

5. Be more frugal. In 2008, I loved to just spend money. Although towards the last quarter of 2008, I really wasn't in any kind of mood to spend money, even at Christmas. I resolve to spend money on things that we need and things that I absolutely want and not just think would be nice to have (and I can't promise that I won't ever buy something that would be nice to have, this year...but I certainly will have what we need and absolutely want before we go buying something that would just be nice to have).

6. Enjoy my time. Time is a limited commodity. I don't have a lot of it to do the things I want to do because it gets used up by all the things I have to do (mainly work). I will use my time wisely and enjoy just doing nothing sometimes and spend some good time with my friends and family this year.

7. Stay healthy. I'm not a dieter or an exerciser...so I'm just hoping that I make decent choices in terms of food or activity...I'll be making major efforts to schedule doctor's and dentist's appointments for myself and actually keep them...(my dentist yells at me when I show up, for flaking on him).

8. Take more pictures. I'm sure that taking Karen Russell's online photography class will make me do this, this semester...just need to make sure I keep doing it all year.

9. Go home to NYC to visit my friends and family more than twice a year. This one will be a toughie - we're never still enough to stay home here in MA, much less go to NYC...but we'll make a concerted effort.

Today is a brand new day - a brand new year....take advantage of this time...it's a gift.