Welcome 2011!

It's a new year, and I had a great New Years Eve/Day! It may be strange to some, but in this house some of our favorite moments are really the non-moments. Those times of just hanging out and talking. This past weekend my husband and I did a lot of hanging out, and that took the form of board games (well, one game in particular), and we literally played into the middle of the night and all day the next day and all day yesterday. Samurai Swords, a war strategy game that takes 3-5 hours to play was the focus of our weekend. We played a total of five times and I lost a total of five times...not a great record. My husband thinks I’m crazy for continually coming back for more humiliating defeat. I guess I am a glutton for punishment, but I really do not care.  As we approach this year, I know that my husband’s job will take him away for many months, and I want to relish every moment with him while he is able to be home even if that time is spent losing miserably in Samurai Swords! 

One of our many Samurai Sword games!

So what about resolutions, you ask? Well, if “resolution” holds the idea of lots of determination then well, these aren’t resolutions, but for the fun of it I’ll call them resolutions.

I guess I should qualify--these first few are most definitely resolutions, not just some random things I’d like to do, but things I will do, if they kill me. 

1. Survive the time that my other half and I will be apart during this year. Just thinking about not being able to talk to my husband whenever I want to is stressful for me. I do not remember very many days since our wedding when we haven’t at least been able to talk, so the idea of him being gone and unavailable is frightening.

2. Enjoy the time that my dearest and I will be together. We have had a good start with all of our Samurai Sword competitions. Honestly, it is difficult for me to not be overjoyed when spending time with him. After 11 years of marriage, his company truly makes me more and more happy everyday.  

3. Grow in contentment and joy in Christ throughout my husband’s absence. It’s often when our earthly supports are removed that we are driven to our knees and learn more complete reliance on the Savior. I want to smile not just thinking about my husband’s return, but thinking about my confidence in Jesus Christ and basking in the joy of being His Child.  

As for the others:

4. It would be nice to read more. I suppose if I blogged less I would be able to read more, but in all honesty it is not blogging that keeps me from the books, it is my own laziness. I am currently almost through my first two books for the new year! I will confess, however, that they are quite short. 

5. Paint a room. A good number of rooms in my home need painting, and really my main problem is that I cannot decide exactly which color to paint them, and I do not want to start the project if I am only going to have to turn around and redo it. I’d rather just not start. 

6. Be intentional and diligent about praying for our church leaders, our military, and our government leaders. I suppose this should be in the first few resolutions. 

7. I am told by my doctor that my blood sugar is running a little high, so I guess I should include on the list of goals to decrease my sugar and carb intake, and increase my exercise. 

8. Pick a couple mercy ministries and involve myself! I was approached a few weeks about becoming an ombudsman for area nursing homes, and I am still tossing that idea around, but I would also love to volunteer for an organization that supports our troops (USO or other) or maybe volunteer to help with Special Olympics. I worked a lot with Special Olympics in college and very much enjoyed it. 


9. It should not take much effort, but surely I can have more than 15 blog entries this year! 

I think that about sums it up, I could think of more, but these few are a good start. What are your plans for the new year?