Happy New Year!

Here it is 12:22 AM on Friday, January 2, which means that if I had made any New Year's resolutions (which I didn't) I'm either(depending on your perspective) getting started a day late, or have already broken the resolutions.

Regardless, I didn't make any resolutions, so I'm safe on both counts.

I am, however, a huge list maker, goal setter, and a complete sucker for only being able to start projects at the beginning of the week. I unashamedly admit that I subscribe to the whole, "I'll begin the new exercise program on Monday", type of thinking.

Which is why New Year's resolutions don't really work for me. Well, that is, unless New Year's day is on a Monday.

And thus, I have been very encouraged by Julie Powell's attempt (and success) at cooking her way through Julia Child's "The Art of French Cooking", for she didn't start her project on January 1, but rather in August. Atta girl.

If she can start a seemingly insurmountable project 8 months into the year, so can I. It's just not necessary to get roped into starting . . . well . . . yesterday.

Now, wait. I'm no slacker. I do have some personal goals I'd like to tackle this year. But, but, but, I will not commit myself to believing that January 1st is some magical on ramp to the success of my projects.

Here are some items I'd love to accomplish in 2010 - only, I've yet to begin, and don't necessarily even have to begin until, say, three weeks from Thursday, if I don't feel like it. So says Julie. Well, at least, that's what I'm imagining she'd say to me if I actually knew her.

1. I want to say "thank you" more often. I will begin this venture with a New Year's letter of thanks, in which, you, dear reader, may be named. I have a lot of catching up to do on the "thank you" front, and I've decided to use my yearly e-letter to thank those who have assisted our family this year.

Ok, this is so code for I am completely behind at writing a big fat load of thank you notes, and thus I will use one big fat letter to thank everyone all at once, while making it sound like I'm taking a creative departure from the typical yearly letter. Nope. Really, I just screwed up and allowed the thank you's to allude me this year.

It is my joy to share that I just couldn't keep up with all the thank you's that I should have dispersed in 2009.

That is saying a lot about the people in my life.

Of whom I'll thank in the big fat letter.

2. I want to share my time with friends. I have already found that my new life in Beaver includes a much healthier attitude about getting together with others on a very regular basis. For some reason, on which I still can not place my finger with absolute certainty, people just seem to have more time for people here in Mayberry. Yes, the pace is slower, that's a contributing factor, but the internal personal pace of my new dear friends just seems less scattered and more intentional about developing relationships. The depth of conversations I've already had in these 6 months continues to baffle me.

Beautifully baffles me.

3. I want to keep my 40 year old body healthy. I'm planning on continuing my 20 minutes/5 days a week exercise challenge in order to do so. It's simple. It works.

Wanna join me?

4. I want to pray for my husband and children. I'm haphazardous with my prayer life. Always have been. My first book of the New Year will be "The Power of a Praying Wife". It's a start. As I used to journal a ton, and am accustomed to writing my prayers, I may just use Word, or my journal feature on Outlook, to record my daily prayers for my family.

5. I want to write. I have three children's stories to write down, all of which came from improvisational story times with my little Zane. I have notes for a book that need to get fleshed out. I have an idea for a new weekly Cuppa blog inspired by my morning devotions over a cup of coffee at Newport Coffee House during our years at Trinity. I would like to submit at least 1 article per month - somewhere.

6. I want to create a morning space. Once again, this night owl is hoping to wake with the roosters. My attic, I'm sorry to say, is just not a warm spot during the winter, and thus, I haven't quite found my "space" in my house yet. Still searching for it. Lot's of options, that's for sure, but I need to find my true nesting place.

7. I want to move into my house. Rooms painted, drapes up, family photos framed and on the walls. I want this house to feel/look like home.

Then there's the Mary Kay goals, the scrapbooking goals, etc., etc., and there I go - falling dreadfully into the pit of "I resolve's".

Not gonna go there.

For if God's mercies are new every morning, as scripture says (Lamentations 3:22-23), then each day is a truly unique divine opportunity to begin anew. That, in turn, likens each and every day to New Year's day, or, if you think like me, a Monday.

And thus, none of this "I blew my resolutions" crap.

Take THAT, resolution fairy.