Friday, January 4, 2008

A NEW YEAR!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I HOPE YOUR 2008 IS GREAT!
We had a pretty fun New Year's Eve. We decided to invite some friends over to say goodbye to 2007 and hello to 2008, but since we waited until the last minute (Sunday night) only one couple was able to come. We still had a blast though, and there was a ton of food for just the four of us. =) Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures. We just stayed up and talked, ate and laughed, watched some t.v., played Balderdash and laughed some more. Then at midnight we had a sparkling cider toast and kissed our spouses.
Now I always hear people say how dumb they think it is to make new year's resolutions because you just end up breaking them, but I always look forward to making them. I figure that whether you keep them or not you should at least try to set goals to improve yourself, otherwise we just stand still, never progressing. I do not however think the beginning of the year is the only time to do this, it's something we should work on year round.
I've been having a bit of a hard time lately. I have not been happy with myself because I know I could be doing better in so many areas of my life. I really want to try to make some changes so that I feel better and I know in turn this will improve my family's lives as well. So anyway, here are a few of my resolutions.
eat healthy & exercise regularly
These are goals that I set for myself every year and never keep up on. I hate telling people these because they always look at me like "yeah right, you're just saying that for the attention" and really that's not the case! I know that I'm thin, and I don't just say I need to do these things so that people tell me how good I look (trust me I'm not that insecure). I just figure that if I can look this good when I don't eat right or exercise, just think of how great I could look if I did! =) I'm so just kidding, I'm really not that full of myself. Seriously though, just because I'm thin does not mean I'm healthy. I've been lucky so far and been able to eat whatever I want, whenever I want without exercising and it doesn't show, but I'm sure this won't last forever. And I really need to start setting a better example for my children. Jared and I have decided to play tennis at least three times a week. I think this is a great start. I love to play, it's great exercise and it's a nice time for us to do something together. My ultimate goal is to get in shape enough to be able to wear one of those cute little tennis skirts. I think they are so adorable (is this stupid?)!
be more patient
This is something that I really need to work on and I'm sure my children and husband will be very glad that I do. I used to consider myself to be a very patient person, but lately I'm not sure what happened. I think the no sleep thing probably has a lot to do with it. =)
read my scriptures more regularly
I've been really bad lately about finding the time to do this, but I've realized that I need to MAKE the time because I will NEVER be able to FIND it. I really do notice such a difference in my day when I'm doing the things I should be (like reading my scriptures) so I've got to make this happen.
stick to a budget
I'm not quite sure how to plan a budget when you don't even make enough money to pay all of your outgoing expenses, but we have got to figure something out! We have cut down on just about as much as we can but we need to find a way to be more thrifty. We really need to set allowances for things and then stick with it.
don't gossip
This is a very unattractive quality, and I don't want any part of it. I've realized that everybody goes through hard times and bottom line, we're all just trying to do the best that we can and be the best people we can be. There is no point in judging others because we never know their circumstances.
be more affectionate
This may sound kind of dumb, but it's something I've been sad about lately. I've noticed that I'm not always that affectionate towards those I love. Not that I'm cold, but I could be more lovey (and I don't mean in a gag me sort of way). Jared is a very affectionate person and he is so good about showing it towards me and the children. Unfortunately I'm not so good at it and I fear that I'm rubbing off on Addison a bit. I'd much rather her take after her father in this area, so again, I need to become a better example.
Well, I could go on forever but I've probably already bored you all to tears and made you all think I'm the worst mother and wife in the world. Some of these things I've shared are pretty personal, but they're things that have been weighing heavily on my mind lately and I know I can count on you guys for support. I feel that I need to do everything I listed so that I can be a better mom and wife and so that I set a better example for my kids. I want them to grow up to be happy and healthy and better than I'll ever be.
What are some of your resolutions? I'd love to hear about them. Good luck to everyone with keeping up on your goals. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help. Have a great year!

6 comments:

Melanie said...

Great idea putting your resolutions on here. Not only have you shared them, but you'll see them whenever you come on your blog..at least for a while lol
I think I should sit down and make a few resolutions myself...I never do and I think there's a few things I need to think about.
And kudos to you for the gossip one! It's so hard to not gossip, but it's just not a nice thing to do. It's one I definately need to work on too.
I'm going to get on these and get them up soon!

Julie said...

Hi Hollie! I am so excited that you found me. I'm not really sure how we lost touch but I am so glad to see that you are doing so well. You have a beautiful family! I have loved catching up with all that your doing through your blog. I cant wait to catch up with you even more....When did you move to Arizona?

Nick said...

Sounds like you guys had a good fun night. We had a TON of food too. It was fun though, we snacked and played video games all night. Happy new years you guys :)

RC said...

AS YOUR MOTHER, I THINK;
YOU ARE WONDERFUL JUST AS YOU ARE,
YOU ARE INTELLIGENT TO SET GOALS,
YOU ARE HONEST ENOUGH TO WORK ON WHAT YOU BELIEVE ARE FLAWS,
YOU ARE GENUINE AND SWEET ABOUT WANTING TO RISE ABOVE FORMING JUDGEMENTS AND GOSSIP,
YOU ARE COMPASSIONATE ENOUGH TO WANT TO EXPRESS MORE LOVE AND AFFECTION,
YOU ARE AMBITIOUS ENOUGH TO WANT TO BECOME MORE FIT AND HEALTHY,
YOU ARE FAITHFUL ENOUGH TO STRIVE TO HAVE THE SPIRIT IN YOUR HOME AND BRING YOUR FAMILY CLOSER TO OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN,
I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT YOU MY DARLING DAUGHTER CAN ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING YOU SET YOUR MIND TO.
THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS BEING AN INSPIRATION TO ME. I LOVE YOU !

Jennifer Richins said...

What great resolutions, Hollie. I haven't sat down and written any formal resolutions for the year, but if I did, they'd look nearly identical to yours. There are so many areas in my life that I'd like to improve and I agree that it's something that should be done all throughout the year, not just the beginning of January.

Heather said...

Hollie, I decided that I liked you again and that I could once again comment on your blog! Hee hee! Just kidding!! I FINALLY HAVE MY LAPTOP BACK!!!

I liked your goals. I sat down and wrote mine down, but I haven't put them on my blog yet.
I resolve to be more patient and to be a MOM! Anyone can have a kid or three, but not everyone can be a Mom. I choose to be a Mom! To teach, to cuddle, to cherish and to appreciate.
I resolve to look HOT in a bathing suit. I have the same problem as you. I'm skinny, so people think I am silly for wanting to "watch myself" but when these clothes come off it's a different story.
I want to rid myself of poisons. By this I mean by people who constantly bring me down, of the thoughts that I let creep in my head of my failures, of debt, of over extending myself, of creating stress and worrying so much about what other people think of me.
I want to make this year meaningful. I want to create memories, I want to help others and cherish life.
I will post these and a few more on my blog when I get more time.