New Years Resolutions 2011

Happy 2011, everyone! I hope you all rang in the new year successfully. We stayed in, exchanged all the Christmas presents we hadn't bothered to bring with us to Vegas, and were fast asleep hours before the ball dropped. It was just a nice relaxing day and night all around, and this weekend will be more of the same. Exactly what a couple of workaholics like us need to start off the coming year. :)

Last year was my first New Years on this blog, and I brought over the tradition of annual resolutions that I have been doing for the last eight years on a different social website. Before I kick off this year's, I want to look back and see how I did on the ones from 2010. I didn't discuss them as much as I should have on the blog, but I did look at them several times over the last year and worked on some bits of them when I could.

In 2010, I resolved to:

1. Become a 5K runner.
STATUS: Ran a 5K for St. Pats, then stopped running completely. I can't remember why I did that, but I did it again!

2. To get back to my size 10s.
STATUS: HAHAHAHAHA. (Damn.) Next!

3. Go paperless. It's time to get that office finally cleaned up.
STATUS: This has been 95% achieved. I am still not sure what to do with certain important papers that do still need filing and whatnot, but our finances are completely electronic.

4. A New Self-Improvement Project, this time for my brain not my body.
STATUS: As tends to happen with the last-minute comment or resolution, this one turned out to be the thing that consumed all of me this year. I didn't go back to school which is what I thought this resolution would lead to, but the new job has been all about learning new things and stretching my brain and my potential in all kinds of ways.

Addendum: I had mentioned on my other journal that another resolution was that I wanted to grow out my hair to a sleek bob. I promptly forgot about that one, but that is exactly what I ended up doing after all!



So, now it it the moment of truth: what are my resolutions for 2011? Let me give you a hint:



This delectable bowl of fruit is sitting in my fridge right now, a timely Christmas gift from Shopping Friend. It is just the final nudge I needed to make the switch from Medifast to Weight Watchers, which is something you guys know I've been contemplating for a while. I still have about a month of MF food so I might switch back in February or March if I am feeling the need to do a jump-start, but the call of citrus fruit, hearty homemade soups, whole grains, and roasted vegetables is too strong. Winter months always make me want to cook, so cook I shall. I've got makings for bacon-wrapped turkey meatloaf, roasted Brussels sprouts, shrimp cocktail (leftovers for salads and sandwiches), chicken sausage and cabbage and mushrooms, and a wonderful broccoli cheese chowder (5 points a serving on the new plan) nestled in the fridge next to the fruit bowl and a box of clementines.

Here are my formal resolutions:

1. Get Healthy. I've been inching toward (and away from) the goal for years: I've quit smoking, I've lost and gained weight, I've tried various exercise routines. I have gotten myself better about going to the doctor and getting regular checkups. This year I want to keep chipping away at the weight, work on finding a permanent exercise habit, and getting my butt in a dentist's chair.

You will note I am not specifying how I will do the weight loss or the exercise. I'm going to explore lots of options this year, and be open to trying new things. I just have to find the one that clicks and STAYS in my life!

2. Get my (literal) house in order. We aren't selling for a long, long time, but we need to do some work nonetheless. The shower needs regrouting, the basement crack needs sealing, the hot water heater needs replacing. I need to refinance! Plus a few fresh coats of paint here and there wouldn't hurt. This will be a spring and summer projects; I've been socking away money for this for years, it's time to spend it.

3. Keep evolving Low Fat Dressing. I really love doing this; it's a great creative outlet for me, and a wonderful source of self-esteem boosts when I need them most. I think everyone needs to hear at least one compliment a day; this is how I get mine! :)

I want to grow the blog more, but I am talking more about content and relatability. Growing my audience or making it a profitable venture aren't my goals; I have a great group of regular readers, and I love all that you contribute to LFD. Your enthusiasm, ideas, and general awesomeness make this worth it for me. The part I do want to evolve more is the content of what I write; I only have time for one post a day, so if I do an outfit one I can't really talk in depth about anything else. I'm going to use my draft feature more, and maybe skip a day or two a week (or double up in posts) in outfits, so I can cover topics like weight loss, food and recipes, self-esteem, etc like I would like to.

I am not, despite my friend Annie's smart-ass plea, going to start dressing up my cats for the blog. Sorry, m'dear!

4. Spend more time with my friends, face to face not just electronically. I feel like I've been neglecting everyone these last few months because I've been so stressed about work. Enough!

It's gonna be a great year, you guys. Can't you feel it in your gut?