Happy New Year!...Almost!

Well, the holidays are almost over, and that means I'm that much closer to going back to work. I am so glad to have the time off that I do between Christmas and New Year's--we really almost need it due to everything involved in purchasing gifts and cleaning up.
I don't know about you, but I'm about ready to move on with the new year. Not that 2009 was a terrible year--it was fine, but I have some specific goals in mind that I would like to work on achieving with the arrival of 2010.

Here are my New Year's Resolutions:
1.) Loose Weight/Slim down:
I'm serious about this one. I've reached a point where I don't like seeing myself in pictures at all and the main thing I tend to notice is how "fat" I have become. If I don't do something about it now, it will only get worse and I really need to improve this while I'm young and before I try to have children. Cliff has decided the same thing, so we are going to start a "21 day body makeover" once the new year begins. My goal is to loose between 25-35 lbs. by mid March, and probably a total of 35-40 by the beginning of summer. This will test my will power for sure and it will be hard, but I think I can do it. I need to do it. With Cliff having a similar goal in mind, we can achieve this together.

2.) Increase my Organization in the guest bedroom:
I am a pretty organized person, but my guest bedroom isn't quite as organized as I would like it to be. So, I've made it a mission to get it better looking and organized, especially after seeing the scrapbook room on Kevin and Amanda---I'm oh so jealous of the awesome organization!

3.) Purchase a New Home:
We are definitely looking to purchase a home in the DFW area--namely Mansfield/Grand Prairie. Our goal is to have something closed on by the end of April so we can have a month to complete repairs/changes and move in before the end of our lease at our apartment. We really like our apartment, but it's time to look into purchasing a home. I do look forward to having a yard to let Holly out in to run and play without being on a leash. I don't really look forward to mowing the grass, seeing as how I'm really allergic to it. Hopefully that's something my husband will gladly take on, or I know a teenager that has a pretty good lawn service going that I would trust to mow my yard. I do like hands on activities such as installing hardware and whatnot in a house and some minor repairing--so that won't bother me.

4.) Get my Teacher Retirement Funding Straightened Out:
I need to start socking more away for retirement while I can. My plan is to get a 403b plan figured out and also straighten out my years of service, (since subbing apparently can count.)

5.) Increase my Photography Skills and Business:
I'm always looking to improve my skills, and you can't look to increase your business without improving skills. I don't have a set goal in mind with this one as I am still a full time teacher, but I still want to increase the photography I do.

Well, that's about it for my New Year's Resolutions. I'm going to go work on getting that room organized now. I hope you have had a great holiday and I wish you the best of the new year!

'Till next time,
Christina Lee