it's that time again!

So I've made this goal to blog more, one because it's healthy and feels good to let out my ideas, etc. and two because i'm more likely to blog than write in my journal (mostly because i'm faster at typing than handwriting) and i need to be recording my life. You know, for that book i'm going to write someday.

I'm not usually much for new year's resolutions, simply because of the stereotype they carry with them of making all of these wonderful goals and then two weeks into the new year losing all motivation and failing to follow through on any of them. When I hear the words "new year's resolution" i get instant running video of going running at the gym and then getting sick of running at the gym so much and going for doughnuts instead. BUT... this year I did make some because we had a lesson on making goals at church last sunday, and it seemed like a good idea. I've kind of been absorbed in school and fourth graders and am slowly slipping further and further from attending to other parts of my life. So here they are:

1. Go to FHE. I was a diligent FHE go-er for most of my freshman year, but slowly lost interest because, "i have a lot of homework, and hey, these people aren't my family!" Hence, I haven't been in mmm... we'll just say quite awhile. But I need to get back into going to extra church activities if for nothing else, just to keep myself meeting people. It's not like I have a lot of chances to meet potential hang-out buddies amongst my 24 fourth graders parents. FHE seems like a good place to start.

2. Keep a writing utensil in my hand when reading my scriptures. This has been a goal of mine for some time... but I'm usually just lazy. In fact, usually when I pull my scriptures off the shelf I think, "do it... go get a pen and paper", but then i think about how it will take me a minute or two to find the pen and paper, which time I could be using to read and therefore finish reading sooner and turn off that darn light. And then I think about how if I DO get a pen and paper I'll probably end up thinking of something to write, and then who KNOWS how long it will be till I can get my mind to stop and shut down for the night. Kind of like when you give a mouse a cookie. So being the intelligent manipulator that I am, I usually just go with the "I can't find a pen and paper right now" approach, and then when I inevitably think of something that I should write down while I'm reading... dang. i don't have a pen. The goal is to conquer all of this, and do what i should do. But I must say, if I had done that in the first place, I wouldn't have near as funny a story to tell.

3. Cook! I used to love cooking, but I don't know that I have actually made a meal from a recipe even once since I've been at school. NOT EVEN ONCE! This goal includes choosing some things from a cookbook that I would like to eat, adding any ingredients I am lacking to my grocery list and buying them, and then making the meal from the recipe. I'm pretty excited about this one, because as long as I can make myself do it, it means that I will be eating actual warm, satisfying, healthy food for dinner! And it won't even be from a box!

4. Be on time! I've developed this horrible habit of being late to most things that it is not required that I be on time to... i think possibly it stems from the fact that i try to be very efficient and not waste any time (which is funny because facebook is one of my favorite pasttimes...), and so I don't leave early because then I'll get there early and just sit there... wasting time. BUT i need to get over that mindset and realize that being on time is a necessary courtesy.

5. Put more thought into my lesson plans. My students just... need that. They have a hard time as it is... let alone when i don't plan well enough.

More to come...