Welcome 2016!

Yay! It's 2016!

I'm 32 (I've reached that phase in life where sometimes I can't remember how old I am, so I'm actually really excited about being 32 because for the past few months, I thought I was already 32, and it was kind of cool to realize that I was only 31).

(I am 32, right?)

Regardless of my age (2016 - 1984 = 32), I'm glad that it's a new year. I love starting fresh! Here are my resolutions for 2016:

No soda. This one should be easy because I'm already mostly soda-free. I just want to make sure I stay that way, hence the resolution. It's usually in the summer at BBQs and parties that I start my pop habit up again.

Stay in school. I'm so close to finishing my degree (90%), but it is going to take me two more years. Right now I'm really discouraged about school. It's overwhelming, and I just want to be done. Having two weeks off for Christmas has given me a taste of what it's like to not be in school, and I really like the flavor, so I need to commit to keep going.

Cultivate the talents in my patriarchal blessing. I think a lot of my gifts and talents are things that aren't measurable, and sometimes that makes it hard for me to recognize them. I've gotten in a habit of neglecting my gifts and talents, so I want to focus on nurturing them and not worrying about the talents I don't have. I've made a list of them in my journal.

Send 25 hand-written cards or letters. I used to be really good about sending cards and letters to people, but technology has inhibited that practice a bit. One of my best friends gave me stationary and address labels for Christmas, and I just made an updated address book, so I'm ready to go!

Have a $0 balance on my credit card statement each month. I use a credit card for most of my purchases so I can get cash back rewards. I've never accumulated interest on my card, but I don't do the best job keeping track of my spending, so sometimes when I go to pay it off, I have a lot more on there than I realized. Committing to a $0 balance will encourage me to track my spending and pay it off immediately rather than when the statement arrives.

Maintain or improve my exercise habits. I currently workout about 5 days a week. A year from now, I want to still be exercising regularly, and hopefully I will have increased the intensity.

Weigh less on September 29 that I do right now. I don't want to put a lot of pressure on myself to lose weight, but I'll be honest... I want to lose weight. In September of 2015, I weighed more than I've ever weighed in my life - even when I've been nine months pregnant. I felt really crummy, so when I got back from Disneyland, I sucked it up and started working out again and eating better. I've lost about 15 lbs since September 29. It's a good start, but I still have a lot of work to do to overcome my bad habits and get healthy (plus, I enjoyed the holidays a bit, so I need to make up for that). I don't want to set my goal in a specific number because I don't think the number really matters, so as long as the number goes down and I improve my habits.

Re-read five books. I haven't been able to read for leisure lately because of life's circumstances. I have a tendency to start books and decide they aren't worth my time, but I can't get back the time I already wasted. This can be remedied by reading books that I already love.