Happy New Year, Merry Christmas and everything else. I can honestly say that this year has been great so far....

The Holidays went off without a hitch (well, maybe just a hitchette or two) and I returned Tuesday to my cold and windy home relatively unscathed. Using a crowbar to pack our tiny VW with all of our goodies, we left our families in a frenzy to return home, only to spend the next few days frantically unpacking, cleaning and finding homes for our new toys. Our kitties were thrilled that we had returned; I could see in their eyes that they thought we had left them forever. They just can't get enough attention now that we're back. No matter what we do, we'll always have the love of our pets.

In my family the purpose of the holidays is to over-consume to the greatest extent. This includes purchasing all manner of frivolous items for anyone you've ever met, over eating as much as humanly possible, and not ingesting a single sugarless food item from roughly December 20 through January 2. I am proud to say that I have upheld this family tradition quite nicely. If only my pants and my credit card bills were as forgiving as our pets, I'd be in good shape.

So it goes, a day late I start my New Year Resolutions:
1. The Universal New Year Resolution: get in shape. This will be accomplished by limiting my fast food and unhealthy snack intake, exercising on a regular basis (once a week is still a regular basis, mind you), and taking the stairs whenever possible. I might also start riding my bike when the weather lets up.
2. To be less judgmental, less critical, and more accepting of others. I've been working on this for some time, and will begin chanting a silent mantra whenever I'm tempted to be nasty if necessary.
3. Stick to my monthly budget. No more frivolous purchases......within reason. Note: makeup, kitchen gadgets, food and clothes are NOT frivolous.
4. Find better employment. At first this requires waiting on my part on the applications I've sent out in the past two months. If nothing comes through by the end of January, a full blown search will begin.
5. Be more adventurous. Thanks to Craig, I've decided that this wouldn't be such a bad thing. Spur-of-the-moment has not traditionally been attached to my middle name, but I'm willing to work on it.