New Year Resolutions

 Every year, like a large portion of the World's population, I resolve to change something about my life each January 1st.  These resolutions meet with varying degrees of success, the majority of which never make to the end of the year.  This year, like previous years I have set out three resolutions (see below), but hopefully these are a bit more realistic (fingers crossed :).  I will try to keep you updated on my progress!  Cheers, Steve

 

1. Pray weekly with Diana. We have chosen Wednesday mornings. So far in Jan, we have been successful 2 out of 4 Wednesdays, not great, but a start.

2. Keep a record of our spending, by tracking our receipts and bills. In the US, I was good about entering everything into an Excel spreadsheet, but the system did not make it across the ocean, mainly because we have been living paycheck-to-paycheck, but when I was getting our taxes together, I realized that it is virtually impossible to find the information that I needed without it, so it needs to make a comeback.  So far, nothing has happened, but the receipts are all piled up waiting to be entered.

3. This idea was stolen from Elisabeth Cutrer.  We were sharing our resolutions on New Years Eve on Skype and she is resolving to read more books this year, lamenting the amount of time spent with electronic devices and Facebook.  I realized that my own reading had dropped significantly, of course having a kid and a full-time plus job doesn't help, but still, I should read more.  So, I am resolving to read more books, the question is: what is realistic?  After some thought, one book a month seems doable, so the resolution is to read 12 books in 2012.  My not-quite-complete list is below.  Three of the books are carry-overs from 2011, so I thought that I would start with those.  Since we recently unpacked the books from our move, I decided that a picture would be nice, so see that below as well.

Book List

   1. Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton (from 2011) / finished (great book)

   2. Joy Unspeakable by Lloyd-Jones Shaw (from 2011) / in-progress

   3. Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson (from 2011) / in-progress

   4. The Teeth of the Tiger by Tom Clancey (been sitting on my shelf for 5 years)

   5. The Convenant by James Michener (massive 1000+ page book on South Africa, Diana has finished it)

   6. Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall & John Denver (highly recommended by Diana)

   7. The Associate by John Grisham (just love his books)

   8. The Me I Want to Be by John Ortberg (gift from Joy and highly recommended)

   9. No Well Worn Paths by Terry Virgo (biography of New Frontiers founder)

   10. Treasure of Khan by Clive Cussler (Dirk Pitt has the best adventures)

   11 & 12. Undecided, waiting to see what peaks my interest in 2012.