A new resolve...

I know, it has been a new year for 9 days and I am just making the time to blog about my new year's resolutions. I wish I could say that my blog title, "A new resolve" means that I will resolve to blog more often, but to be quite honest it's not gonna happen. But I am excited about this new year and the possibilities it holds.

Before we dive into my plans for 2011, let's take a look back at my resolutions made for 2010. Remember this? I did exactly what I said and posted my goals so that I could see them everyday. Then there just became a time when I stopped looking at them. Let's review how I did:

1. I will go through the temple. Well, it happened. Not exactly how I had planned, but it was exactly what I needed. I did go through the temple on April 8th, but I went through the Salt Lake Temple instead of the Nauvoo temple. It was so special because my best friends and my extended family members could be there. This was by far the greatest goal I accomplished this year.

2. I will lose 50 lbs by my birthday. Seemed reasonable enough because that gave me six months, but I am sure my pictures tell all. Epic fail.

3. I will exercise regularly. Haha. Didn't do so hot on this one either. I would go through spurts, but nothing consistent.

4. I will read the Bible. I was doing really well on this one until my Branch decided to do a Book of Mormon reading challenge from May to August. I got out of the habit of reading, and then I got to Kings...and it all went downhill. Those books are not very exciting to read...

5. I will look for the positive in all situations. Did really well for about 2 days, and then I went to work. Enough said.

6. I will find ways to serve and fulfill my callings. I would say that I accomplished this goal. At one point during the year I had 5 callings. Now, I am down to one. But it is by far the most challenging and time consuming calling I have ever had. But I get through and know that I am blessed for my efforts.

7. I will organize and de-clutter. It may not have happened when I wanted it to, but due to a very lengthy illness at the end of the year, I was able to purge a lot of unwanted things and make room for the important stuff. Oh, and I have kept my room clean ever since then.

8. I will communicate more frequently. I think I did a little better on this one, but still think I can improve.

9. I will scrapbook more. Given the fact that I hadn't scrapbooked much the year before, I will chalk this one up to a success!

10. I will get asked out on a date. It happened. Two and a half times to be exact. Much better than the previous year, but a girl needs more dates to find a husband...

So there you have it. I give myself a 45% completion rate. Not bad, but definitely not acceptable. My theme for last year was "Enjoy the Journey." I did do a lot of enjoyable things, but I allowed myself to wallow in self pity way too much and focus on the negative. Which leads me to my theme for this year:

I got this little craft idea (and all the components) from my favorite store in Utah called Rod Works. I just thought the quote was nice, but it wasn't until the last week of December that it hit me that this should be my yearly theme. It is perfect for everything I have been thinking about and going through lately. When looking at my big crybaby post from last year, I realized that my struggles I had then are the same struggles I am having now. Some things never change. We cannot change our past, but we can definitely look forward to the future. I think this year is gonna be great! I made some big changes the last week of December and know that with the help of the Lord I can accomplish big things. So with that in mind, here are my {again, very personal} resolutions for 2011:

1. I will make more time for scripture study

2. I will lose 30 lbs by my birthday

3. I will learn how to sew and will create my first quilt

4. I will spend less time on the internet (aka Facebook)

5. I will exercise more often

6. I will manage my finances more efficiently

7. I will think to thank

8. I will communicate more

9. I will keep my room clean (or atleast presentable...so I won't be embarrassed if friends come over and need to use my bathroom)

10. I will get asked out on a date.

Do some of these sound familiar? I know I included some goals from last year but obviously they are things I would like to continue to improve on. I think I will have a better completion rate this year just because my goals are more achievable. Like I mentioned before, I am excited about this year. I know it holds great things for me. And I hope that you all have a great year too! I love you all!