So I know it's a little late, but I just love sharing these each year <3  Usually I only accomplish half or fewer of the goals I set for myself, so this year, I decided to make them very attainable to the point that I almost can't avoid doing them.  Also, this year I only made eight resolutions instead of ten, mostly because Mike and I were making them together and he got so tired he went to sleep on me, but that's kewl cuz I love him =]

*Psst! If you're not going to bother to read my resolutions, skip to the bottom, read the last para, and tell me what you think!

1.) Read more.
Okay, any of you who actually know me know that I am notorious for reading a crazy amount of books.  However, over the past year or so, I've really let that slide.  I read fewer books than ever in 2010 for various reasons, and I would just like to get back on track.  Life is short, and I have to fit as many books into it as possible while I still have the time to be idle enough to read them.  I feel reading makes me a better, more well-rounded person, and I never want to stop that positive growth.  It's time to get back on track!

2.) Stretch every day.

3.) Learn to speak German very well.
I started the endeavor of learning German through Rosetta Stone during the Fall semester of last year, and while I've completed level 1, there are still 4 levels to go.  I'd really like to be good at speaking the language and understand it very well for a couple reasons.  If I know the language, things will be easier when I'm spending extended time in Germany.  Also, learning another language is an enriching experience, just like reading lots of books.  It helps me to get in touch with the roots of my own language, and the two being somewhat similar, it makes it a little easier for me to learn.  I don't want German to end up like Japanese where I learn a bit but not enough to use.


4.) Beat the video games I've left perpetually unfinished.

Darn those primers!

Alright, I know this was my resolution last year, but I did do quite a bit of work toward achieving this goal.  However, being the gaming enthusiast that I am, of course I haven't finished all those games!  I'm the kind of person who likes to dominate a game; not just beat it, DOMINATE IT.  I have to collect every item and do everything to the fullest extent it can be done, and if I realize I failed to do so, I often simply restart the game and try not to miss it the second time.  I've had this problem with Final Fantasy X, where I seem to always miss one or two of the Al Bhed Primers in the heat of the moment and feel like I have to do the whole thing again so I can have them.  I also always collect all the summons in any Final Fantasy or similar game and unlock all the secrets available in others.  This means I've played Silent Hill 2 through enough times to get all the endings and a couple of the secret endings on the Greatest Hits disc.  Right now, I'm in the middle of getting the UFO ending where it turns out the whole thing was orchestrated by aliens.  BUT... this year, I just want to get through them all perfectly, which means never taking my eyes off the item and secret guides so that I don't miss my golden opportunity.


5.) Work on my scrapbook of memories Mike and I have made together.
When Mike was here with me in March, we ended up buying a Martha Stewart scrapbook from Wal-Mart and a bunch of cute scrapbooking supplies from Hobby Lobby.  I wanted to do this to preserve all the memories we made during the first half of our first year together and preserve one very special memory that only some of you know about <3  However, because of the mixture of the deployment, school, moving, and other obligations that have popped up, I have yet to start it.  All the things I want inside are collected in one place, but I just haven't put anything where it goes.  This year, while I'm in Columbus or Savannah or what have you, I would really like to finish that scrapbook, or at least work on it.  I'd also like to start work on a second one that chronicles all the events and good times we share with friends and each other leading up to the wedding (which will in turn have its own album).


6.) Stop being such a pack rat.
I don't know why, but I have a tendency to keep things when it's probably time to just let them go.  I accumulate stuff and bring more stuff into the house, and sometimes, it all doesn't have a home.  After watching a lot of episodes of Hoarders and What Not To Wear, I know that time in my life is over.  I guess while I wasn't a hoarder, I did have a little too many things that just served no purpose anymore but I couldn't let go of them, and I think I agree with the psychologists on Hoarders about keeping those things and avoiding the change of losing them was my form of security during a very insecure time.  I'm happy now, and I don't really have the inclination to hang on to any useless baggage anymore.  I've gone through just about everything I own and have trashed a whole bunch of things or given them to the Salvation Army.  I know I'm not in the place of hanging on to useless crap anymore, but I'm making this my resolution so that I'll continue to keep things that way.


7.) Take care of my nails.
I really love the way my nails look when I file them and keep them painted on a regular basis, but oftentimes, I just find myself feeling too busy or too lazy to do this.  While some of my favorite colors take a while to dry and on rare occasion, things may get a little mess, it's not too difficult to maintain my manicure.  This year, I'd like to keep my nails well cared-for at all times, because whether I'd like to admit it or not, people notice the state of a person's fingernails, and some take it as a reflection of that person's personality.


8.) Make myself feel better about my (lower) body through the magic of leg exercises and this awesome Butt Lift in a Box that I saw at Victoria's Secret.

Example of a lady with saddlebags

Like I said in number 2, I really don't exercise that much.  I think well-defined muscles are weird on a girl; we're supposed to be soft and feminine.  I'm not a big person, and by simply not giving in to the pressure of eating more than nature dictates simply because it's there when I get a super-mega-value meal, I maintain a healthy weight.  However, I didn't always do that, and for a while there, I had a pretty big badonkadonk, lol.  Everyone knows that things are always a little different after you've lost the weight you put on, and this is true for me.

The shape of my hips has changed, and I'd just really feel better if I did something about it.  I've developed saddlebags (fat on the outer thigh right below the hips) that make it hard for me to pick out flattering skirts.  It makes my hips pretty strange because the saddlebags stick out more than my actual hips.  From what I've read, it's nearly impossible to get rid of them, and when I first read that, I panicked and bought an exercise machine that is supposed to target them called the Leg Magic.  It's not hard and totally works, but I just don't use it like I should.  I'd like to start using it daily.  My butt has also lost a lot of it's perk.  I'm very happy with the size; I don't want it smaller or bigger, but I want it to be lifted just a little and not to sag as much.  That's why I'm going to go ahead and spend a little extra money on my new butt improving cream.  I'm getting Butt Lift in a Box that I first saw at Victoria's Secret, a three-step kit that's supposed to lift and firm your butt back to perfection.

Wow, manicures and a perkier bottom, what a year it's going to be.  I'm sure those of you who speak to me on a regular basis know I'm a crazy promoter of stuff I find that works, so if the Butt Lift in a Box is successful (or not), you know I'll let you guys know about it <3  Oh, and give me a little feedback, you guys: would you love to hear about all the tons and tons of body-improving, age-reversing, cellulite-erasing products I've tried that have brought me great success or total failure?  Let me know!