Not what I expected

When you're younger New Years Eve is a night to get all dolled up and "let'er snap". Ring in the new year with a terrible hang over and a few less bucks in your wallet (usually even a few less than you planned on spending)! A lot of people consider New Year's Eve "amature" night- a night for all the barley legals to get wasted, get in trouble and make stupid decisions. I will admit New Year's was all that and more for me when I was in my early 20's. But as you get older it does change.


New Years Eve this year was going to be a quiet one no matter what we decided to do. J and I had already agreed that we did not want to go out to the bars and spend wads of cash just to feel like crap the next day. We had a few options: go to my friend Melanie's house party in Green Bay, go to our friends Tom & Roxanne's for drinks and board games or stay home.


New Years Eve day was spent lumping around and watching episodes of CSI from seasons 7-9. At about 2 pm I decided to see if Melanie wanted to go to lunch before her big party started. I had decided to stay home with J and Parker that night- just something about spending New Year's Eve away from my honey felt wrong. Instead of going out for a late lunch Melanie had plans with her parents to cook out steaks and eat at her house. I showered quick, picked up a small tenderloin and 6 pack of Blue Moon at Festival and was on my way to Green Bay. I'm glad I decided to go -even for dinner- and the beers started to taste like I may have been spending the night! A few people started showing up around 7 pm- most I didn't know, a few I did and it was nice to see them. After eating steak, potatoes & garlic bread the beers certainly weren't going down as well or as fast and I think I only ended up having 3 the entire time I was there! At about 8:30 I was getting ready to go when there was a knock on the door. There was a neighbor of Mel's asking if anyone in the party had the green Blazer- my green blazer- parked on the street across the road. We all thought maybe it needed to be moved and Mel asked. The neighbor informed her that no it did not need to be moved..... his son had just hit it coming around (sliding around) the corner. Not what I was expecting to hear and definitely not what I was wanting to hear. I don't think I mentioned that Melanie is a Police Officer in Ashwaubenon and the majority of the party were Police Officers! She immediately called in the accident and the police where there within a matter of minutes. I also called J to tell him not to drink anymore in case the truck wasn't drivable and he would need to come and get me. It ended up being okay to drive with just a flat tire and a portion of the bumper and back driver-side quarter panel damaged. I drove to the gas station to fill the tire with air and waited at the house for 45 minutes to see if it would leak. It was fine and by 10:30 I was on the road heading home. I should have stayed but needless to say was not in too much of a mood to party all night long. I think I also forgot to mention that the kid was only 16 and had only had it drivers license for 2 weeks. I actually almost felt bad for him when I saw the look in dad's eyes- I would much rather have been in my situation than his! And yes they did have insurance!


So needless to say even though it was supposed to be a quiet, non-eventful night- the drama still found me a half hour from home!


I promise to attach some pictures of the damage if you promise NOT to notice how bad the Blazer needs a washing!









Thank goodness this was the last day of 2008 and not the start of my 2009!

Resolutions

With 2008 coming to a close and 2009 staring us in the eyes it is inevitable that resolutions are on the brain. The new year gives us a chance to start fresh and believe that this year we are going to do it. But if you're like most people this will fade by mid year if not sooner. A recent resolutions study showed that of the people surveyed 52% had confidence that they would succeed with their goals but only 12% actually did succeed. The study also showed that 20% would give up on their resolution within the first week of January.

Here are some ways to make it easier to succeed in your resolutions:

* Be realistic (hittng the Powerball or becoming a millionaire is not a realistic resolution)

* Set specific goals (Try "lose 4 pounds each month" instead of just "lose weight")

* Break down your larger goals into smaller goals ("lose weight" could be broken down into exercise more, join a gym and eat healthier)

* Only set goals for things you are passionate about not things you think you "should" do

* Get help from family and friends to stay focused and on course

* Don't get down on yourself

* Expect it to take time (you will probably not lose 30 pounds by Valentine's day and you will probably not quit smoking cold turkey tomorrow-unless you are my dad!)

* Keep a journal or success list

* Reward yourself when you are doing well

My goals this year are the same goals that were on my list last year... and the year before... and well you get the picture: lose some weight, eat healthier, exercise more, save money, pay off debt and quit smoking (again)

But I'd like to be honest with myself so here is my realistic list- the list I WANT to be successful with:

• Work on my anxiety issues

I'm not expecting to wake up one morning and no longer have anxiety- I'd just like to get a handle on it.

• Go down a size or 2 in clothing

I'm not obsessed with my actual weight, I know that building muscle will make you weigh more- I'm more conscious of how I look in and how my clothing feels on.

• Learn portion control when eating

I LOVE food (especially J's cooking) and refuse to go on a diet where I will constantly be craving things, I also know that I tend to eat until I'm "stuffed" or "eat everything on my plate" (the way we were all raised)

• Go to the gym more than the required times per month

(I joined Gold's Gym through my work and they pay 1/2 of our monthly membership as long as we use the gym 8 times per month). I enjoy going to the gym- especially my Body Flow Class- so this should not be that difficult to obtain- however December has not been a good month with the holidays and the terrible weather I find myself curling up in my jammies and saying "I'll go tomorrow"

• Start putting away money in savings for our future

I've always tried to be a saver but unforeseen issues would come up and the nest egg that had been packed away would get spent. Now that we have eliminated 75% of our debt, putting a little away from each paycheck should not be a problem. There are so many things we want to and need to save for: a certain Vegas Vacation (April 2010), Parker driving in 3 yrs & college in 5 yrs, purchasing a home down the road, and retirement (never too early to plan for that right)

• Keep in better contact with family and friends

I love talking and usually have a lot to say- so do my friends and family! I find it terribly hard- especially when on the phone all day- to make phone calls when I get home at night. I know I can't sit down and have a 5 minute conversation, so I tend to not do it at all. I really want to work on this- even if I have to start the conversation with "I only have 10 minutes but wanted to see how you're doing"

• Quit smoking

This is the hardest one by far and I start to get irrational thoughts just thinking about it- but I did it in the past- for 10 months- I can do it again, I know I can)

I'm sure there will be occasional blogs as to my success or struggles with all of the above.

So what are your goals for the new year?

May everyone have a safe and Happy New Year!

See you in '09

Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOURS FROM ME AND MINE!