New Year's Resolutions: Personal

I am not really a resolution person but maybe if I write it down I will be more likely to do the things I keep telling myself to do.

1. Be better with our budget. We are not in debt, nor do we live outside of our means but I would like to get ahead of our paychecks instead of always getting paid just to see it all go away to bills. It shouldn't take too long but it will require more effort than I like.
2. Be a better house keeper. When we first moved in I made a pact with myself to keep the house clean. That lasted about two minutes. I used to have a system in which small tasks got completed on different days and that worked well for me, but I just need to get back to it.
3. See more of Seattle and greater WA. We will have lived here three years this June and I still don't really know where a lot of things are. I want to see more of where I live and get acquainted with my new city.
4. Exercise outside more. I'd love to do the Seattle Marathon this year but really this is just about getting more sun. I stay indoors too much (winter kills me up here) and I am aching for some fresh air and daylight.
5. Take it one thing at a time. I get so stressed and caught up in a million different projects I forget to enjoy making our house better. Sure starting our kitchen remodel sounds really fun now, but I should really make myself finish painting the stairs first. This also is part of what makes budgeting so hard for me since I buy everything I need for 10 projects and then decide to start something I didn't even plan to start now instead. Which coincidentally leads in to my next resolution
6. Quit stressing. We bought a fixer. Pretty much everything in this house needs a new coat of paint and some elbow grease. But I've got 30 years to make it all happen. **Breathe** Sometimes it is so easy to get wrapped up in everything you think you are supposed to have and do that I almost forget that life is pretty good just how it is. And no, a new sofa is not really going to make me any happier.

It will be fun to look back on this later in the year and see how I am doing. We already have plans to head to Bainbridge Island this weekend for the Mochi making festival and some wine tasting. Now we just have to actually follow through. The contractor comes next Friday to help move our wall and get our Kitchen Reno started! Since I'm going to be living in dust for the next few months I thought I'd end with something pretty to help me remember #6. This one almost makes me a believer in this year's Pantone color of the year. Almost.

Cheers!

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