How did I do?

I don't make resolutions for the new year; instead, I make lists of things I would like to do in the coming year. Last year, the following items were on my "to do" list, and here is how well I did at doing those things:

• Make bagels - yes, I did, back in March. They were delicious, but now I can buy really good bagels just about anywhere in Central New York!
• Organize my recipe stash - uh, no. It is still a disorganized mess of bits of paper, stuck into a notebook.
  
• Get active - uh, no.
• Stop worrying about making friends in Georgia - yes, I did. Once I decided that I just didn’t care if I made a friend or not, it was liberating. I no longer worried about how I seemed to other people and whether or not they liked me. And, no, I didn’t make any friends in GA last year, but at least it didn't bother me!
• Take more risks, live more spontaneously, and believe in myself more - I did so-so on this one.

My list of things I would like to do in 2010 are a mix of uncompleted items from the past year, plus a new one:

• Get those recipes organized!
• Get active - and I have already made a start by walking around my new hometown and doing Wii boxing.
• Get involved in my local community - I have already made a start by volunteering for the NY Special Olympics Winter Games. I also plan to volunteer in Aidan's new school, and find other ways to get to know my new area.
  
• Believe in myself more - another repeat from 2009, but I really want to regain the confidence, the moxie, the kick-butt-and-take-names attitude I once had. The last few years have been tough, but I let too much of life influence who I am and how I react.

Happy new year!

Reading happens anywhere

Aidan loves to read, which thrills us. We take full credit for starting him on the right path by reading to him every night of his life since he was born. Even when he had no idea what we were doing or what we were saying, it laid the foundation for his love of reading.

Proof that the urge to read can happen anywhere:


He is sitting in the snow saucers that Grandma Williams gave him for Christmas, reading the book on the states that we gave him. If you happen to see him, be sure to ask him what the capital of Delaware is or the nickname of New Hampshire.