Resolved...

Heath is not the New Year's Resolution type.

I'm not obsessed with the idea of making them. Lord knows I'm not obsessed with keeping them—I only kept 1 of my 3 from last year, for example. I do, however, appreciate the built-in opportunity for self reflection and goal setting. Yes, this should be an ongoing thing, but nothing serves as a better reminder than Ryan Seacrest, Dick Clark and a big Swarovski-crystal studded ball.

After ringing in the new year with the Carters, I thought about what my resolutions for 2010 would be. There is, of course, the "I'd like to lose 15 pounds or so" that has been resolved for the last few years. I'd like to think that when I start working from home in February (separate blog post to come on that soon!), I can use my would-be commute time to be more regular at the gym.

I'd also like to maintain the one resolution I kept from 2009: To add more creativity into my weekly schedule. The sewing machine was instrumental in making this happen last year and I can't wait to liberate my sewing paraphernalia from our storage locker soon and very soon. Plus, my dad and aunt have funded a wonderful new sewing machine and gift card to Joann Fabric — I'm all set!

My new resolution is, in some ways, a late Christmas present to all my wonderful friends who patiently suffer through my phone-delinquent, prodigal friend behavior. I am terrible about calling people and phone tag is a regular game we all play. Up to this point I've tried to use my commute time to catch up with friends, but as my commute will soon be a distant memory, I have to get creative. My idea? I'm going to give the friends I have the hardest time catching viewing access to the Carter Google calendar. They'll be able to see what I have going on and then just e-mail or text me with the time that works best for them to talk every couple weeks. That way, I can get them on the schedule and hopefully avoid the phone tag. This may not be the best way to get the job done, but the fact that I've only been able to reach one of them this week to even share this idea underscores the fact that some sort of change is necessary...

Whether you're resolved to anything or not, here's to a happy, healthy new year!