So this year I decided not to make any New Years Resolutions. Why wait until the end of the year to make a goal for something that is important to me? Likes like saying "I'll just start my diet tomorrow." Same concept. And also, when I thought about what resolutions I would make, my first three were 1) Loose weight, 2) be better organized, and 3) be a nicer person in general. But wait, those sound familiar. Weren't they the same I had last year? And the year before? Okay, maybe if I DON'T make those resolutions this year they will actually happen! So I've been struggling with my thoughts and praying about how to make some "goals" but how would I hold myself accountable?
Well, I think God just answered my question! In a form of an email! Every week I receive an email of tips from my all time favorite magazine, Real Simple. And this week is "31 Ideas for 31 Days" and talks about instead of making goals for an entire year, make goals for the month. You will be more likely to accomplish them. So I would like to share a handful of these (I'm not including all of them) ideas with you and maybe they can help you with your Monthly Resolutions!
1. Write a bona fide letter to someone who won’t expect it. Think of a person who really matters to you and recount one of your most hilarious moments together, thank her for guiding you through a difficult time, or just tell her that you want to get together more often.
2. Enlist everyone in the house, including the kids, to speed-clean one drawer. Set up a box for donations and another for trash. (Just be sure to survey your children’s pulled items, in case those pricey ballet slippers made their way into the Salvation Army bin.)
3. Empty your e-mail in-box. Delete and file. If your entire in-box is too overwhelming to tackle, focus on one day or one week of e-mails first.
4. Take digital photos of all the valuables in one room for insurance purposes. Keep the photos in a folder with original receipts or estimated values and serial numbers or warranties.
7. Donate to your favorite charity. Visit www.justgive.org and browse the nonprofit’s 19 different categories (such as “disaster relief” and “environment”), research a charity’s financials, decide where to give, and make a donation.
10. Schedule a day off from work. ( I personally could REALLY benefit from this, as during wedding season, I find myself working 12-14 hours days during the week and 8-10 hours each weekend day. I truly need to take Sundays off!!)
14. Make your own trail mix by combining the last bits of cereal, raisins, and nuts stashed in the rear of the cupboard. Try leftover Cheerios, pretzel pieces (including the salt at the bottom of the bag), almonds, and chocolate chips.
15. Create your own “Best of 2006” tally. With all those must-see, -read, and -hear lists popping up at the end of the year, it can be hard to keep track of what you wanted to check out. See Best of 2006 Lists for lists of the top-10 movies, books, and songs of 2006, according to the editors of Real Simple’s sister publication People. Note the items that caught your eye over the past year.
19. Make a short wish list of satisfying — and easily doable — “fun” resolutions for the coming year. Include things like visiting a museum you keep meaning to get to, saving for an overseas vacation, or making that Hot Chocolate Cake you saw in Real Simple.
20. Pare down cooking utensils and gadgets. Remove everything you don’t use regularly (the potato masher) so you don’t waste time hunting for the things that you do use every day (measuring spoons). Put the extra items in a different drawer, or in a clear bin in the pantry or under the sink.
21. Replace years-old pictures in frames
22. Memorize a short poem. A good place to start? The Academy of American Poets audio page, at www.poets.org. Hear poets, including Gwendolyn Brooks, Louise Glück, and Robert Frost, read their own work.
26. Check the oil in your car.
27. Tighten those loose screws. Take your 15 minutes and walk through the house with a screwdriver. Tighten cabinets, door pulls — anything that has a screw loose. (No, not your husband.)
28. Cut up fruit and freeze it for smoothies. It’s the perfect use for produce that is almost past its prime.
30. Jot down 15 places you’d like to visit in the next 15 years. Whether it’s the Swiss Alps or the Southwest’s Monument Valley, when you’re planning your next vacation, you can pull out your list and get reinspired.
31. Grab a power nap. “Even 5 or 10 minutes can make a difference,” says Chris Drake, a senior scientist at the Henry Ford Hospital Sleep Disorders and Research Center, in Detroit.
So I challenge you all to make your own "Monthly Resolution" and please check in with me to make sure I'm keeping up on my own list ;) Here's wishing you all a wonderful, happy, healthy, and successful 2007!
As we were leaving, we realized that it had started snowing and that made us incredibly happy! 
Poppop riding a donkey??
(PS - photos taken with my new Blackberry Pearl!!)
I don't think we'll be so beautiful at that time. 
