"WhaT ArE YoU DoinG' NeW Year'S EvE?" (1/1/15)

It's hard to believe that another year has passed and 2015 has nodded its little head in our direction. Whether I believe it or not, this year is here and it isn't going anywhere. The last time I wrote goals for the new year was in 2012 and I haven't since then. Since I started teaching, something has happened to my life. I have found myself staring blankly at it like a little kid whose pants have fallen down in a crowded room full of people, who thinks, "What the heck just happened?" I know, I know, perhaps that's not the best analogy of my life, but at the moment, it's the best way I can think to describe it. Honestly, I have felt like I have not truly "lived" my life; it's as if I have been in an "out-of-body" experience for years and much like that little kid whose shock compels him to hide in the room full of people laughing at him, I have found myself wanting to hide behind security and figure out what is going on in my life. As I look at Facebook and social media every now and again, I can't help but feel like I missed the boat for this stage in life. I have "grown up" (if you can call it that) and I have put on my "big girl pants." I've gotten a job. I've celebrated birthdays year after year, which prove I've gotten older, yet the wiser portion is a little iffy. Anyway, my point is, I see person after person posting about new relationships, engagements, weddings, home purchases, baby announcements, etc. etc. Amidst all of this, I consider myself successful if I get to make dinner on one evening of the week. School has consumed every minute and I mean every minute, of my life and I have wondered if I should be aiming for different things and setting different goals to make it better. Right about now, it feels like everyone has boarded the ship of life and is having the time of their life on it while I have been left standing on the dock, clueless and unsure. Here's to attempting to make 2015 a year to remember. I have tried to say that "[Insert year here] will be my year" several times and I'm just not going to do that this year since my saying it has not made it become a reality. Making things like that come true takes hard work and dedication. That being said, I do truly hope this year will be a transformative one, which will not leave me wondering/questioning if I made the most of it. I've had those kinds of new years and honestly, I'd like to avoid feeling like that by the time next year rolls around.

Here are the goals I have for 2015 (in no particular order)! Here's to making it count!
1. Lose weight.
2. Sing publicly.
3. Be more confident.
4. Keep my home/room tidy.
5. Blog once a week.
6. Budget my money well.
7. Go on a trip to a place I've never been.
8. Do service.
9. Go to church/attend activities.
10. Read several new books.
11. Simplify (when you look this word up in the dictionary, it is defined as, "what Stephanie Merris needs to do").

TBC...

"What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" covered by Zooey Deschanel & Joseph Gordon-Levitt