Happy New Year!!

Wow, 2011 went by way too fast! It seems like yesterday I was trying to keep New Year resolutions and failiing miserably. We welcomed in 2011 with ideas of big changes, and a great year, and ended up with nothing different from the year before. Not this year. Welcoming 2012 for me is welcoming new changes, bigger goals, higher priorities, and making my life a whole new life. Saying hi to 2012 is beginning a new journey. Well, several new journies to be hones. I have set some pretty steep goals for myself for this year. You know, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over & over again, but expecting a different result. I have been the same Christina for the last 33 years....of course growth and change has happened, but I am full of bad habits, the same mindset, and the same attitude as I have in the past, and I wonder why I am not happy with my life. I have so much to be thankful for, yet I have so much I can work on to make my life exactly what it is. I am sharing my goals with you for 2 reasons. 1. So I can clearly define them myself, and 2. so you can help hold me accountable for them. So here goes....here is what I hope 2012 will hold for me....
1. A happier healthier marriage. Everyone who is married or has ever been married knows that relationships have peaks and vallys. Well, recently, we have been in a few valleys. It has been so easy for me to blame, or to say "I would love you more if", but truth is, I do not think I know how to love. I know how to like, I know how to get what I want, and be happy when things are good, but to love unconditionally the way God loves me is something that now, I am beginning to realize that I do not know how to do. So, for 2012, I am determined to totally, completely love Jim more. To fall in love wiht him again, and find a love for him that I have never known.
2. To attend church regularly. Yes, I attend church, but its not a priority. Its easy to find excuses and reason for skipping, talking myself into why its justified for me to stay home is geting me no where. I am chosing to make my attendance at church a priority. Starting today. Service was wonderful, and super motivating, and I am so excited that I can say that I was there.
3. A clean, organized home. Anyone who knows me for 5 min. knows that I procrastinate. I tend to be lazy and put stuff off until its overwhelming to me, and the task goes from a small hill to an unmanageable mountain. That stops today. My home is wonderful, and I have been blessed with so much, and God has given me the job of taking care of what he has blessed me with. So I will start being better about that today. Well, yesterday and a few days before that really. I am proud of the progress I have made in the last few days, and pray that my motivation continues.
4. A new healthier, skinnier me. In the past 10 years, I have gained 100 lbs. Yup, you read that right, from the time I met my husband until now, I am 100 lbs heavier. Yesterday when I got on the scale it screamed 242.2 lbs. I am sharing this with you to help me be hones wiht myself. I am not just a little big, or gained a few lbs, I have been lazy and made horrible decisions for myself, and today, I start a new journey to weightloss. I am calling it 366 to 100. 366 days (Yes, this year is a leap year) to lose 100 lbs. Today at 242.2 I am chosing to make healthier decisions with food, exercise more, and kick the sugar addiction. I have set a goal of not drinking anything carbonated, exercising for 30 min 5 days a week, and cutting out the sweets. I also have started taking some medicine for some help, that I only plan on taking for a few months. My Dr. feels that I just need a jumpstart, and hopefully, thats all I need to get going. I am not expecting to sit down take pills and lose weight, I am expecting myself to make a big change to a new me.
5. Last but of course not least, actually the most inportant, I am chosing to grow closer to God in the next 12 months. My faith, and relationship with Christ has grown in the past few years, and I want nothing more than to take that to new levels. I am nothing more than a sinful, selfish person who wants instant gratification, newer nicer and better material things, and wants to have everything without giving anything. I am making 2012 a year where I grow to a new level with Christ and learn to be content, serve more, learn patience, focus on him with purpose and intention with everything I do. I truely want to live a life where people will one day remember me as someone who loved God, and led an infectious life. That starts today.
You will hear about my progress in all of my goals in the blogs to come. Your prayers, support, and encouragment will be greatly appreciated. Today starts a new day where I will make the life that I want so desperatly to have. I dont expect overnight changes, or overnight results. Nor do I expect any of this to be easy. I am the most undisciplined person I know, however I know that with prayer, determination, a little bit of discipline, well alot of discipline, and a pure heart with good intentions, all of my above goals can and will be reached in 2012.