2010 Resolutions

Well, it's that time of year again where most people make New Year's Resolutions for the year. I enjoy the time to do the same. It is fun to look back and see the things you have accomplished and a little sad at the ones you didn't or lost focus on. Anyway, I was looking for my 2009 Resolutions that I made last year, but after looking I realized I never made any. I guess with Mateo being born on 12/29/08, I didn't have time to stop and make them. SO, I pulled the ones from the year before to see what they were. HERE is that post

Before I list my 2010 Resolutions, I want to list a few big accomplishments and events for 2009.

1. We added Mateo to our family (it was ALMOST 2009) and life with 2 kids is crazy but I love it. I always think about how scared I was about having a 2nd child for the fear that I wouldn't be able to love another child as much as I love Tatum. Mateo is my little buddy. I love him SO MUCH and he is such a great addition to our little family.

2. Tatum has grown up so much over the year. She has outgrown that toddler stage and is now a 'big girl' as she says. She is an amazing big sister and she loves Mateo. They play well together and she helps me watch him if I am trying to do things around the house. Most days, this works fine and she can keep his attention, but sometimes he just wants his mama. Tatum also played her first season of soccer this year.

3. Antonio and I have grown closer over the years. We have really become a great team and I appreciate all he does for our family. He is such a great daddy and I don't know what we would do without him. I went out of town with the kids and my parents a couple of weekends ago and I missed Antonio's help so much. I know having kids can put strains on marriages, but Antonio and I have really done great in this area. We enjoy our family time, but also try to spend time together without the kids too.

4. Antonio and I found a church home that we love! We both enjoy going to our church and realize that keeping God in the center of our family and our lives is the only way we will survive the struggles, hardships, fights, fits, disappointments, upsets, deaths, etc. of life. Not only do we enjoy GOING to our church, but we have really taken away things from church and implimented them in our lives and family.

5. I got a promotion and 3 raises at work this year! I LOVE my job and it is very rewarding to me personally because I know that what I do really does make a difference in people's lives. I am blessed that what I do is not only personally rewarding, but also financially rewarding for my family. I know GREAT things are coming in 2010 with my company and I can't wait. I will be heading to Las Vegas in a few months for company meetings and can't wait for that either!

6. Antonio and I have had a goal for a few years to buy a new house in 2010. This means that we will be selling our current house. I am excited that we have found a new house, signed a contract and we are just waiting for the other party to sign and send us copies. Our current house will be going on the market in a few weeks and we are praying that it sells quickly. Although we pretty much have a contract on our new house and will close on it soon, we will most likely not be moving until Spring (more on this later).

7. Every year most people make a new year's resolution to lose weight. IF I had made my resolutions for 2009 this would have been on the list since I had just had Mateo. Well, this is one area of 2009 that I am pretty proud of how well I did. In April of this year, I came out of hiding for a blog I had been stalking when TANNA announced she was going to start THE CHALLENGE and wanted to know if anyone wanted to join her. Since April 20th (my birthday), I have completed 3 challenges, lost 32 pounds, and 21.25 inches(just weighed and measured) this year!! That would include 6 inches on my waist and 5.25 inches on my hips!! I am now 12 pounds lighter than when I got pregnant with Mateo and he just turned 1. I know without Tanna, all the ladies in the challenges, and Antonio who allows me to go to the gym and supports the eating changes, I would not have been able to accomplish this. I started the challenge to lose weight, but in the process have found many new friends and have also grown closer to God in the process. I love how God brings the right people into our lives when He knows we need them the most.

Here are a few before and after pictures. This first is from Valentine's weekend 2009. Antonio, the kids, and I all went to Baton Rouge to see my parents and enjoy some Mardi Gras parades.

This second picture is from Easter 2009 and this is just days before we started the first challenge. I had already dropped some weight from the previous picture, but still had lots to lose.

This next picture is an AFTER pic from Mateo's birthday Tuesday night. I know it is a horrible picture of me, but you can tell in my face that I have lost weight.

And this next picture is another AFTER from Christmas weekend 2009. Not the best picture again, but I can sure see the difference.

Okay, FINALLY for my 2010 New Year's Resolutions...

1. I want to continue getting fit and staying healthy. I just really feel like it is important for Antonio and I to be good examples for our children of what "healthy" looks like. Since I talk about diabetes all day for work, I know how weight can really cause lots of health problems in life.

It is really scary to me to see so many people not care more in this area. There are so many things in life that we can NOT control (cancer, death, disabilities, etc), but for most of us, we CAN control our weight. I don't think everyone should strive to be skinny, but I DO think people should strive to be healthy! Was losing 32 pounds this year easy? NO! Did it just 'drop off''? NO! Were there many days I didn't work out or didn't want to work out? YES! Did I mess up and have days where I ate everything I wanted? YES! Were there times I wanted to give up because I would go WEEKS and not lose an ounce? YES, there was actually a MONTH that I only lost 0.6 pounds!!! However, I was persistent and knew my ultimate goal was (and is) to be HEALTHY, so it doesn't matter if I don't lose another pound...I will continue to make healthy choices.

2. Sell our current house. Please say a few prayers with us that it sells fast.

3. Move to new house.

4. I still want to become a runner. I have set this goal before several times, but I am determined to accomplish this one. If nothing else, I want to be able to run a mile without stopping.

5. I really want to think about what I/we spend our money on. Antonio has always been great managing money and I have gotten better since we got married, but I have not been good. In just the past 2 months, I have really done much better. I started using coupons when buying groceries (I actually saved $70 in one trip to the grocery store one time). My goal is to cut out more WANT purchases and stick to the NEEDS.

6. I am going to forgive someone that has hurt me. I saw this one someone else's page and thought this was a great goal.

7. Spend more time with friends. When adding kids to the family, life seems to get crazy and it is hard enough to spend time with Antonio, but I do value my close friends and family. Maybe Antonio and I can each have a night out with friends every other month or so.

8. Keep decluttering in current house and ORGANIZE new house when we move in. I bought a book a few months ago and Antonio and I have read it together. Together, we have cleared so much clutter out of our house, but there is much more to do. HERE is the website by the author of the book.

I guess that is it for now. I look forward to see God's plan for our lives in 2010!!