Here's to 2011.

After a lovely 10-day break from work, here I am in 2011.  Although I am excited about returning to work tomorrow, I have very  much enjoyed my break and there are still things I wish I had done!


My break was pretty much a whirlwind.  We started things off on Christmas Day with Phillip's family.  Great day!  We got to see all four of his amazing nieces and nephews, and I truly treasure my time with them (and the rest of his family, of course!)  After a meal at his grandmother's house, we returned to his house for the rest of the day.  We gave out gifts of homemade treats (toffee squares, spritz cookies, and brownie-covered oreos), and I received a beautiful garnet necklace, a set of pinch bowls, and an apple corer/slicer/peeler!  I definitely see more apple pies in our future.  As you can see, I have definitely not resolved to start a diet in the new year!


After returning to Memphis for a few days, I went back to my hometown for Christmas with my dad's family.  We went to my grandmother's house for present-opening and lunch, and it was so nice to just relax with them.  My grandmother also gave me some old pieces of silver, which I am now using as a centerpiece for my dining room table.


The next day, I went to a Christmas celebration for my mom's family at the cabin.  The cabin is my family's hunting cabin that we all gather in for special occasions, and it's also special to me because it sits in the spot where my family and I once lived.  I got to see my grandparents and the children I love in my own family, and also got to enjoy some great appetizers, which I have no problem making a meal of.


I came back to Memphis again on New Year's Eve, just in time to celebrate with Phillip!  I fixed up some black-eyed pea dip and some Mexican cornbread, and we watched Beauty and the Beast on DVD...yes, we're old and boring, and we don't care!  It was exactly what I wanted.


The next days have consisted of taking care of a sick puppy (he's fine now!), watching the Gator Bowl, cleaning and organizing the apartment, watching more movies, going out to eat with my dad's family at O'Charley's...and now I'm here, blogging.


Of course, I'm going to tell you what my resolutions for 2011 are.  One resolution has been ongoing for a while now...get out of debt!  I want to completely rid myself of ANY debt, including student loans.  I'm almost positive I won't be able to accomplish that goal this year, but I CAN make significant strides toward it.  I am a big fan of Dave Ramsey, and I'm going to continue applying his financial principles to my life until I am finally where I want to be financially.


Another resolution I have is to account for every single one of my pictures.  I have around 1,500 pictures that I have never even developed, and many more that aren't in photo albums or scrapbooks.  I also want to properly organize them on my computer and back up the files.  This resolution will probably be expensive/time-consuming, but I will feel so much better when it's done!


Last...I want to further foster my spirituality and become more full of love and peace.  Pretty broad goal, I know!  Phillip received a hard-cover copy of The Shack (his favorite book) as a gift, and I finished reading it yesterday.  However controversial the book's theology may be, I truly enjoyed the book and was inspired not only to work on my relationship with God, but with others.


I tried not to have too many resolutions so that I can focus more on each one of them.  That's what seems to work best for me every year, as opposed to making 10-20 like I used to!  I wish I could remember who said this many years ago when I heard it, but I can't...instead of making many resolutions, I try every day to be a little bit better than I was the day before.


Happy 2011, everyone!