I am in love with January.  It has unexpectedly become the month of peace and rest following the frenzy of the Yuletide season.  I’ve had time to breathe deeply, to hang out with my family, to declutter my house.  I’ve been reading without pressure, doing Sudoku late at night without guilt, and baking up a storm.  The freedom from an over-scheduled life has been such a gift.  It feels good to slow down.

The slower pace has given me the opportunity to really think about this year and what I’d like to do with it.  A brand new year is filled with so much promise, isn’t it?  Not making some plans and goals seems almost sinful.  During the hours of contemplation that this marvelous January has provided, I’ve come up with a few things to keep me occupied in 2013.

1. Apply to three graduate programs and hopefully begin classes by the end of the year.  This is something I want to do for personal satisfaction but it is also a requirement of my new job.  I have a feeling if nothing else on the list happens, this particular goal will.

2. Improve my photographic skills.  Mr. Whimsey bought me a fabulous new camera and now I really feel like a poser.  I need/want a better understanding of the technical aspects of photography so that I have more control of the end product.  My first step is to sign up for a class (probably on-line) that allows me to work at my own pace.

3. Read My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers.  This classic devotional will take a year to get through.  I’ve started late so I won’t finish by the end of 2013 but it will be close.  I’m already looking forward to the insights and blessings.

4. Regularly (monthly) write to our sponsor child in Ecuador.  I really struggle with this. Writing to her always ends up at the bottom of the “to do” list and is often forgotten.  I want this year to be different.  I want to be an encouragement to her verbally as well as financially.

5. Complete an Extreme Room Makeover for Buddy (the middle child).  He is almost fourteen and taller than my husband and is still climbing into his little loft bed every night.  He can’t even sit up while he’s up there without bumping his head on the ceiling.  Yes, it’s time for a big boy bed and a room to go with it.  (I love this kind of stuff, so I can’t wait.)

6. Read six non-fiction books.  I tend to read fiction much more than non-fiction and I’d like to broaden my horizons a bit.  I have several books lined up already.  After last year’s challenge, six books should be a piece of cake.  I think…

7. Eradicate Coca Cola from my diet forever!  I know this smacks of a real New Year’s Resolution.  But, honestly, I need to take some drastic measures.  Coke is probably the worst thing I put into my body on a regular basis and I’m sure it’s doing a fair amount of damage.  I would love to be free of it for good. Baby steps, though.  I think I’ll take it a week at a time to start.   

Really, for the whole year, that’s not a very daunting list.  I’ve been known to make much more ambitious goals (see here) and fail miserably.  I’m feeling pretty hopeful about 2013.  How about you?  Any goals you’d like to share?