The New Year

I have been putting off writing on my blog for the past few days because I have so many pictures to post and things to write about from our trip and I know how long that is going to take, so I've been avoiding blogging at all. But, I wanted to post my thoughts about the New Year and what I look forward to doing. I always love to set goals and make resolutions and reflect on my life and where I want to be and how to get there. I think sometimes I enjoy making the goals more than actually keeping them though. So, this year I am keeping it simple and only making a few resolutions and really focusing on making some changes.

I have seen a lot of blogs where people choose a word for the year--a kind of motto or motivator for the year. I really like this idea. For the past month or so I've been thinking about what I would want my word to be. And I came up with something that I think is perfect for right now.
My word is:
SAVOR
I have noticed in myself that I am always looking forward to the next thing in my life without stopping to enjoy where I am in the present. I really want to change this and just appreciate and soak in every moment that I have. I looked up "savor" in the dictionary and there was one definition that I really liked. It defined it as "giving oneself to the enjoyment of". I love this. I really want to stop and take time to really give myself to whatever I am doing. I want to really be there for my kids when I am playing with them instead of thinking about all the other things I could be doing. I want to do my best at my job when I am there without constantly thinking that I'd rather be at home with my kids. I want to relish in the experience that we are having here in China without thinking of all the things I miss about back home. I just want to be grateful and content and appreciative of the present. I want to savor my life instead of just letting it pass by. It has only been a few days, but having this word on my mind has already changed me.

We also came up with a family motto for the year. It's "Don't miss a day!" (pertaining to scripture study and family prayer). It's fun to have something that we all came up with together and that we're all committed to achieving.

Lastly, I just wanted to record a short list of things that I have learned or realized in 2007:

• things affect me much more than I let on
• I don't like to live in fear
• It's best to be open, upfront, and honest with people
• things work out for the best, we just have to trust
• it's always best to respond with love
• it's really hard for me to share myself with other people, but when I can get past that, great friendships are formed and so much joy comes into my life

Of course, I'm sure that I've learned a ton of other things too, but these things all correspond with specific experiences throughout the year. It's been a great year in 2007 and we've accomplished a lot as a family and I've discovered a lot about myself. I'm really looking forward to 2008!