Good morning friends and Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a wonderful time ringing in 2013– I brought in the New Year exactly how I wanted to– at home. . . asleep.  As most of you know, I hate staying up late, mostly because I physically can’t do it.  I am an early riser, so my bedtime is usually between 9 and 10.  I did go to a friend’s house to hang out for a bit last night and had a ball, but my husband and I made it a point to be home nice and early so we could cozy up on the couch and just relax.  I probably fell asleep around 11 on the couch, and transferred myself to my bed shortly thereafter!

I don’t really know where the rest of  this post is going to go, but I did want to address this whole notion of resolutions in a sort of stream-of-consciousness manner.  I know resolutions are a love-em or leave-em kind of thing, and personally, I sort of love them!  It’s not that I create a big list of very concrete resolutions, but I always look forward to January 1st as an opportunity to assess where I’ve been and ponder where I am going.  2012 was not my best year– there were a lot of unexpected hurdles to overcome in regards to my life plan over the last year, with the most prominent one being a necessary return to school in order to gain a new teaching certification.  The whole process lasted six months, consumed me utterly, and overall was not fun.  However, that’s all behind me, and the conclusion of my classes couldn’t have come at a better time because I can now enter 2013 without that weight on my back and with a sense of accomplishment (and relief!).

As far as resolutions, I don’t really have any big, concrete declarations to make.  There are some things that I am hoping for that for now, I am probably going to leave off of the blog, but there are plenty of things I do want to focus on and share with you all in the upcoming months.  I have already declared 2013 is officially the “Year of Ami,” and while I know that sounds terribly selfish, what I mean is that it is the year that I want to do some things I have always wanted to do, but never had the time/energy/confidence to do.  These things are pretty random, and range from finding the perfect moisturizer for my skin to hosting a vegan and gluten-free dinner party (M and E, K and J– I’m looking at you!) and a million other things in between it seems!

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I can’t deny that many of my New Year intentions are things that are pretty typical too– of course I want to “eat better,” “exercise more,”  and all that, but at the same time, I think I do fairly OK with those things as it is, so I am not too focused on those sorts of matters.  Really, I just want to focus on doing as many specific little things I can to make my life, and the lives of those around me, better.  Since there are an infinite number of ways to do that, it’s really hard for me to spell out those things or articulate them in some sort of list.  It’s more of a matter of living in the moment and constantly striving to make the best choices I can at all times.  Whether it’s how I react to a stressful situation or what I eat for dinner on a particular night, I really just want to work on being present and being “better”– whatever “better” might mean at that instant.

And it just so happens to be January 1st. . .

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Have I lost you yet?  Like I said earlier, it’s really hard to put into words what my goals are for 2013 other than to say I want to truly make it my best year ever.  I have a feeling this year is going to be a great one, but mostly that’s because I can see a recent shift in my attitude towards the more positive, and I just want to keep the momentum going!  I think over the course of the next few weeks, I will write specific posts on exactly what I am resolving to do at any particular moment, so be on the lookout!

One of my goals for today, other than to set myself up for a smooth return to work tomorrow, is to watch the “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” marathon on TLC.  I know it sounds silly, but I have been dying to watch this show and see what the hype is all about.  My nephews love the show, made up a quiz about the show and gave it to me.  Of course, since I have never seen it, I failed, but now I am determined to re-take it and pass!

Hmmm. . . now I am thinking of starting a blog series addressing my more specific New Year’s goals/intentions as I work on them.  In fact, I will do it!

And now, I will officially stop rambling.

I wish you all the best year ever and I love you all!

Are you a “resolutions” person?  Do you have any specific resolutions or goals for 2013?