New Year Lists

Instead of resolutions, I’m stealing an idea from another blog (Semicolon) and making lists of:

Projects for 2009 (Not in order of importance or execution):

1. The Book Project
2. The House Project
3. The Garden Project
4. The Travel Project
5. The Writing Project
6. The Religion Project
7. The Office Project
8. The German Project
9. The Green Project
10. The Body Project
11. The Friend Project
12. The Family Project

The Book Project: I’d like to start keeping track of what I read. This means using Good Reads and The Library Thing, but I’d also like to use my blogs in some way to review and catalogue the books I read. I also need to read more meaningfully. That means slowing down and really thinking about what I’m reading.

The House Project: Making my house a home. Getting rid of the clutter. Decorating. Doing odd maintenance jobs. Cleaning!

The Garden Project: Plan what I want to do once the weather permits. Bring color into our landscape. Do the projects I’ve been putting off: Transplanting trees, bushes and plants. Getting rid of unsightly plants. Laying down sod. Making the entry inviting.

The Travel Project: Save money. Write about my experiences. Travel as much as possible. Right now we have these trips on the table: Chicago, Orlando, Canada, Germany.

The Writing Project: Continuing to write for my blogs. Querying. Submitting. Learning from my rejections. Celebrating my acceptances. Finding my passions and writing about them.

The Religion Project: This is the year when I decide what church I want to get involved with. I’m leaning toward Catholicism, but that seems like such a big step, since I was raised Lutheran.  I need to decide not only what I want, but where God wants me. I also want to get back into Bible study. I have a lot of questions that need answered. I also need to rededicate my life to God.  (submit)

The Office Project: I need to carve out an office for myself.  I’m presently using my laptop as my entire office. I need to set up a physical one and organize it.

The German Project: Continuing to study German. Practice by reading books and magazines in German. Use the audio aids I already have. Work through my textbooks.

The Green Project: This is the one I am least likely to work on, even though I know it should be a priority. The only thing we do right now is recycle newspapers and magazines.

The Body Project: No New Year list is complete without mentioning diet and exercise! I need to find an exercise routine that I can stick to. I also need to lose thirty pounds.

The Friend Project: Being a better one.

The Family Project: Working on all my familial relationships (sister, aunt, niece, wife, mother, grandmother).

More lists to follow…