Head long into a new year...

I have made a rather large, all encompassing and (hopefully) life altering New Year's Resolution. This will be the record.

I know everyone says they are going to exercise and eat better and get organized or get out of debt... I have opted for a grander plan for 2009. I want to make my life more fun, in all aspects. I want to be organized, slim and debt free. (Don't we all?) But I also want my life to make me feel like I'm making the most of it. Most of the generic New Year's Resolutions are born out of self loathing and the feeling that we aren't good enough the way we have been, that we are inherently bad and need improvement. But this year I make the resolution to make life more pleasant by leaving commercial, materialistic, mainstream America behind. Let trends and what is popular fall by the way side and truly listen to my own heart and let it take me where it leads me. I know this all sounds a bit idealistic, but honestly, do you really want to resolve to confining yourself to a packed, sweaty gym, or to constantly worrying about money or things that don't really matter? I want to enjoy my life, my passions and the things I enjoy the most.

So here is a short list of what I plan to do with my year:

-Make/thrift/remake/recycle my wardrobe as much as I can. This means no trips to the mall, no Target sales... my only exception to this is shoes (of course).

-Cook! I want to eat good food, not fast food. Meals at home, brown bag lunches. Eat better for less. No more spending hundreds of dollars on fancy meals out or feeling terrible because I couldn't make time to make something decent.

-Enjoy my marriage.

I think that in making these things a habit I will eventually find more in my life. Just plain more. I'm excited.