It's 2010, baby!

What a whirlwind week it has been for me! As most of you know, after having dinner with Shawn and her husband on Sunday night, we were kinda thinking maybe we would drive to Atlanta and surprise our family for New Year's. I initially said "NO - I have too much to do, don't feel like driving, etc etc etc" but then by the time Monday afternoon rolled around, Big Daddy had pretty much convinced me that life is way too short, how different this New Year's could be compared to last New Year's and he wanted to go hunting.

I told 2 people in Atlanta we were coming - and pretty much all my friends in Florida and a few of my Twitter (now in real life) friends knew we were coming - so thanks girls, for keeping my secret. It was pretty much all that and more. My sister and her family, along with my parents, were completely surprised and it was just the PERFECT way to start off the New Year!

I owe you many updates, Christmas coffee, Christmas, New Years, etc - but I want my FIRST official post of 2010 to be about the life changes I have made. These are "not" resolutions, but actual life changes that I feel I must implement to be happier and healthier.

In no particular order:

• Go gluten-free: I started this on Saturday and so far, it has been fairly easy. Yes, it about killed me to go to Wendy's and order a salad instead of their awesome fries, but I know in the long run, it will be better for me! Big Daddy has agreed to jump on board and we will slowly ease the kids into this. I do not plan on taking them TOTALLY gluten-free, but I will cut out a lot of the crap they are eating. I also plan to be in the gym at a min 3 days/week for now and work up to 5 days/week.
• Organize my house: this is starting today. I have a mindset now that I need to get organized instead of living in organized chaos. I have a plan set in place and will share with you once it's implemented.
• Organize my LIFE: I purchased a momAgenda this morning and I can't wait to get it. I did get a small one so I can put it in my purse.
• Be more spontaneous ~ obviously, this isn't a problem. I tend to be a homebody (I know, shocker) but I'd like to go to a movie by myself, or call a girlfriend to see if she wants to go, etc - instead of just sitting at home, doing nothing.
• Start AND finish laundry - meaning start it, fold it AND put it away (I can tell you, this one is going to be hard for me)
• Cook dinner at LEAST 5/nights per week. Considering my diet change, this is a must.
• Write letters to people I care about - randomly. I used to be so good about this and have really flaked off and I blame it on the internet, email, facebook, and just plain laziness.
• Quit worrying about things I have no control over. Honestly, if y'all knew my life before we ever moved to Florida, you'd wonder how we ever made it. By the grace of God and there's really no other explanation - so I need to continue to cling to that - empty myself and let God fill me up with his Promise that everything is going to work out according to His plan.
• Go on more trips ~ this is done. One in Feb planned, one in April planned, etc etc etc.
• Start AND finish projects. Big Daddy and I talked on the way home and we are going to make a list of everything that needs to be done, from little things to bigger projects and either do them or have our friend do them for us {yes, we'll pay him and it's totally worth it}.
• Clean out my car, every single day (Shawn, quit laughing, yes, I'm going to do this).
• Blog more consistently. I've got 117 followers, so I am assuming people want to hear what I have to say.
• Do more fun/spontaneous things with my husband and kids.
• Finally, and honestly, this is the most important - spend more quiet time with God. So often, I put it on the back burner. I do read several inspirational blogs each morning, but I need to spend more time in the word, growing and building a deeper spiritual relationship. I believe by growing more with God, the things I worry and stress about will tend to not freak me out as much as they normally would.

So that's it - I'm sure there are a million other things I can do, but I believe I'm starting out on the right foot. I have the right attitude, that's for sure!

Happy New Year, my sweets! I hope it's everything you wish for and more!

And now, Lord, what do I wait for and expect? My hope and expectation are in You. Ps 39:7