Happy New Year!

Ringing in 2012!
Yes, I realize it's almost April.

Sorry for the blog silence to my tiny but faithful readership (ie: maybe my immediately family, if they're bored.)

2012 has been pretty wonderful so far, and I am going to do my best to fill you in on the happenings of the last few months. Plus, I'm also planning to do a "week in the life" post soon, to share what life in Nashville is really like and also as a keepsake for myself of this special season in my life.

SO, the New Year. This year I made two major resolutions.

1. Budget.

Those of you who know me know that this is not my strong suit. I am horrible with paperwork. A simple transcript request or insurance form can take me weeks. I don't ever see my bills. A kind roommate calculates the costs, divides by three, and I get a post-it note with what I owe and a smiley face. I also live in that blissful financial state where I have enough to live relatively comfortably but not enough to really save, making it easy to go month to month, within my means, not really paying attention to where my money goes. This is not only irresponsible and immature, but it is shortsighted. God calls us to be faithful with what we've been given, and I think part of being faithful is being aware and charitable. If I could see where my money is going, I might be able to save some and give some. That'd be worth the effort. So I joined mint.com. I wish I could tell you my finances have totally turned around, but they haven't. I still find it hard to actually train my mind to calculate how much I've spent on what throughout the week. I still spend too much money eating out with friends. I still spend too much at Trader Joes. I sometimes splurge on things like this, and this, and this. But I'm trying, and that's a start.

2. Write letters.

In an age of increasing technology which offers wonderful advantages like instant information, endless communication, and democratic education, there is also something lost. What's lost is lingering over a piece of paper pen in hand, searching for the right phrase. What's lost is the articulation of emotion without the use of smiley-face symbol or ubiquitous elipses. What's lost is thoughtfulness and intentionality. What's lost is the ability to, years later, come across a folded card in a drawer and be immediately drawn back to a moment in time, to hear a voice unchanged through the years. I love the idea of an exchange of letters and have determined to set aside time to write to those in my life. I've always been a letter writer in serious situations, for condolence or confrontation, but I want to write more lighthearted letters as well full of the quotidian occurrences that color our lives and draw us into the lives of others. So far I've written a few letters and hope to do more. But, y'all, one was basically a love letter. So there's that.

Those are my New Year's Resolutions. And, of course, run more and eat cleaner, blah, blah.

What about you? How are your resolutions coming?