2015

Happy New Year! 

I have been thinking back on 2014 the past couple of weeks, as you do, and I finally took a look at my resolutions from last year.  Probably would have been a good idea to glance at them before December, but hey.  What's done is done.  So, let me tell you how things went. 

Did I read 11,000 pages?  Of course I read 11,000 pages!  I completely forgot that I had set this goal, and yet I still surpassed it.  The year ended with 13,651 pages read for me (13,746 for Clark, 44,677 for Julia) (Take a minute.  Look back at Julia's number.  Be amazed.  ... ... ... Ok, that should be sufficient.  Back to me.)  43 total, complete books read in 2014, in addition to 1 I finished at the beginning of the year, and 4 I have yet to finish, including the Book of Mormon.  That is a lot of pages, and a lot of books.  These numbers bring me great joy, as does looking back at the book titles I read this year.  I love reading.

Did we finish the Book of Mormon as a family?  Why yes, we did!  On December 31 we read the last chapter.  I really thought we'd finish it much earlier in the year, but hey.  We did it.  And I'm so proud of our girls for sitting through all that reading.

Did I read Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage?  That's a negative.  Got to roll over this one.

Did I finish the last 4 in my 30 by 30 challenge?  Nope.  30 by 34...

Did we go to the temple every month?  Why no.  We did not.  But did we go to the temple more often than the previous year?  Why yes, we did.  Improvement, however small, is still improvement. 

Did I learn Portuguese?  Cute story. . . ("Cherith Cutestory?")  I made this goal, and was doing my best to follow through for about a month.  Then I was called to be in the YW Presidency, and that sort of sucked up all my spare time.  So I gave up.  But then, a couple months ago, Clark discovered this great little app called Duolingo.  I downloaded that, and have been fairly faithful about completing a lesson or two every night.  It's like a game, a language game/test challenge.  And I love a good game/test challenge.  So while I haven't spent the whole year on this one, I have been doing something, and I know just enough Portuguese to have secret conversations in front of the kids.  It's a work in progress, but I definitely know more than I did, and I can even speak in full sentences.  I'm calling this one a success. 

Did I blog more?  I would think that is obvious.  Big fat no.  In fact, I think I blogged less.  Rollover...

So what do I want to accomplish this year?  Well. . .

• Read Jesus the Christ.
• Finish my 30 by 30 challenge.
• Go to the temple more.
• Keep learning Portuguese.
• Blog more.

That's a pretty good carryover from last year, don't you think?  But we have to add something new, so...

• Read 50 books.
• Be more present with my kids.  Stop thinking about what we are going to do, and start enjoying what we are doing.
• Give more.  Be quick to observe needs in others, and meet those needs if I'm able.

I think that's enough.  Here's to 2015!