Hello 2010!

Happy New Year!
Although 2009 was not a particularly terrible year for me personally, it was a bit of a downer with the state of everything. So it's not so much that I'm happy 2009 is over, I am just more excited that 2010 is here. 2010 is going to be a great year in my book with lot's of new and excited things around the corner. I haven't really sat down to write out New Year's resolutions for a few years now, so I'm going to give it a go this year. But instead of resolution, I'd like to just state a few goals. Here's a start...

1. Take lots more photographs. I want every post to be accompanied by a photograph that I have taken. And I'd like to start getting some of my photos printed and maybe even frame a few.
2. Learn more about photography and my camera. I've been scouting out some photography classes lately and I would love to take one. I have never had any sort of training on photography and I desperatly want to learn more about the manual features on my camera.
3. Keep a cleaner house. And I'm not talking Martha Stewart clean - maybe for next year's goal. But just clean enough so we don't have to run around in a mad dash when we have last minute company. We did get an air purifier for Christmas so that should help with some of the dust, and we have a Rumba (I love that little guy) so that should help with the vacuuming.
5. Finish painting the house. We have lived here for almost 2 years and still have 1/2 of the painting to do. By the end of the year, if not the end of spring, I want to have the rest of the house painted. That means our bedroom, guestroom, office, bathroom and kitchen. It's a lot, but I think we can do it.
6. Use up food in the freezer. As long as we remember to take something out the night before, we are always good at using it. But the whole remembering to take it out part is where we get stuck...
7. Take our dog Cosmo for more longer walks and spend more time at the dog park. There is nothing he loves more that a nice long walk and a little romp through the dog park. I always feel like a proud parent when he plays so well at the park. And the way his rump saunters back and forth on the way home shows that he is truly happy. I can't help but smile.
8. Keep my mind, body and spirit in a healthy state.
9. Be present at each moment I have and celebrate the little things.
10. Journal. Maybe not every day, but at least the important things and the good memories.