2011 Goals

It's that time again. Time to set my goals for the upcoming year. After doing fairly well with last year's goals, I'm feeling pretty confident about this year!

1. Bible Study
I want to be more consistent in my personal Bible study. Typically I only do it if I get up "in time" in the morning - except for days I wash my hair because that takes longer... And except for the summer when I tend to sleep in... Lame excuses. I don't need to let my schedule (or lack of one at times...) dictate the time I spend in God's Word.

2. Weight Loss
Last year I succeeded in losing 10 pounds - and keeping it off. It was a slow process, but at least I didn't yo-yo through it all. It was fairly consistent. This year I'd like to lose 10 more pounds, with an ultimate goal of 20 (though that may take two years instead of one). Last year I managed to grasp the concept of portion control - and actually start doing it. This year I want to continue with that and add in some form of regular exercise, not sporadic like I did last year. I have several options: walking, stabiility ball, Jillian DVD, bicycling, sports with the boys, swimming, etc. I just need to stick with something.

3. Cooking
Last year I learned to make baklava, and I made my first real cheesecake. This year I'd like to learn to make a few new things. I want to take at least one class at Central Market. I'd like to learn to make savory crepes like the ones at La Madeleine. I have two other things that fall within this category:
*trying new recipes from the Cooking Light magazine that Lindsay got me a subscription to, and
*modifying my favorite recipes to make them lower in fat and calories. For this I plan to use the help of Rocco DiSpirito and his Now Eat This! cookbook.

4. Photography
I failed miserably at my photography goals last year. I still want to sell some images through a stock photo site, and I still want to decorate my home with pictures Billy and I have taken. I want to be more timely in downloading pictures from my cameras and getting through the processes to get them filed away in iPhoto. (I currently have 8 months worth to work on right now. That daunting task keeps scaring me away, and the more I put it off, the worse it gets.) This year I have some accountability, though. My friend Debra, a professional photographer, created a Facebook page to challenge her professional and hobbyist photographer friends to hone their skills through either a 365 or 52 project. I've opted for one photo a week and have set up a blog for just that (Project 52). As guidebooks/textbooks, I'll be using my new photography book, 50 Photo Projects by Lee Frost, as well as two others by Tom Ang: Digital Photography Masterclass and How to Photograph Absolutely Everthing. I also plan to get back into the Photo Friday meme - and maybe the weekly topics for it will coincide with my "assignments" from my books...

5. Reading
I read 44 books last year! This year I'd like to read at least 36 (3 a month), and I want to read 12 classics. I didn't read many in high school, and I don't want to miss out on some potentially great literature.

6. Blogging
I was much better about blogging last year. Well, in the number of posts at least. Content was okay, but I relied heavily on memes for that instead of real life. This year I want to blog more about life in general. I will continue to blog about the books I read, but I also want to blog about things I find in my Real Simple and Cooking Light magazines. I might even blog about American Idol and Biggest Loser.

I think that's probably enough for this year. Most of my list centers around things I already do; I just need to do them better.