Happy New Year!

Wow, 2014 is here!  2013 seemed to go by so fast!  And, looking at this blog, you wouldn't even know that 2013 happened, as I haven't posted since May 2012.  I have a plan to change that, though.  Hopefully, I'll be able to stick to it. Posting to this blog is just one of the things that I would like to accomplish this year.

I wouldn't call them "New Year's Resolutions," because everyone knows how well those usually go, but I do have some goals for the new year.  Now, I have never had much luck with setting and achieving goals for the coming year, but I see that as no reason not to continue trying.  Last year, I followed some advice and set goals that seemed really out of reach, the idea being that even if you don't make it, you will still do better just by trying to achieve such a lofty goal.  I like the idea, but it didn't work out so well for me.  Let me give you a couple examples.  One goal I had was to read 1 book a month for a total of 12 books.  I don't know how many books I read (there were a couple I got part way through and never finished), but even counting unfinished books, I maybe read six.  Another goal was to run another 5k, and throw in a 10k and a half-marathon, as well.  Hahahahaha!  I didn't even complete the 5k, which I had done the year before.

Of course, some people will say that the reason that I didn't achieve these goals is because I didn't share them with anyone.  I wrote them down, but I didn't let anyone else know about them, so I wasn't being held accountable.  I'm not sure how much that works, either, but I've got this blog, so I might as well share things with anyone who happens to decide to read it.  Now, there are still some goals that seem personal, so I'll go ahead and keep those to myself.  Also, I'm not clear on what my goals should be in a couple aspects of my life just yet, and I've never been one to think that the only time you can set goals is at the start of the new year, so I'll probably add some along the way.

Let's get started.  Here are some of my goals for the year:
1. Write on this blog daily.  Again, this seems crazy, but if I actually strive for it, even if I don't write 365 days this year, I should do much better than I otherwise would have.  Heck, with this post I'm already doing better than last year.
2. Read one book a month.  I'm going to try this one again.  I'm accepting fiction or non-fiction.  I'm also accepting the fact that sometimes I get as much as I can handle out of a non-fiction book and then stop, I think that still counts.
3. Lose 50 pounds.  This has been a goal of my for some time now, and was really the reasoning behind those running goals I had last year.  It was also why I posted pictures of myself on this blog in previous years to try to motivate myself to lose weight.  I need to lose the weight, I know I'll feel better and won't get tired playing with the kids as easily.  So, this needs to be the year.  It is only 4.2 pounds a month.  That's like barely over a pound a week.  Surely, I can do that.

Okay, that is enough for now.  I need to get this post published soon, or it won't be New Year's Day anymore.  Plus, I need to get to bed, we have a sick baby so sleep was tough last night and may be again tonight.

See you tomorrow.