Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room!

Christmas was a wonderful time with family and friends. I really can’t believe it’s over and a new year will soon begin. And as always I wonder what this coming year will hold. 2009 was a bit crazy for Ben and me as I described in my last blog. It makes me think 2010 will hold even more nuttiness. And I, like millions of others, like to make resolutions. Now don’t make too much fun of them!!

New Year’s Resolutions 2010 (in no particular order)

· Walk at least four times a week!! I’m pretty bad about exercise but I’d like to change that.

· Continue to stay out of the sun/tanning beds. It has been a struggle ever since my mother sent out her Christmas card and I noticed that my face was so pale it resembled something out of the Twilight series. If anyone knows of a good self tanner please let me know!!

· Worry less, pray more. It’s always a resolution for me but I feel like this coming year I can look back and see how Amazingly God provided in 2009. His faithfulness to me in the midst of my struggles strengthens my resolve. And I have lately realized I just don’t pray enough. I want to go to God all the time, pray without ceasing. I need to rely on Him constantly because on my own I make a mess out of everything. My words and actions show that my heart is not relying on Christ. But I’m asking God to reveal more of Himself to me and mold me into something that will glorify Him and bless others. I’d love y’all to pray for me too!!!

· Be more kind, more loving, more submissive, and a better listener for my husband. God has provided me with “the one whom my soul longs” for, yet so many times he gets my frustration, shortness, and tiredness. Ben is a great, no wonderful, no fabulous, no incredible, no…you get the picture. I’d like to be the kind of wife that God lauds in the bible. The one who encourages, listens, and obeys her husband. I need A LOT more work. Ben can certainly attest to that. However, I hope that God will help me grow exponentially in 2010.

· Paint a room. I’ve never done that!! And paint a bedside table.

· Plant a tree in the back yard for shade. I’ve got it pick out, it’s digging the monster hole that overwhelms me.

· Clean more often. Ok, I’ll admit, I wait until the floors and shelves have layers of dust and grime on them before I pull out the dustier and mop. Then I crazy clean to make up for not doing it. I’m typically exhausted and moody by the end of the day. I’d like to start doing a little bit of cleaning more often. No promises….I’m just going to try.

· Stick to the budget better. I’m not going to go into details except the one telling y’all I’m horrible with budgets. Yeah for Doc and Jennifer’s class!!! I know Ben is longing for me to take lots of notes and put them to action.

· Laugh, I love to and it’s what I do best. It might be the one thing I’m actually good at!! So I need to laugh as much as possible.

· Make sure I tell people how great they are. I’m not exactly thoughtful but I’d like to be more so in 2010. I’m surrounded by so many amazing people at church, in my family, in my in-lawed family, etc. I want them to know how much they mean to me.

· Finish putting away Christmas decorations.

· Send out a Christmas card. I’ve made this resolution since Ben and I got married…maybe this is the year!

I’m sure more things will come to me in the weeks ahead but this list already seems a bit overwhelming so I’ll stop here. I hope all of you had a very merry Christmas filled with the joy of remembering Christ’s birth, the comfort of time spent with family, the merriment of opening gifts, and the love of our wonderful Savior.