Happy New Year!

I'm not much for New Year's resolutions, but I do like the idea of a fresh start.  I usually make a short list of goals for the new year and I carry them around with me in my wallet so I don't end up forgetting them by spring.  I see my little goal card every time I go for a stamp or some cash.  It helps to keep me on track.

Last year, the goals focused on three things:  getting healthier, cleaning up my financial plan, and making more time to spend with my family, especially Walker.  Overall, I'd say I made some progress but not a lot.  I lost some weight but I didn't do as much exercising as I should have.  I put aside my fear and went for my very first mammogram, and while I didn't get the all clear I was expecting, I know I would have come out much worse had I not found out I had breast cancer when I did. So in the grand scheme of things, I'd give myself a B- in the getting healthier category.  The finances.....well.  I did really well the first half of the year, working hard, building savings, paying off bills.  The whole cancer thing wiped out the progress I'd made with the savings, but then, all my 2010 medical bills are paid in full.  We had a large, unexpected expense when the shower tiles started falling off the wall, but I had the cash to pay for that, too.  We're just waiting for the installer to finish the work (he's coming next week).  I bought some stocks last year, when the market was in the toilet, and most of them have rebounded well. I opened a health savings account, and I added a chunk of money to Diva's college fund.  On the other hand, I have not contributed a single cent to my IRA for the year, and I still have a balance on my credit card.  I also bought a kit from Suze Orman that walks you through each step in making a will, setting up a living revocable trust, and a couple other vital financial documents.  I was feeling all grown up and responsible when I ordered it.  The kit arrived by UPS the week I was diagnosed with cancer.  I've not even opened the box.  Overall, I think I'd get about a B in the financial category.

Now the family category.....I guess that's the hardest one for me to judge. We have regular get-togethers with my family and Walker's.  I spend a lot of one on one time with Diva.  I worked a logistical miracle with my sister to get her kids here for a couple weeks last summer. Walker and I.....that's another story.  We don't have dates, we don't have nights out.  I can't remember the last movie we went to.  Part of it is our work schedules, but I think we could do better.  We're happy, but we don't get to just enjoy each others company as often as we'd like.  I can't give myself more than a C in the relationships category.

All that said, I think I'll just rewrite my goals from 2010 with a 2011 heading.  I'm going to change the way I approach them, though, and work toward better results. Stop back in about 364 days and see how I did. Happy 2011!