Ringing it in

{photo via Martha Stewart}

One of my favorite traditions that Justin and I have started for our family is to make a list of "fun" new year's resolutions every New Year's Eve. Instead of the typical "eat healthier" or "get out of debt" resolutions, (while we'll still be working on those) it's a list of things that we've been wanting to do, or learn, or try. It's a list of fun things to look forward to accomplishing together over the next year. It sort of happened on accident two years ago- a last minute list written on scratch paper that I pulled out of the glove box as we were sitting in our car in the foothills above the city, listening to the countdown on the radio and watching fireworks explode all over the valley. To me, it's just a little romantic.

Here's what we came up with last year, goals accomplished are in blue

2008 FUN New Year's Resolutions

• spend a weekend in McCall - March 28-30, 2008


• teach Audrey to dance- she dances all the time now, although I'm not sure that it's good that I'm the one teaching her


• fly somewhere for vacation- Oregon Coast, April 30-May 3, 2008


• grow a flower garden


• learn to make thai food, three dishes


• use our fine china


• move to a bigger house- moved here July 28, 2008


• spend more time outside- farmer's market every Sat morning, park trips on Sunday afternoons, excursions to the hills


• attend Boise events (farmer's market, Hyde Park Festival etc.)


• buy a pair of funky colored high heels


• eat at Chandlers or Asiagos


• take an exploritory vacation- Baker's City, OR

We didn't do everything. (I just couldn't find the right pair of shoes!) But we did get quite a few things crossed off our list and had a lot of fun doing them, which was the whole point. We'll be making our list for 2009 tonight, but not until around midnight at Justin's insistence. I guess that's part of the tradition. He's also being pretty tight-lipped about what he'd like to do next year. I have a few things in mind as well that I'm pretty excited about.

Bring on 2009!