Resolved

Looking back - 2010 was not a stellar year for me. Don't get me wrong, it could have been worse, and a lot of people had it a way harder time of it than me, but I am definitely glad to see the back end of it.

All in all, it was a year marked by stress.

On Valentine's Day, we lost Dave's uncle, suddenly and without warning. With his passing came not only the expected grief, but the stressors of family politics that always follow.

In April, I made a major career move, switching not only jobs, but career paths - moving from the newspaper business to marketing. With that has come a HUGE amount of stress, leaving me wondering every day if I made the right choice. Only time will tell, and I keep reminding myself to put one foot in front of the other and not look back.

In September, Tux was diagnosed with diabetes. In the end it all worked out and we've got him leveled and as healthy as he can be - but it was a month of stressful vet visits (for both me and the cat!)

As it is for pretty much everyone I know, life has also gotten immensely more expensive - Ontarians had the joy of welcoming the HST into their lives in 2010, adding additional 8% to just about everything - on top of the continual rising costs of food and energy. So, there was definite stress from the financial corner in 2010.

But there were good points too. There were two lovely weddings to attend;

My brother Ron, and his sweetheart Jenn:And my college friend Bree, and her sweetheart Jamie:
Dave and I made it through another year together (eight so far!)
I got a dishwasher! (Loving the dishwasher I must say!)

And I did lots, and lots of knitting - 48 projects in total!

But now, it's 2011 - so it's time to look forward. I have made a few resolutions.

Be Healthy:
This was of course a resolution last year and it's definitely a work in progress. But... at least there was progress. I lost 10 lbs last year - it's not a huge amount, but its better than gaining. So - work will continue on this front, with a goal of losing at least 20 lbs this year.

To do that I am going to continue my work to eat better. I did successfully managed to severely cut my soft-drink intake in 2010 and processed foods have been cut down, but there's still room for improvement.

When it comes to regular exercise, last year was a bit of a write-off. There were a few periods where I was walking on a pretty regular basis, but not enough to really count it as an accomplishment. So - walking will increase, as well as making use of the thousand dollar piece of home gym equipment I have taking up most of the floor space in my bedroom. It is not an extra clothes rack - it is the key to much smaller clothing!

Of course, these changes will also help my one major health problem - my back! If I can strengthen my core muscles, I can take a great deal of strain off my spine and feel a whole lot better in general.

Be clean:
It's no secret - I am a messy, messy girl. I like to blame it on my creative nature - all that creativity has no time for organization. But, really, I'm just lazy.

For 2011 I pledge to keep a cleaner house. Some of the stress of 2011 definitely could have been avoided if I'd been a little more organized and had my crap together.

I do have some knitting goals for 2011, but that's really a post of it's own so I'll save it for tomorrow or soon after.

So, what will 2011 bring for you?