resolutions for 2012 (with a shiny new grading system!)

1. Consistently work through Bible Study materials.  Kind of arbitrary, but it won't be easy to score otherwise.  

2. start a monthly newsletter to prayer supporters.  I know people are praying for me, but I owe it to them to be accountable, and it will keep them more in the loop, and they will be more accountable to pray for specifics.  (Hey... this looks awfully familiar!)  8.3% per month of writing monthly news

3. no facebook chat.  It sucks away entire evenings. I just need to learn to email or call.  Every time I get on, -5%

4. Don't get eaten by wildlife. This is a pass/fail sort of thing. this also might be to pad my year end grade.

5. Get my IA.  For those of you who don't speak aviation maintenance, that is my Inspections Authorization.  It allows me to sign off annual inspections, major repairs and alterations, and some other stuff I am sure. (why yes, I do need to study...)  I am eligible to test for it in October.  100% if I get it, 75% if I am ready for the test and haven't taken it, 50% if I take the test and fail, 25% if I have at least started to study, and 0% if I don't touch it.

6. Work on priorities.  How's that for vauge?  I know the details about this, but I'm not putting it out there for the blogger world to see. 

7. lose 25 lbs.  4% per pound, easy enough. I guess anything over that can be extra credit. 

8. Blog at least once a week.  1.5% per post.  Yes, I realize that works out to more than once a week.  


9. Summit Tanalian. Should be no problem.  Pass/Fail


10. Do at least a mile 5 days a week.  Even if it is just skiing to work.  Basically this works out to having to come up with something new if I get a ride to work.  the math is a little more than my brain can handle right now... (I can't figure out the math right now. But it will be figure out-able come year end)


11. be better about working full weeks.  40+ hrs = 2 pts, -.1 points for .1 hours, and so on.  Every 5 hours over 40 is an extra point.  Vacation weeks don't count, nor do holidays (1/2 day on 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas)

wrapping up 2011

Its a good thing I didn't resolve to share all my resolutions at the beginning of the year, cause I managed to post once about them?  Oh well, you are getting them all now, with a few comments on how I feel I did.  I will wrap it up with an arbitrary grade, since I didn't incorporate a real grading system. 

1-spend more time with God: more worship, more Bible study, etc.

While I have been doing more in the way of God time, its still not consistent.  I do more worship though, as I have started playing cello with the worship team at church regularly.  I'll give myself a C, since I am no where near where I wanted to be when I made this resolution. 

2-get up earlier.  Not just to laze around in the mornings, but to do some devotions, possibly a little exercise, and just be more alert for the rest of the day.
This one got better for a while, then really bad, but is now back to being better.  I give myself a B, since I have been pro-active about changing my habits when they slip. 

3-get 500 hours flight time so I can be on the part 135 for work



I am going to throw this one out, since my goals changed a little bit as far as career progression goes.  I still want to fly, but I have another certificate in maintenance to pick up before I want to do that. 

4-lose weight (how cliche is that??  But really, I could stand to lose something)
 I have lost 25 pounds since last year.  I give myself an A for this one!  I eat a little healthier, I drink a lot more water, but I think the biggest contributing factor is commuting to work now that I live on the other end of town.  I either walk or ski, depending on the weather.  Since its a half mile each way, it adds up pretty fast. 

5-be less self righteous.  This will basically be displayed by reaching out more to others instead of waiting for them to reach out to me.  

I have done better with this.  Last spring was not great (living alone will do that to me) but I am actively working on this one.  I give it a C.  Still needs improvement, but its much better than last year.

6-no more feeling sorry for myself.  Its SO easy to fall into that trap, and its pretty miserable.  Instead of holding low opinions of myself and others, I just need to think about something else, or spend time with said people so I won't be quite so bitter toward them.  I feel that this could also lead to deeper relationships, and the ability to lead the youth in a slightly more adult/wise manner
 I think I have finally broken out of this.  But it took me most of the year to do so.  Therefore, it gets a C.

7-spend time with the youth.  Learning how to work with these kids is just the start of my learning how to minister effectively.  I know that they enjoy me (likely because I am the new girl) so I want to take advantage of that: earn their trust, their love, and their confidence.
A friend and I started a regular Bible study with the girls, and I continue to head that up.  I also attend youth group with them somewhat regularly, and will take care of a few of the girls if their parents are out of town. Another shiny gold star for me! 

8-not be a couch potato-this means not coming home from work and sitting on the couch the rest of the evening.  I need to do at least one bit of housecleaning (not including dishes) every day.
 Well, I think I am better about this.  It's hard to judge, since I live with a family now instead of on my own.  Arbitrary B.

9-keep a cleaner/less cluttered house.  Not immaculately clean, but better than I have been doing.  Starting with the pile of clothes in the bedroom... I need to figure out a system for that.

Again, hard to judge now that I live somewhere different.  If anything, I do a better job of keeping my stuff out of the living room, but the laundry thing is still an ongoing battle.  Maybe I need less clothes.  however, I improved a lot in my housekeeping skills, so I will give it a B.

10-be more financially accountable.  Figure out a budget, get loans all situated, and get my feet under me financially.
I feel that I should get a shiny gold star for this one as well.  Not because I am rolling in the dough, but I have an attainable goal for loan payoff, I live in a location where I don't spend much money at all, and I don't do much online shopping.  I even have a growing savings account!  A+!

11-start a monthly newsletter to prayer supporters.  I know people are praying for me, but I owe it to them to be accountable, and it will keep them more in the loop, and they will be more accountable to pray for specifics.
Thinking about it doesn't really count, does it?  considering the two days left this year, I don't think this will happen.  I guess I know one of my resolutions for next year!

Minus the one that gets thrown out and the one failure, that gives me a 3.0 average.  I'll take it!  Here's to 2012 being even better!

the end of a break?

Has it really been almost a month since I have written?

As an on and off blogger, I feel that it fulfills my duties to be here and absent at will. As someone who knows how awful it is to watch their favorite blogger disappear into the busyness of real life, I can relate. Who am I kidding? The only people who fit into the latter have my phone number and can get an update on my life if they decide to call. Regardless, I have decided to try to be a little better about blogging.

Why? Several reasons...
1. so you can shamelessly keep up with me without having to actually talk to me. You know you love it.
2. Writing is enjoyable. From random strings of thoughts to well thought out topics, writing is the best outlet I have found to unwind, sort out thoughts, and otherwise express myself.
3. To re-read in the future. I really enjoy going back and reading blog posts. Whether I go back to read a correlating date (two years ago today), a specific trip (time in Africa) or a random topic, I find it amusing to see what I wrote. Some of it I wonder why it ended up being posted. Other stuff I realize was a pretty neat thought. Much of it stirs memories of adventures. All of it good to remind me of who I am.
4. To activate my imagination. Sometimes, it takes a healthy dose of imagination to make a day to day life interesting. But the most mundane day can turn into an incredibly daring tale of adventure and romance with a little imagination.

Sometimes words will fail me. Sometimes there will be plenty to say, but no time or energy for typing them. But I don't want to have to say that I didn't try.

New Year's Resolutions...

Well, this year, my list had 11 points on it. Of that list, I plan on sharing 7 of them. Some are more related than others, so that is why you will see random numbers of the list, and not see other numbers at all. Also are the super secret 12-14. I should probably kill you for simply knowing of those points. However, I don't forsee any of those actually happening by the dawn of 2012, so you don't have much to worry about.

Well, here goes!

1. Spend more time with God. This is always (well, on the years that I actually bother with resolutions) the first on my list. I realize that it isn't defined by any parameters indicating how I should accomplish this goal, which makes it difficult to grade how well I did on this at the end of the year. However, having it listed every year allows me to reflect on the time I do spend with God, and how I need to address my relationship with Him.

Some things I plan on doing to accomplish this year's goal are as follows. I plan on doing more Bible study than just basic reading and devotional thoughts. Instead of clinging to a single verse or phrase, I hope to supplement Biblical reading with other in depth study material: commentaries, studies, etc. I also would like to increase my time in worship. Last spring, a friend and I began pursuing (in Anchorage) a prayer and worship night that I will be working to establish here. Its going to look a little different than the original model we had in mind, but I feel that it will work well in the community. More on that as it develops! The most dramatic increase I hope to see in this department is prayer. I, and many of my brothers and sisters, do not spend enough time in prayer.


7. Spend more time with the youth. I live in a unique community, as I am sure you understand. There is a good sized group (about 6 girls) of middle schoolers that have decided that I am the best thing since online shopping (ok so online shopping is a pretty recent fad. But let me tell you, its THE thing to do out here!). I know that part of their attention comes from me being new in town. They already know everyone else, but this new person must be SO cool, since she wants to hang out with us! Ok, its maybe not that extreme, but I think that's the basic idea. And I remember being that age. I LOVED the attention of the older girls. I remember putting them on par with all my favorite super heros. Its really neat to be able to be that older girl. But don't worry, I won't be wearing any spandex to prove my super powers.

I realize that this is a very important responsibility. These girls are SO easily influenced, and this is the most important time as they begin exploring life for themselves instead of just what mom and dad say. As they have the opportunity to make their faith there own, they need role models in their life to show them how to live, to give them sound advice, and to keep them accountable as Christian women. One wrong word, one piece of misled advice, and I could be sending these girls into a world of hurt. Goodness, how to I avoid that? Step 1: trust the Lord to speak through me. Step 2: refer to point 1 above. The only way to encourage these girls
to grow in the Lord is to immerse myself in God's word. I want these girls to grow in HIS wisdom and teaching, not mine. I want to encourage them with God's love that they see in me, nothing that I do. And I want them to be the cool Godly super hero to their own group of preteens when they are my age.