eight is my lucky number

Insert obligatory new-year-full-of-life-changes-and-resolutions post... I'm ready for 2008. I'm excited for it. I truly feel like it's going to be a huge year for Steve and I. He's already starting off the new year on the right foot with a new amazing job that he's so excited about and, as far as my job is concerned, I feel like I have the upper hand at work. My success is in my own hands as soon as we are awarded the new contract. Our families (and our dogs) are healthy, our friends are wonderful and our marriage is amazing. We love our condo (if only those pesky neighbors would move out) and are making great memories in it. We're able to travel and ski and do a lot of the things we want to... I feel very fortunate. We've had a great year and I predict this next year will be even better.

Normally, I'm not one for resolutions. They're rarely kept and 99% of the population doesn't take them seriously. Why make promises to better your life that you know you won't keep? That's like giving up chocolate for Lent when I was a kid... at some point, I slipped a piece of chocolate. Make a promise to yourself that you know you can commit to. Still, I don't do resolutions. I do lists. I make lists at least once a day, whether it's a list of items I have to have at Target (hah), a list of guests for a dinner party, a list of calls I should return at work... I enjoy making lists. I like order and organization and I'm a visual person so they make me feel accomplished in some odd way, especially when you begin crossing things off. So here's to 2008 and what I hope to achieve at some point in this new year:

• Practice my french!! (parlez-vous francais? oui oui!)
• Make the trip to L.A., Austin, Chicago, NYC, Kansas City, Denver, etc... we've got all these friends in cool cities and we definitely don't visit them enough
• Become more savvy in the kitchen - yes, I make killer chocolate chip cookies from scratch, but lets get real
• Get LASIK - oh wait. SCRATCH THAT!!! :)
• Visit the American History Museum as soon as it reopens
• Invest in digital SLR, start long-awaited photography business
• Eat healthier! We did so well earlier this fall... lets keep going
• Visit with my grandparents more often - they live so close!
• Finally teach Lucas not to jump on our guests
• Be constantly aware and thankful of how blessed we are

The list is always a work in progress, but it's a good starting point. Other than that, we had a great New Year's Eve. To be honest, I feel like such a grinch because New Year's doesn't really excite me anymore. We did New Year's big in college and even spent one in Times Square, but now that I'm older I feel less enthusiastic about it. Last night was really fun, though. I always love being with my friends but last night we got to see yet another old friend (J-O-E, we miss you!) and stayed out waaaaaay later than I imagined we would. It was nice.