Out With the Old, In With the New Year!

Ahhhh so many things have happened since the new year started!! I am SO excited and hopeful for 2010, it's the first year that we have been truly established here- this time last year we had mostly acquaintances instead of friends, we were starving for a new place to live, and I was miserable with my new boss at the coffee shop.

Okay, so for starters- I have a new job! After putting in SO many applications to restaurants since we moved here, out of the blue a really great opportunity presented itself at the very end of December. Brittany told me they had an opening for a hostess position at Applebees, and two days later I had a brief interview and was offered the job that night! I have since been through training and have my first real shift this week! Since I'm already friends with about half the staff there, it's been a breeze feeling comfortable there so far. I think it's a real possibility that I will be able to work my way up to serving in the next few months- so wish me luck!

I also made the decision to continue on with school this term (even though winter term is cold and miserable) so that I can have my generals done and hopefully be starting school at the Art Institute within the next couple years. I am schooling two days a week- but each day I am on campus for 10 hours- uhhg. But two of my three classes are art classes and I really enjoy them. I haven't made time to paint or really do anything creative in the last couple years so it's really nice to be able to do that again.

I've also really fallen in love with our apartment again. I was ready to leave it in the dust earlier last fall, I was dreading the lack of insulation in our home and the dark winter months again being huddled by our outdated heater every morning and night. Being that it's already January (really?) I'm pretty surprised at how little it's effected me (other than the $150 gas/electric bills we pay every month). Which leads me to a few New Years resolutions that I have put into motion for the the next 12 months...

* More organization in my house!

I have realized how much clutter effects my state of mind. Clutter for me = stress. I have cleared out most of the bad clutter spots in our apartment and have replaced them with baskets, folders, shelves, etc., to be better at sorting out what's in my home. Clearing out what I don't need helps me appreciate what I already have and enables me to make better use of it.

* Working now towards what I want in my future!

This is where going back to school falls into place. As well as the new job, because once I can stop struggling financially, I can start doing things like....

* Dave & I saving for a trip to Thailand!

We both really want to take a big trip together and we both really like the idea of Thailand. Being that it would only cost us around $1,500 for us to vacay for two weeks, we are hoping to plan a trip in about a year. SO excited for this goal!

* Trying out at least 3 new hobbies/activities this year!

This can really be anything, but what I have in mind so far is rock climbing (Jen you make this look like so much fun!), hiking, and surfing.

So that's it! Of course I probably won't be able to fully check off everything on the list, but that's what I'm going to aim for, because looking forward to things is what makes me excited for the future!