It's Been Three Months...

We've officially been Coloradans for over three months now and are truly enjoying being residents of this state! We were a little leery at first when April and May brought snow to Fort Collins twice! In May? What? Did we move to Minnesota? Or, North Dakota? Our new neighbors and store sales clerks assured us, "This is a very unusual year. We've had much more snow and cold than normal!" By the end of May, we were hoping this was an anomaly!

The clouds parted and temperatures finally started to rise in early June; we actually started to believe that Colorado may really get about 300 days of sunshine each year! (Well, maybe not full days of sunshine, but a good portion of each day!) The tulips that had greeted us in April were finally dropping their petals and new plant growth began to emerge in their place.

Signs of true spring were everywhere. The bike lanes throughout the city and surrounding areas featured many more riders than when we first arrived. The gray pigeons (they actually look like large gray doves, but by any other name can be called "pigeons") set up camp in our gutter just outside our front door. After further inspection, we could see that the previous tenant tried to squelch this effort by placing a wire mess over the gutter area. These crafty little birds figured out how to bend the wire back and have now set up a nice home there...hmmm, need to be smarter than a pigeon!

Wasps began to hover at several peaks of the house but Mark foiled their plan by spraying them before they had a change to build their nests.

Our grass started growing, the sprinkler system was checked for proper operation (with the unusual amount of snow Fort Collins received this past winter, we wanted to ensure all sprinkler heads were working), and, we had to make some improvements to the Koi pond so that we wouldn't wake one morning to find floating fish!

As Mark organized and unloaded boxes over the next two months, I continued to work part time at my previous job by telecommuting. In between working and unpacking boxes, we tackled the decorative elements of a house and it now feels like "home"!

In early June, we flew to Philadelphia to help my Mom host a wedding shower for Sara and Zach! We surprised Sara by flying out her sister, Holly and our grandson, Ezra for the event!

Following our week visit with Mom and Gene, we drove our third car to Vermont and attended my 35th college reunion just outside of Burlington, Vermont. We stayed in a lovely B&B in downtown Burlington. It was the first time I'd been back since I graduated!

We added another day to visit a friend of ours in Syracuse and also spent a night in Niagra Falls, NY. I have always wanted to see Niagra Falls and they were certainly spectacular!

We rounded out the trip by making a quick stop in Champlin, MN to spend two nights with Mark's Mom and sister then did a long 15 hour drive to home! Our cat must have thought we were gone for good! The vet said he did just fine.

We hosted our first BBQ on the 4th of July and had the pleasure of having Zach's Mom, Dad, Grandma, and brother join us!

We were very happy to enjoy two visits already from family! Mark's Mom and sister, Sue visited us for a few days in May and my Mom enjoyed a week with us just last week!

In between all this activity, we've all been busy with Sara and Zach's wedding plans! Things are falling nicely into place now! It's going to be a beautiful wedding in the mountains!

Mark and I are walking a lot more, biking when we can, and "exploring" the surrounding area every chance we get! We've even taken up disc golf (our son-in-law's passion) and have found several courses in the local area. (Now we just need to get Erich to visit and try them out, too!)

We are about to embark on a two-day "tent" camping trip in the Rocky Mountain National Park--that may prove interesting since we haven't done any camping in tents since we were in our 20s!

Finally, we are anxiously awaiting Holly and the grandkids' visit in about three weeks!

So, life in Colorado is good! While I do miss my family on the East coast, I have no regrets with our decision to move. We are closer to Holly and her family and especially closer to Sara! And, this area is absolutely amazing...friendly neighbors, very helpful, pleasant store clerks who really know the meaning of "customer service", and a LOT less traffic! It's actually a pleasure to drive out here! And, above all, the beauty of the mountains are breathtaking! Every day I walk outside my door or drive down the street and I realize that we are definitely living in a postcard!

It's Beginning to Feel Like Home

We've lived in our Fort Collins, Colorado home a little over a month now and it is an enjoyable place to live...peaceful and beautiful! We've made great progress getting the house organized and can say we are truly ready for visitors now! (Anna Mae and Sue actually christened two of our guest rooms last week. It was nice having them here for a few days!)

We really enjoy being able to see Sara and Zach more now, although we've seen more of Sara than Zach due to work schedules and all. Wish we could see more of Holly, Erich, Zoe, and Ezra, too, but I know California is their home. We do enjoy visiting the Ventura County area, too, though! It's quite different than here, but there are lots of things to do there, too! And, it's biggest plus is our grandchildren are there and the ocean! :) We're hoping once I stop working to do two trips a year to California to visit them and Tommy and Mona in Merced!

We haven't had a chance to do much with our new neighbors yet. We were invited to cocktails and appetizers for next week but unfortunately will have to miss it because we'll be out of town then. :(

We've been busy exploring the area and have started bicycling a lot more now and are trying out different disc golf courses. I've also been working out 5 days a week on the elliptical every morning, too! Not really losing any weight yet, but am feeling better.

Still working with Sara on wedding plans. She's doing a great job getting things together! Her bridal gown came in last week as did my dress so we tried them on yesterday at the Bridal salon. She looks fabulous in it! It shouldn't take much fitting which she'll schedule in about a month. I need to make my appointment for my fitting when I return from this trip back East.

All-in-all, I'm happy with our move decision and so is Mark. I do miss my East Coast family and am looking forward to seeing them soon! I know we'll get out there once a year, I just wish they could come visit us sometime.

Our Fort Collins Home

I can't believe we are now living in our home in Fort Collins, Colorado! It seems so surreal as we have thought about this for quite a long time. We did a lot of soul searching, planning, and had quite a bit of angst during the decision-making process! But, we couldn't be happier with our decision!

The movers unloaded this past Tuesday and we've made great progress unpacking the boxes. We had 286 boxes to unpack and I think we've done about half of them in just 5 days!

We've met 3 of our neighbors so far and everyone of them seem so nice! So far we've met Barbara and Dick, Jack and his daughter, Joey, and Dan. (Dan's wife, Barbara wasn't feeling well.) The quicker we get the house put together the sooner we'll be able to be more sociable. We are looking forward to meeting everyone on our court!

Empty House

The movers finished loading the van today. Empty house now and very surreal! When the movers left, I sat down on our stairs and my eyes swelled up just thinking of all the wonderful memories in this house. Mark came over and sat down next to me and the same thing happened to him. It's not the fact that we're leaving the house, it's the memories that the house holds that's hard to leave.

But, it is time. The girls and their families are not coming back to the area to live and it just doesn't make sense to live so far away anymore. At least we have the ability to make the distance between us a lot less.

So, we'll do the final cleaning tomorrow and leave a welcome note for the new owners. We hope they have as much pleasure, happiness, and pride in this house as we have had for the past 20 years!

The Movers are Here!

The movers descended upon us this morning with tons of boxes, paper and bubble wrap...8 of them in all! I feel like I'm sitting in a ant colony right now with so much activity going on all around me.

It's 10:30 a.m., and Mark and I occasionally walk through the rooms to see how things are coming along. They are working upstairs and on the main level right now. They should be done with packing tomorrow. They do seem quite efficient.

Last Day

I can't believe tomorrow is my last FULL day of work! I admit, I will miss seeing my coworkers every day. It really has been a pleasure working with them! I'm glad I'll still get to work with them part time from afar. Thank goodness for IM!

Quickly Winding Down

Just 13 more days until the movers come to pack us up! Whew...the long wait is almost here! It's funny how long we've been thinking (and planning) for this day.

When I started this blog about 2 years ago, we had no idea where we were going to live or when we would change our work status. The one thing we always knew was that it didn't make sense for us to be on the East Coast if our girls were never coming back here to live. And that fact, coupled with the horrible traffic congestion and lack of living "open space" in this entire Washington DC metro area were the catalysts for our move.

When we first moved to Centreville, VA 20 years ago, this was a lovely forested area with what we were told would be a carefully planned, primarily single family community with amenities for senior citizens, too. Boy, were we duped! It turned into a townhouse community which is conducive to more frequent housing turnovers than if there were single family homes.

Twenty years ago there were about 30,000 residents of Centreville. Today, there are about 80,000 residents, most of the growth due to an influx of multicultural people. We've watched our neighborhood Christmas lights dwindle over the years to only a handful of families who now put up lights during the Christmas season now. Kind of sad.

It's no longer enjoyable to run out to the store or run to the mall on the weekends because the traffic is just like rush hour...sometimes worse! And, that's right here in Centreville and the surrounding towns. And, don't even think about getting on Interstate 95 sound or the 495 Beltway on the weekend! Ugh!

So, yes. We are quite ready to move...snow country and all!

All Systems Are Go!!!

We got word late last night that the final contingency (financial) on our house here in Centreville has been removed! The buyers worked out their loan/financial arrangements! So, we'll be signing the papers early on the 15th of April and heading out of town!

Just found out our neighbors, Connie and Ralph Gay, are putting their house on the market on April 15th! We've known them since Sara and their daughter, Michelle, were in the 6th grade together at London Town Elementary! So, it's been quite a long time. Not many long time owners left in the neighborhood...only two that I know of!

Just About Done

Well, the long awaited appraisal on our Centreville house is done and there is no problem! We haven't seen what it appraised for yet but it either equals or exceeds the price of the house! Yay! So, the buyers are finalizing their loan and we should have some paperwork by next Tuesday lifting the financing contingency. That's the last piece!

We may move up the closing to April 14th if the bank and buyer agree. Otherwise, we'll close on April 15th! Hard to believe we'll be out of here in less than a month! We still have a lot of work to do in this house and the new house. Just moving out and getting set up again is going to be quite a challenge!

Patience

Ah, yes, patience. Easy to say, hard to do! Especially when you're ready to do something but the technical details aren't quite finished yet. Just 18 more full time workdays left for me. Mark has just 10 left, I think.

Our time left in this house is rapidly coming to a close. Mark put it in perspective earlier today when he said, "In 6 more weeks, we'll be settling in to the new house"!

This has been a great house with lots of memories. In our new phase of life, we hope to create many more memories in our new home, too.

Appraisal Done Today

The appraisal was done today on our house here in Centreville. According to our realtor, we may not know the results for a week! That only gives the buyers one week to finalize all the financial arrangements!

We have the electrician coming in next Thursday to close out a couple small inspection items. Mark also has to make a toilet repair in the basement. After that, the last thing that will happen is a termite inspection which is requested by the buyers. (That shouldn't be an issue because we have had an inspection and treatment accomplished every year since we live nearby a wooded area!)

I guess we'll know where we stand on everything in a week...I just need to have patience! :)

Well?

It is so nerve wracking to have a couple of outstanding, unresolved items pertaining to the sale of both houses...and not knowing the outcome! The number one unknown is what our house is going to appraise for. If it doesn't appraise for the amount of the sale price, the buyers could walk away from the deal and take their earnest money with them. We certainly would hope they wouldn't do that and we would do what we could to ensure that didn't happen. We're not sure why the appraisal hasn't been scheduled yet. The buyers have to have their financial contract in place 25 days from the time we accepted their offer. That drop dead date is March 24th!

The second item we haven't gotten an answer on is the few items that were on the inspection report on the Colorado house that we've asked the sellers to resolve prior to us moving in. We're nervous that we didn't hear back right away because they've been real prompt on everything else. Again, this is something we could certainly negotiate with them but not knowing what their answer is makes us very nervous.

We are REALLY hoping nothing falls through particularly since we've worked out employment options, moving arrangements, etc. Stress! Stress! Stress!

Hard Work

I must have had selective memory about how hard it is to get ready for a move! I can imagine it will be almost as hard on the other end, receiving our household goods and then setting everything up again. I don't ever want to store as many things in an attic again as we had here. We accumulated so many "mementos" over the past 20 years and boy, are they heavy!

As difficult as it is, we are actually, dare I say, enjoying it? It is very exciting to think about discovering a new place, new people, and finding interesting things to do! That's one of the things I really liked about being in the military. Every few years, we got to move and experience a completely new community. We made new friends that have stayed with us over the years, cultivated new interests and hobbies, and helped enriched our daughter's lives by broadening their experiences. I'm so glad we are moving in a new direction once again.

Fort Collins, Here We Come!

We did it! We put an offer on a house in Fort Collins, Colorado last Friday and that night while we were out eating dinner with Sara, Zach and his parents, we found out it was accepted! It's bigger than our current house but Mark and I figured we have about 15 to 20 more years before we really need to downsize.

So, today Mark and I finally had the opportunity to tell our bosses. I asked John if I could telecommute from Colorado and work part time (10 to 20 hours per week). He said he would support that and then he talked to his boss, Chico who also supported it! So provided John Heller (Chico's boss) doesn't have a problem with it, I'll be able to continue working on my new project! Mark told George, too and George would like Mark to be a consultant for him! Again, this would be part time work because neither of us want to work full time.

We are so excited about this new adventure and opportunity! We'll close on the Centreville house on April 15th if all goes well and April 19th on the Fort Collins house. Our next big step here is getting a good Appraisal on this house. I REALLY hope it appraises for what we sold it for!

Accepted an Offer!

We accepted an offer on our house in Centreville, so it's "officially" under contract as soon as they get the faxed copy of the contract with our signatures. They will have it by 11 a.m. EST tomorrow! Wow! It took less than a week to sell! We actually had 3 offers and 1 who wanted to offer but it was just out of their price range.

Mark and I spent that last two full days with our Fort Collins realtor, Pam Collier, looking at houses in Fort Collins, Loveland, and Windsor. We will be making an offer tomorrow morning on a house in Fort Collins. It's actually bigger than the one in Centreville but is so much nicer and more in line with our tastes than all the others we saw these past couple of days. (I guess we're not ready to downsize yet.)

It's been an exhausting week trying to get everything done but it seems things are finally falling into place! We're keeping our fingers crossed that the sellers will accept our offer!

Visiting Sara and Zach Now!!!

Our house officially went on the market this past Friday. I think there were about 4 or 5 people who looked at it yesterday and three more should be looking at it today. There is an Open House from 1-4 p.m. today, too, so hopefully, there will be some walk-ins, too! We thought it would be good to start the selling of the house while we're visiting Sara and Zach.

So, here we are in Colorado and it's so awesome to see them again! They have a nice little apartment and their kitty, Zin, is really cute...such a sweet cat! We really enjoy spending time with them!

There was a little light snow yesterday and it's snowing a bit more today. I'm a little concerned about Sara driving in this because today we're going to look for bridal gowns. I think we'll visit the bridal salon that is closest to where she lives. Ellen, Zach's mom, is going to join us, too! I'm looking forward to seeing her again! This should be a fun time!

House is Officially on the Market this Friday!

One of our realtors, Paula, came over this morning and we finished staging the house. Looks really nice! She'll order the "For Sale" sign today and it'll probably be put up in the yard later this week. Still tons of snow around.

Helaine, our other realtor, will be by tomorrow to take the photos for the brochure and listing marketing materials. The house will be open for showing this coming Friday! The first open house is scheduled for next Saturday, too. I wouldn't expect a whole lot of people at the open house because of the snow and conditions of the roads around here. Still snow covered in many areas. They plan on doing two open houses a month.

We have a moving company coming by on Wednesday to give us an estimate on the move. Mark and I may make one move trip ourselves with all the smaller items...we'll see.

Can't believe this move might actually happen! We've talked about it for so long. Sometimes, you just have to put a date to your plan and "do it"!

Round 4 - Snow Repeat

It's hard to believe that we are going to get yet another big snow storm tomorrow into Wednesday! We've NEVER had this much snow before, anywhere we've lived, particularly here in northern Virginia! The latest estimates are anywhere from 10 inches to 20 inches! Wow!

I worked from home today because our neighborhood still wasn't plowed. Mark ventured out in his truck early this afternoon and went to the Giant grocery store. He said the roads were awful and slick. I'm working from home again tomorrow...I'm not going to deal with the road conditions.

Happy Birthday to my Sweetie Pie!

On this gorgeous sunny, yet cold day, I was blessed to be celebrating Mark's 57th birthday with him! We ate breakfast then went outside to shovel the rest of the snow from the driveway and the sidewalks. We definitely got our exercise in for the day!

After that, we mostly relaxed the rest of the day; read and did whatever we felt like. We ate dinner at home (still can't really get out as our streets haven't been plowed yet) and then I gave Mark the pound cake I made last night. Yummy! The dinner was topped off by him opening a few small gifts.

It was especially nice that Mark got to talk to Holly, Sara, Erich, the grandkids, Walter, Sue, Anna Mae, and Carol earlier today. And, Stephanie and Larry also wished him a "Happy Birthday".

Snowcapolypse - Feb 5th & 6th 2010!

These last two days turned out to be the snow event of the ages for the Washington DC metro area! Here in Centreville, VA, we got almost 2 1/2 feet of snow! This was bigger than the blizzard of 1996! Dulles Airport recorded 32 inches of snow! Wow!

Mark and I shoveled some this morning, but another 6 inches fell after that! We have so much more snow to shovel! It takes a lot out of you because the snow is so heavy--it sticks to each dip of the shovel!

It is so pretty though! The trees look gorgeous, full of snow with branches bending so low as if bowing to Mother Nature. My photos just don't capture the beauty and magnificence of their look. And it's hard to get an accurate view of the amount of snow that has fallen from a two dimensional picture.

It's been almost 36 hours since the storm started and so far not one snow plow has been by our street. I have a feeling the school system will be closed all week! And, I'd be surprised if the Federal government was open on Monday, too. There is just so much to plow! And, even though the sun is supposed to come out the next day or two, we're supposed to have cold temperatures all week so there probably will not be a lot of melting.

Already a Potential Buyer!

Our home officially goes on the market for showings on February 18th, but we showed the house last night to a guy and then he brought his daughters back tonight to look at it, too. (I'm definitely second guessing the price we're asking. Should we have listed it for more?) I know for a fact the price we listed is firm! No haggling on this one. If someone doesn't want to give us the full price, then so be it. We'll stay put until we get the asking price.

Ready to List!

We met with the realtors, Helaine and Pam from Weichert Realtors last Thursday night. They seem like very competent and energetic realtors! We are ready to list with them and will give them the signed papers back tomorrow. I think they already have someone interested and it's not even listed yet!

It would be amazing if this house sold right away and we don't have a house to move to yet! I guess there is always an extra park bench off of Constitution Avenue... :) If we have to rent for a few months, I guess that wouldn't be a bad thing. It would give us even more time to check out the areas. The only thing I don't particularly care to do is to move our things into storage, but we might have to do it. Also, I was hoping to work until 1May at the latest, but if that doesn't work out, that's ok, too.

We're really excited about this move! I have to admit, I was quite stressed out over the weekend because of so many upcoming events. I was worried about time lines to get things done and all. But, Mark and I talked about all the variables and my "hesitancies" are now resolved.

We have so many new things to look forward to! It really is going to be an exciting new adventure, one that we are ready for and waiting with anticipation!

Larry and Stephanie's "Newlywed" Reception

We had a wonderful time in Swarthmore, PA last Saturday celebrating Larry and Stephanie's marriage! It was fantastic seeing the Connecticut relatives again and meeting the rest of Stephanie's family! And, as always, we love being with our close family and friends, too! Thanks to Mom and Gene for hosting the party at their house, too!

During the party, I was so honored to be asked by Mongo and Judy (Stephanie's parents) to photograph Stephanie's sister, Melanie's wedding in January 2012! I am flattered but at the same time nervous because I don't have any formal training. I feel very comfortable photographing outdoor weddings but I need more practice with my indoor lighting. I think I could do it but need some more training and practice before I give my decision to them. I will definitely have an answer 1 year out from the wedding so they have time to get a different photographer if I decide against it. I really would love to do it, but will have to see how much I learn between now and next year this time.

Next Milestone

Next Thursday, January 28th, we'll be meeting with our realtor to discuss the particulars of listing our house. They confirmed my observation that there are very few homes on the market in our area! So, we may be listing it at a good time!

Mark set up a database of all the houses we find interesting and those that our realtor in Fort Collins - Loveland has been sending us. We'll meet with her on February 24th and 25th to do our first house-hunting trip up there. Just 30 more days until our trip!

It's Time

Emailed the realtor today and told them we wanted to meet with them to discuss putting the house on the market. We'd like to know realistically what we can expect to get for this house. That way, we have a baseline established when we look for property in Colorado next month.

When I look back on the past 20 years that we've lived in this house, I just can't get over how quickly the time went! It actually scares me to think how quickly the next 20 years will go by! I'll be 76 years old then! It's still not old, old but I may start slowing down at that age. There is so much I want to now that I can't do working full time here. The longer I wait, the less time I'll have to it!

I'm reminded of two favorite aging quotes: John Barrymore said, "A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams". I need to start living these dreams now! Another favorite is, " None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm" by Henry David Thoreau. If that isn't the truth!

So, Mark and I are looking forward to new adventures that await us this year! Our plans are coming together now...yay!

A Mass for Dad

I had a nice telephone call from my Aunt Dolly yesterday! She told me that she just hasn't felt right ever since Dad died. She has been tremendously bothered by the fact that my Dad's wife, Jean, didn't have a memorial service or funeral for him after his death.

So, she talked to her priest and arranged to have a mass said for Dad. It'll be at 0800 on January, 20, 2010! She said she feels so much better just having scheduled it! She knows it gives Dad's friends and family a chance for some closure on his death.

Dolly's husband, Vic, died last year and both Dad and Dolly were with him when he took his last breath. She felt very strongly that she just had to do something for Dad. I know he would be very happy to see what she's arranged.

It's in Cement...

The Lionscrest Manor in Lyons, Colorado confirmed today that they received the signed contract and deposit so the wedding date for Sara and Zach is now set in stone...October 9, 2010! Woo-hoo!!!

It's Official...October 9, 2010...Sara and Zach's Wedding!!!

Sara printed off a copy of the contract, signed it and put it and a check in the mail today for their wedding on October 9, 2010 at the Lionscrest Manor in Lyons, Colorado! So, now the real planning begins!

One of my co-workers, Andrea, has offered to coordinate the details of the wedding to help Sara and Zach. She has 15 years experience as a caterer and loves setting up events! Sara is doing an all-inclusive wedding and reception so many of the things will be taken care of already, however Andrea will be able to work with Sara on the favors, invitations, colors, whatever she needs. That will definitely take some of the stress off of all of us! Thanks, Andrea!

I'm Not Looking Until...

I have been counting Weight Watcher "points" and have exercised every day since the 1st--have made if 4 days so far...woo-hoo! I decided I shouldn't weigh myself daily, but instead just once a week. I'm hoping I'll be able to stay motivated if I don't weigh as frequently. I'm really hoping though that my once a week weigh-in will at least show a downward trend, even if it's just a half of a pound! I just don't want to see a weight gain!

I did finish the book last night and can't wait to get the other two that Mark ordered yesterday by the same author, Ernie J. Zelinski. I recommended the one I just finished to two of my co-workers who are not having fun at their jobs either. They are looking forward to reading it soon!

Finishing a Book...in Just Two Days!

I'm trying to make good on one of my New Year's resolutions...reading one book a quarter. Amazingly, I started a book yesterday and should have it done by bedtime tonight! It's called, "Career Success Without a Real Job" by Ernie J. Zelinski. He's a Canadian writer who talks about escaping the corporate world and becoming a success by doing what you like to do. So many people are in jobs they hate for many reasons. This motivational book has many examples from people, including himself, who have decided to use their creativity to the fullest and pursue their own unconventional business. This is all I needed to convince me the time is right to pursue the next phase of my life.

Happy Birthday, Sara!

I remember well...28 years ago in Okinawa, Japan...waited to the absolute last minute to go to the hospital! Sara was born within 15 minutes or so of arriving at the hospital! She was the New Year's baby on the island...born at 12:35 a.m. on the 2nd! (There wasn't a baby born on the 1st.)

I'll never forget one of the ladies in my room who had delivered after me said to her husband later that day, "...there's Speedy Gonzales". Sara decided she was making her entrance with or without her Daddy there. Mark was in Admissions checking me in when Sara arrived; wasn't even a doctor on duty--an Okinawan nurse and a Navy nurse helped deliver Sara!

We have fond memories of that day and the years that have followed. And now, our baby is planning her wedding! We are so excited for her and Zach! Looking forward to our visit with them next month!

Happy New Year!

A new decade...how exciting! A brand new opportunity to not just reflect on the improvements I want to make in my life but to make them a reality. I love looking ahead at a brand new year and imagining all the possibilities that can become realities if I really put forth the effort.

I usually start off the year with lots of good intentions...eating properly and exercising regularly are always top on my list and this year is no exception. But I think what has kept me from making it past February 1st with these resolutions is one big thing...attitude.

Oh, I'm always positive at the start of the year but I always seem to find a little pessimist fairy jumps on my shoulder and whispers in my ear just when I think I'm in a nice routine. It seems that all too often, I start believing my little friend. But, not this time.

So, it's time to lay out my goals for 2010 for all to see. A little accountability never hurt anyone. :)

1. Think positive!
2. Do not fear change!
   
3. Write down what I eat daily and track it. (Weight Watchers works for me so, in my best Joisey accent, "do it".)
   
4. Do 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week. (That may not seem like much, but if I do it consistently, I should see results.)
5. Track all my expenses carefully.
6. Put the house on the market.
7. Write, write, write! Write consistently in my journal and blog. Write more creative pieces.
   
8. Read, read, read! This may not sound like much, but I will read one book a quarter. I've started reading many books recently but have only finished one in the past year! Pitiful!
   
9. Take a photography course.
10. Play more guitar.

Well, you can see I certainly shouldn't be bored this year! This will be good for me because I need to stay engaged in all kinds of activities to keep this mind of mine fresh and to stay healthy!