2009; it sure looks fine!

So what are some of the things I'm looking forward to doing in 2009??

1. READ
A stack of books I want to read are piling up beside my bed. Hungarians are known for being avid readers and a few of the books that are bedside were Christmas gifts, which I surely appreciate. I hope to make 2009 a year that I read more books than I have in the past. It's difficult to keep on this task and time consuming but such are the best things in life to some degree or another. Someday I am going to write a blog all about maintenance -- how everything good and worthwhile in life must be maintained. I've started this blog months ago, just need to finish it.

2. SEW
Yes, I have been thinking about this economic crisis and how cool it would be to actually have some skills that you could survive on with less. For example, I'd like to have a garden someday. Seeing that I'm not the best with living plants, this could be a problem but I'm willing to give it a shot. My mom had a small garden growing up and I remember I thought it was really cool. Strawberries and tomatoes mainly, but cool nonetheless, especially since it was grown in Nevada of all places. So back to this whole idea of sewing. If I could be handy with this wouldn't that be cool? You could make clothes from just about anything, maybe even go into fashion design. Seeing that I won't be in Europe forever, maybe I could make my own European style clothing line when I get back to the States.

3. SPRINT TRIS AND HALFS
Yes, I'm officially addicted to training for these events. I love having a training program to guide me through workouts towards a goal. When there is a goal in sight, I do much better. So, I'm planning to complete atleast one, maybe two Sprint Tri's and atleast one 1/2 marathon. I really enjoyed the Sprint Tri in London and I'd like to do a few more this year.

4. GUITAR
Thanks to Justinguitar.com and Renea, I've been slowly learning a few things on the instrument. I'd like to get better. I'm not going public with it, I just want to be able to play worship songs and sing my heart out to God in the quiet of my own room. it's pretty cool to think about being able to play better so I'm planning to put new strings on my guitar back home and get back to playing.

5. DANCE
I'm excited to continue taking dance lessons in 2009 and having fun with it! To get your groove on sure is fun! I'm looking for a fun dance partner too!

6. ART
I'd like to get more involved in an art community and meet new people who are artistic. i think it's a lot of fun to cultivate and develop this side of life and I want to do it more in 2009. I'm not the best painter, but I'd like to learn sketching. It's all good.

7. OUTDOORS
I might try snowshoeing, skiing, hiking, rock climbing. I just want to spend more time outdoors.

8. MY JOB
I am very excited that included in some of the changing fixtures to my job, I will have the opportunity to continue working with youth, focus on missions, and travel to various locations both in the US and abroad. Very very excited about this.

9. MY FAMILY
Last, but not least, I'm looking forward to being closer to my family! We will make some new memories in 2009. Being away from family for the last 2.5 years and limited to the occasional skype call has been tough. I'm sure all my neices and nephews are completely different people because a lot changes in just one year. My parents are getting older, a fact that I lament but realize I have an opportunity to make some memories with them as well.

10. THE OCEAN
I have a love relationship with this massive body of water, specifically the Pacific Ocean. I hope to make trips to see this beautiful creation. I thank God all the time for the ocean and ocean views and anything oceanic - it's a gift.