New Year's Resolutions...

This is always a good idea, right? There are many things that I want to tackle in 2009. The following four items I've deemed the most important.

1. Personal: Complete our home renovation / addition. - This must be completed for our family. Meg and the boys need me be to with them, not working on the house every weekend. The projects have to stop this year. Additionally, Mom and Dad are depending on this addition for their retirement. The addition must be in place for their retirement plans to come to fruition. Additionally, this event will allow all debt to be eliminated, it will set us up with our home base through the kids high school years, it will significantly increase the value of our home, and it will improve our community by upgrading the curb appeal.

2. Financial: Eliminate debt and implement new management system. - This must be completed for our family. We have struggled with an annual cycle of getting into debt and getting out of debt for 5 years now. We must figure out how to live within our means at all times. This is a huge challenge given the larger mortgage we are bound to have as a result of the addition, however, a better management system should allow us to see mounting issues before they become overwhelming.

3. Adventure: Camp, Hike, Ski, Bike, Run, Tri. - Completing these items will keep us in shape, keep us happy, expose the kids to nature, provide opportunity to teach G&O outdoor skills, build our family as a unit, and reward us with the feeling of accomplishment that comes with overcoming physical challenges.

4. Contribution: Teach children stewardship. - As we transition into a new era of American politics and business, it makes sense to focus on teaching G&O the value of thinking beyond yourself. Undoubtedly, teaching them these lessons will create an opportunity for us to increase our own focus on stewardship, which, in turn, accomplishes several other lesser goals I have for 2009.

Some of these other less important items for 2009 are: Stay in shape, read books, journal, moderate consumption, and grow people. In order to accomplish these things, I must be: persistent, wise, thoughtful, fearless, positive, athletic, patient, empathetic, passionate, enthusiastic, pensive, mature, fun, loving, aware, relentless, introspective and holistic. Whoa. Tall order. Bring on the new year!