It's That Time of Year Again...

Happy New Year!

For any of you who have been reading my blog since the beginning, you know I am one serious girl when it comes to my new years resolutions.  I took last year off since we were moving to Germany & some days it was all I could do to make it to the end of the day.  Well, I am back.  And raring to go.  With probably a few too many things I would like to tackle...  Wish me luck!

Take vitamins
  I think the last vitamins I took vitamins on a regular basis were the chewable Flintstone ones when I was a kid.  I never managed to take them during either of my pregnancies.  This will be interesting to see if I can remember to take them & of course buy them when I run out!

Be more social

I had a very active social life in Michigan.  Book groups, toddler playgroups, dinner club, regular work out buddies, etc.  We also enjoyed hosting parties (which sadly won't be happening in our apartment).  I already belong to a great book club but I would like to try to get an informal dinner club under way.

Learn to ride my bike in the city

I have never been one of those people that enjoyed riding their bike.  Sure I have a bike & I can ride it.  But riding in the city is a bit trickier.  I am expected to stay in the very small bike lane, look out for pedestrians, ride in the street if no bike lane exists which involves being aware of the trams, etc.  I need to do it but am very intimated!  Oh & Hugh will be on the back with me!

Organize my recipes
I have lots of different notebooks with recipes but I would really like to streamline this into something that is efficient & easy to maintain.  Any ideas?

Travel in Germany
This may seem silly but it is really easy to get focused on all the lovely places around Germany & forget about Germany itself.  We were warned about this when we lived in London.  To be honest if we managed two weekends away I would be thrilled.  On my list are Heidelberg and Munich.  And also visit a Christmas Market outside of Dusseldorf.

Be more generous/thoughtful
This one is hard to define.  I feel like there are many opportunities to be more generous & thoughtful that sometimes just slip by due to busy schedules, seemingly more important things to do & just pure laziness.  My friend MB is going to Haiti in July on a mission.  Not something that really interests me.  I love her passion & am happy to support her.  I enjoyed that opportunity to be generous & it was much appreciated too (a bonus). I want to take the time to tell people when I am thinking of them or saw something that made me think of them.  It can't be that hard, right?

Drink more water
I used to be good about drinking water.  Then I moved to a city that doesn't have an overabundance of free public toilets at ever corner.  I have found a few here & there but I am embarrassed to admit I don't like paying to use the toilet.  Especially if I have just paid to have a meal under the same roof!

Find the ultimate bag

I really hope to cross this off my list in a few weeks.  Now that I take public transportation every day I carry more in my bag.  A book, an umbrella, cars to keep Hugh happy & all the regular stuff.  The bag also needs to somewhat waterproof, comfortable to wear but not so big it gets in the way.  And I don't want to pay a fortune for it either...  I will keep you posted.

Be active

Except for walking up three flights of to get to our apartment & walking around town (we don't have a car) I couldn't be less active.  I need to join a gym & get back into the swing of things.  I enjoy being active.  The social aspect (I love my Zumba classes!), I sleep better, feel stronger, eat healthier, etc. 

No more chocolate
This will be difficult.  Very difficult.  In fact, I can't even believe I am going to attempt to try this.  And won't apply when I am on vacation.  Can you imagine going to France & not getting a chocolate croissant?  Me neither!

Be a better travel agent
I love to travel.  I love to talk about travel.  I love to look for apartments in far away places.  What I have trouble with is once the tickets are booked & the deposit is sent in for the apartment, I loose interest.  I need to get better at researching restaurants, what time the grocery store is open (this may seem silly in America but in Spain the local store didn't open until 915am), how long it takes to get to certain sites, etc.  This will make Todd very happy if I can get promoted at the travel agency.

Take more pictures & blog

This is a constant on my list.  I always love to look at pictures after a trip but I am often disappointed in how few pictures I have taken.  I rarely get a picture of the whole family.  I need to get better about this.  I have started carrying a small point & shoot camera around town & am always pleased when I can get a funny or interesting picture.  I can't figure out why this is so hard for me.  Any tips?
I would also like to start blogging more about life here in Germany.  I am stealing this idea from my friend Kris.  There were many things that I found amusing, frustrating & interesting while living in London.  But I never wrote anything down & sadly have forgotten many things.

Learn German
This may sound silly but I have lived here over 7 months & survived without knowing much German.  I have taken Hugh to the doctor, got haircuts, bought groceries, signed Rita up for ballet & many other things with hand gestures & charades.  It isn't pretty & I find it embarrassing that I sometimes rely on Rita to do my talking (but oh so proud that she can!).  I am lucky enough to have a private tutor through Todd's work & will be meeting for an hour & a half each Tuesday. 

Read

I have tried & tried to read The Time Traveler's Wife many times.  I even went to a book discussion hoping it would inspire me to read it.  Nothing.  I gave away my copy before we moved.  Then a friend sent an email with a list of books that she was hoping to get rid of.  This was one of the titles.  I decided to take another stab at it.  I have many friends that claim this is one of their favorite books.  I was also given a copy of Third Culture Kids.  This is a great book about understanding the impact of living in another country & I hope it will help our transition as the kids get older.  I have had this book since August but since it reads a bit like a textbook, I don't always pick it up.  But I need to...