New Year's Resolutions

We are 5 days into this new year, and with that comes the requisite conversations about resolutions. This isn't a big practice amongst my closest friends, but I have definitely seen some discussion of this on Facebook. A good friend of mine in my Master's program wrote a blog on this very same thing early today(http://moms.fortwayne.com/?q=blogs%2Fpost%2Fpeace-mind-way-better-piece), and that inspired me to write my own.

I have A LOT of things I could make resolutions about. To lose X amount of weight by X date, to get my synthesis paper turned in two weeks early, to grade my students more harshly, to exercise at least 30 minutes a day, to stay two weeks ahead on my classroom planning and my own homework, to blog everyday. Frankly, I think while all of these would be EXCELLENT resolutions to make...I won't. I would love to think that I could lose 40 pounds by March 5, when spring break starts...but I also realize that as a student who is under certain stressors that probably wouldn't happen.

So this is my resolution, to myself. I want to re find my passions, my hobbies, and be willing to try new ones. In early December, I photographed my first wedding, something I had wanted to do for years. It was an amazing feeling. I also, as previously mentioned, submitted an application to The Amazing Race with my husband. These two acts made me realize that I am so much more than a student, and that since in a few months I will no longer be a student (for a couple of years anyway), I need to find things that define me outside of wife and student. So that is my resolution, to not be afraid to try new things, not be afraid to ask other people questions, and to rekindle love of things that I haven't done in awhile but loved to do when I did them. Hopefully, some of these new things will lead to my losing weight, being a better college instructor, and a more frequent blogger...but if they don't, that is ok too. 

Poor, neglected blog

So, if you are a first time reader, welcome. If you are someone who has been following me, you can obviously tell it has been a LONG time since I have written an entry. Since my last entry, Ozzy did NOT win Survivor, Ethan Zohn's cancer has come back (news which I was very sad to hear), and Mr. Danley did not win The Biggest Loser. However, I did survive my first semester of teaching, and my second to last semester of graduate school. My husband and I also applied to The Amazing Race, I took up Zumba, and I have changed my hair color to brunette.

My first semester of teaching was, to put it mildly, fantastic. I had an excellent group of about 50 students, most of whom were receptive to what I had to say and willing to take on the challenges I put in front of them, including writing one of their first (for many) college papers about Inception. I also participated in an excellent class where we put out a full on health campaign, and presented it to a few of the higher ups at my university. Finally, I had my last class (EVER :( ) with my mentor and one of the best men I know.

I hope to keep up with this blog better during this television season, as well as the new year. This is the year I will graduate with my Master's degree, at the age of 25. I am stoked for what this year may or may not have to offer, and I hope to by the end of the year have even more followers reading me.