Last year I began an exercise regimen that successfully stopped the horrific weight gain (20 pounds!) that plagued me during 2008. Although I was able to stop the trend, I’m still sporting the extra pounds. Other accomplishments of note include surviving the 1st year of employment in a start-up working for my old employer and, even better, writing a novel. I also read the Bible in its entirety.
I only have a couple of resolutions for this year: Exercise more, eat less, read more, write more. And by that, I intend to do a bit of each of those 4 activities every day.
On the exercise front: we’ve acquired the Wii Fit Plus and we’re 4 days in. My DH and I have completed 30 minutes per day and we plan to continue the trend. I also have an exercise ball and a heart rate monitor. I’m all in. 30 minutes a day, minimum. Walking, Wii-ing or a tryst with Richard Simmons – it doesn’t matter which. My goal is to “Work it, baby!”
On the eating less front… well, yeah, I’ve got room for improvement there. I’ve never been good at counting calories. The best I can hope for is some amount of self control. Eating smaller portions, taking smaller bites, eating more slowly. I’m imagining things that are yet to be achieved. But I’ve got time to work on it. I’d like for dinner to start taking 20 minutes to eat instead of 2 minutes.
On reading and writing, here are the stack of books I currently have queued up, ready to read:
- Under the Dome, by Stephen King
- The Principle of the Path, by Andy Stanley
- Same Kind of Different as Me, by Ron Hall and Denver Moore
- When Bad Things Happen to Good People, by Harold S. Kushner
- The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
- A Man For All Seasons, by Robert Bolt
- Obstacles Welcome, by Ralph de la Vega
- Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, by John Berendt
- How Not to Write a Novel, by Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman
- The Elements of Style, by Strunk and White
- On Writing Well, by William Zinsser
- A Twist at the End, by Steven Saylor
- Reading Like a Writer, by Francine Prose
- The Good, The Bad and the Lovely, by Fran Hart
- Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, by Renni Browne & Dave King
- The Chronological Study Bible (NKJV)
- The Complete C.S.Lewis (Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Abolition of Man, The Great Divorce, The Problem of Pain, Miracles, A Grief Observed), by C.S.Lewis
- Adventuring Through the Bible, by Ray Stedman
- The Marketing of Evil, by David Kupelian
- Ten Things I Wish Jesus Never Said, by Victor Kuligin
- The Eduction of Little Tree, by Forrest Carter
- The Gospel According to Judas, by Benjamin Iscariot
- Reading Judas, by Elain Pagels & Karen L. King
- See Jane Lead, by Lois P. Frankel, PhD
- The Christian Moral Life, by Timothy F. Sedgwick
- Cure for the Common Life, by Max Lucado
- If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat, by John Ortberg
- The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror (short stories)
- bird by bird, by Anne Lamott
- Writing Mysteries, a handbook by the Mystery Writers of America
And the books I won at the Women of Faith conference:
- Guys Are Waffles, Girls Are Spaghetti by Chad Eastham
- Redefining Beautiful by JennaLucado
- Take Your Best Shot by AustinGutwein
- Knockout Entrepreneur by George Foreman
- Beautiful Mess The Story of Diamond Rio
So, I’m wondering….if it’s in my stack am I obliged to read it? I think not. My goal is to hone my writing skills. To read like a writer. To write like a reader. To do both like a critic. I plan to write reviews as often as possible (or reasonable).
On writing, I intend to finish “God the Father: What I’ve Learned about Parenting from God and about God from Parenting” and I plan to complete 4 more drafts of my first novel (and then find a publisher). And I will write my 2nd novel. And, God willing, I’ll write a book about my travels to Asia.
Yes, 2010. I’m glad to meet you. It’s going to be a good year.
