A New Year

You know you haven't blogged in a while when it takes you more than 3 tries to remember your account login and password. I was actually starting to panic by my fourth attempt.

I've been feeling guilty for a while now over the neglect of my blog. Guilty because I know that one day I may regret the loss of memories that I might have otherwise preserved. I want my children to be able to look back on their childhood with fond memories and feel secure in the knowledge that they were loved. I feel terrible missing a birthday post or not blogging about an important family memory, mostly because I don't want them to think that I don't care.

In 2010 I was asked to be the YW President in my ward. I felt the Lord preparing me for this assignment and I know that serving in this capacity is where He wants me to be. It's been difficult for me to make time in my life for the other things I once did-like blogging. I try really hard to prioritize the use of my time giving greatest priority to my service to the Lord. I know that I am doing the things that He wants me to do but sometimes its hard to see areas of my life that were important to me be put on the back burner simply because I lack the time to do it all. My faith is my anchor and will always be the guiding force in my life. I love my Heavenly Father so much and my heart is so full with gratitude for my Savior and all that He has done for me and continues to do for me. There is no way that I could ever feel good about neglecting my duty to Him just so I can do the things that I want to do. I do however frequently feel frustrated over my inability to do everything I want to do-like blogging.

This year I am striving for more balance in my life. I'm trying to simplify my life in areas that are not important so that I can leave time for those things that are. I have not given up on my blog. I am hoping that instead of beating myself up over it's neglect that this new year will give me another chance to preserve memories in a simpler way. A friend of mine posts a picture a week with a short narration, sometimes just a caption. This is one of my new years resolutions.

1. To blog a Picture a Week

My other resolution is.....

2. No sweets or treats in 2012.

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I don't eat chocolate. Not because I don't love it but because it's my crack. I am not joking when I say that I have no self control when it comes to my chocolate consumption. So that's why I don't eat it- at all. It may seem a little extreme to some (my husband included) but I don't plan on eating chocolate for the rest of my life. That's how serious I am about my addiction. I wish that I had the discipline and self control to eat it in moderation but I don't. It stinks.

In recent years I've noticed that my lack of self control isn't just about chocolate. It's also about sweets. I'm not a soda drinker or a chip eater but I do love to bake desserts and even more than baking them I love eating them. If I felt that I could eat these things in moderation or with some self discipline then I wouldn't have this as my resolution but the older I get the more I realize the connection between my body and spirit. I can't binge on an over-sized piece of cake and feel good spiritually. If I had more moderation in my portion control then maybe I could, but I'm not there yet. This resolution is meant to help me gain more discipline over my appetites and passions. I feel energized when I eat healthy and I feel the influence of the spirit stronger in my life and that is more important to me then the momentary pleasure that eating sweets brings.

So those are my resolutions. I put them on here so I won't forget them and to keep me committed to my goals.

Here's to making 2012 a great year of change for me.

Happy New Year.

See you in a week.