My 2009 to-do list

Alright, I feared sharing my to-do list for a variety of reasons. The major rational was of course, what would I say to others if I didn't achieve all of the goals I desired to meet? Could I handle having others know that I didn't meet all of my objectives? Would someone think less of me? How would I defend myself? Did I set out on an all too ambitious track?

Must.calm.down.

I'm not really a fan of "New Year's Resolutions." I guess for two main reasons. One, everyone makes them and I hate following the pack. Secondly, it seems that people make the same resolutions every year and never keep them, "lose five pounds, quit smoking, call my mom more..." so I don't really see the point of making a list of unlikely resolutions every year. It's like setting yourself up for failure and that isn't a promising way to start off a new year in my mind.

But here we are again, the beginning of a New Year and I'm getting caught up in all the resolution madness. Because I have a negative connotation to the term resolution, I'm going to ignore the term and instead call my annual list of things a to-do list instead. Point me.

In complete random order, here is a few things I would like to do in the upcoming year:

Musically challenged:
You can certainly laugh, but most people would pick me as a clarinet player in high school. I'm not really sure what that says about me. The truth- I played the tuba in high school. [insert gut wrenching laughter here] It's actually quite a comical tale how I was stuck with the tuba. It included a year of playing the baritone when I was in the fourth grade because I was physically too small to carry the tuba. Then, there was a brief two months where my orangutan-esque arms demanded that I should be at least tested to master the trombone. I could have stayed with the trombone, but there was a guy who played the trombone and let's just say he pushed me over on the play ground one day. I figured I could at least drop a tuba on him and inflict some damage. Did I mention I was a major tom-boy growing up????

After that I begged my parents to pay for piano lessons. Unfortunately, I never gave the instrument the time, dedication and respect it deserved. I've had serious intentions to "permanently borrow" my sister's old keyboard, just so I could play again. I somehow doubt I could ever move my parents' piano and I don't exactly have room for it in my house.

Then, in college I took a leap of faith, bought a guitar and signed up for classes. A few Pearl Jam and Green Day tunes later I stopped playing. Guess where my guitar is now? Why, it's used as a decorative piece in the corner of my bedroom. It sits there and stares at me every day, beckoning me to pick it up and strum a few notes.

So this year, I intend to dust the bad boy off, buy some new strings and annoy the crap out of hubs. I need to have some type of musical outlet. It's one of my biggest regrets that I hardly ever practiced when I was a kid. I should have practiced more. So instead of saying, "I should have," I'm going to change things around to "I will."

Buy a new camera:
Yeah, this one is definitely going to happen. A new DSLR has escaped me for far too long and if another year goes by without one, well, I don't know what I'm going to do. I had every intention to buy one on Black Friday 2008, but the $1k spent on the new tv completely depleted the fun electronics bank account.

Finish the wedding projects:
HAHAHA! I got married oh, back in August 2007. Guess how many wedding pictures are framed and hung in my house? Wait for it.... TWO! Thankfully, I realized I'm not alone in ignoring those post-wedding tasks. A post on my local Nest board made me realize that I'm not the only one who intended to make some type of scrapbook with all of my wedding cards and never got around to it. Whoops. Oh, that totally goes for doing something with our invitations, programs, rehearsal dinner invites, OOT guest cards, custom napkins and all that other crap the Knot tricked me into thinking I needed to have (okay, I knew I needed invitations and should have programs). Maybe I can finally reclaim that cluttered corner in my basement where all of those wedding related items currently call home.

Move:
Drastic, I know. The hubs and I have a plan to buy a house, but at the moment that has been pushed back a bit. We're still getting to know the area and if we buy we're actually hoping to buy south of Baltimore. That's uncharted territory for us, so we're going to rent for a year before we buy. Our lease is up in July and then it's peace out, cub scouts to our little ol' duplex.

Adult education:
I'd love to take some type of enrichment class this year. Personally, I'd like to take a photography, cooking, painting, or sculpture course. The hubs said he'd take a class with me, but shot down the dance class idea the moment I thought it (seriously, I didn't have to say it and he said, "no dance class!"). Fine. I'll even allow for a golf course to warrant a check mark on my list.

Send out birthday cards:
Ugh, I have a box full of cards that I've never addressed and sent out. It's a nasty little habit of mine, but this year I intend to break it and spread joy to family and friends. My brother-in-law's birthday is the first one up for this year. I can't drop the ball on this one.

Walking the walk:
Well, actually, it's more like running the marathon. For years I've talked about running a marathon. I think the idea further cemented in my head last May when I finally persuaded the hubs to run a race with me. I don't have a problem running by myself, but it'd be comforting to have a running buddy. He's said he'll never run a marathon, but I've at least got him to think about running a half-marathon.

As of right now, I have October 24th penciled in for my first marathon. That should give me plenty of time to get in shape and have a solid base in for my first marathon. I don't have any time or speed goals in mind, rather instead, I'd just like to be able to move across the finish line by my own free will. I'll save a time goal for the next one. I hear marathons are like tattoos, once you finish one, you're already planning your next one.

So there you go. I hope to check this post on December 31, 2009 and cross everything off the list. That would be such an incredible feeling.