Resolve to get married, huh?

Leaning down to hug a sweet little (oldish) lady at church this morning, I was taken off guard when she asked, "You going to get married this year?" I chuckled and responded that it wasn't likely, seeing as how I'd need to be dating someone in order for that to even be a possibility. Sally quite eagerly asked, then, if I am seeing anyone, to which I had to give a reluctant, "Well, no." :p

This, though, got me thinking. I assume she asked me this because its a new year starting in just a few hours. So, I think I should make some resolutions. Clearly I cannot resolve to get married, because I'd want at least a year's engagement, which would mean I'd need a proposal ... tonight. This is difficult to arrange when you aren't seeing anyone. I can't even resolve to fall in love, for that would cheapen everything. Instead, I resolve to:

1. Lose weight -- This is typical on a list of resolutions, therefore it shall be on mine as well. This type of goal is supposed to be manageable, though, so I'm thinking maybe one pound per month. That should be achievable.

2. Find a real big-person job -- Admittedly, I'm already working on this, but I need to do it more diligently ... and I kind of need it to happen soon.

3. Read more classic literature -- As much as I love it, I had to let it go last year while doing my MLIS, and I just haven't picked it back up yet.

4. Read non-fiction -- I typically shy away from non-fiction, but I've come to discover that there is some really good stuff out there. I think I need to just bite the bullet and read a little Ravi. I mean, I know I'll like it once I start ... it's the starting that's difficult for me.

5. Eat healthier -- I'm not talking a total revamping of my eating habits. Minor tweaking would be fine. I wouldn't even have to get rid of things ... adding fruits and vegetables would do wonders, I'm sure.

6. Go forward with confidence -- I have confidence in my abilities; I trust I can accomplish whatever task is set before me. What I mean here is that I need to not retreat to the back so much. Put me in a group situation, and I'm much more likely to listen and observe than to actually say anything myself. This needs to change.

7. Be a better housekeeper -- I have a messy room ... I've always had a messy room. But, I don't have to have a messy room.

8. Cook more -- In a few years, when I've been proposed to and can reasonably resolve to get married, I will want to be able to cook wonderful meals for my fiancé/husband. Best to get a head start on perfecting some recipes.

9. Make music -- I played the violin for four years. I have a bowed psaltery as well. I used to be a member of an amazing concert choir. I should be happy taking up any one of these again.

10. Finish projects -- It comes honestly (from my mother), but I tend to get interested in craft projects, buy materials to do them, do them for a short while, and then become interested in other projects, renewing the vicious cycle. I want to go back through my materials and take up some of these old projects. Really, who doesn't need a book thong?

Unripe

This year's crop of candy canes have been harvested and laid aside. Some have found their end in a blender with chocolate ice cream and milk, while others drowned in white chocolate and candy sprinkles. 'Twas a sad yet tasty passing, indeed. What candy canes survive the chocolate-peppermint milkshakes, however, will see an extended life of 6-8 months. "Green" candy canes should not be eaten on their own. Ripe ones, however ... ah, now there is a real treat! The perfect combination of chewy-on-the-outside-and-crunchy-on-the-inside must be reached in order to fully enjoy the minty goodness of a candy cane. Remember children, never eat a candy cane before it is ripe.

I'll be home for Christmas

Christmas, this year, will prove somewhat different from past Christmases. For the first time in my life, my family has nowhere to go for Christmas. When I was very young, the Christmas routine included opening gifts at home in the morning, going around the bend to my Grandma Phillips's house to visit with that side of the family, and then heading to my Grandma Lott's house in the afternoon to exchange gifts with the other side of the family. Ever since my Grandma Phillips died, we have had the morning to ourselves, but the afternoon and evening of Christmas day has consisted of uncomfortable reunions with family we typically see only on Christmas and do not necessarily ... umm ... well, like. This year, however, my grandmother decided to go out of town to visit a sister up North for an unspecified period of time. This means that we will postpone the discomfort until some later date. And this means that our Christmas celebration can be much more relaxed, and, consequently, much more pleasurable. Yay for unexpected vacations! And merry Christmas, all.

It is written ...

Those things which were not foretold have come to pass. I am the chosen one. I accept this as my lot in life at Christmastime. And so it was that I spent twelve hours with my grandmother yesterday. This after spending two and a half hours trying to get twenty children to settle down and practice their roles for the Christmas Program. But that is something I choose to do; this is something I must do. Who, aside from me, cares that I had wonderful plans to attend a progressive dinner yesterday, my grandmother has decided to go shopping, and I am the one who must help her. No one else will do, so armed with a pen, a list of twenty-three people, and a resolve to be patient, I set out to fulfill my Christmas destiny. Any men in my family who may somehow stumble across this, forgive me for spoiling the surprise, but you're getting the same ugly coats you received last year, and the year before that, and they year before that, and so on. Ladies, be grateful if only that I was able to save most of you from the "one size fits most" night gowns. I'm sorry I could not save you all, but after a while, I lose my resolve. Four and a half hours after entering the J.C. Penny's Outlet, we finally emerged with gifts for everyone on her list. I'm told there is a mall attached to this store, but I've never yet made it out of the outlet before the rest of the mall closes. Even as we shopped yesterday, the clerks busily cleaned up for the evening as she checked out. Another four hours later, after making various stops for dinner and to visit one of my grandmother's friends, our journey reached completion as I returned home at 1:30 this morning.

Perhaps the brightest spot to this dotty experience is that the little dog, after having had a day away from my grandmother, no longer appeared stoned. Evidently her drug-induced buzz wears off we give her enough time to detox.