Happy New Year!

I love this time of year!  I like the opportunity to mentally reset the clock and start over.  I enjoy giving in to the urge to re-commit to good habits, re-tire old ones and re-examine and re-organize the important parts of the wonderful life I've been given.
So for 2012 I am re-committing to the following things.

• I am going to do my best to follow wherever the Lord leads me personally, relationally and professionally.  
• I am going to continue to write music and maybe sing when I have the voice.
• I am going to continue to be the best teacher that I know how to be and have faith that the Lord will cover all the times when my best isn't enough.

Dreams for 2012 (Prayer requests for 2012)  - wouldn't it be great if these things happened?  

Relationships:  I want to make new friends.  

"Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and and the other gold.  A circle's round, it has no end, that's how long I want to be your friend."

If one of my new friends happened to be a special guy, that would be awesome! 

This picture made me laugh because isn't this what
 all Single people are supposed to look like?
 Also, when was the last time I saw a 3:5 ratio?
I didn't know that odds could be that good!

Hobbies: I want to take the next logical steps toward sharing my music with others. Each song is at a different stage of readiness, and so each song requires it's own plan, either editing, orchestrating, critiquing, recording, and in some cases simply writing.  Along those lines, I am seeking guidance and mentorship for this area because there are so many holes in my knowledge of how to proceed that I need the help.  I don't yet know if this will take the form of a professional organization, a conference or a collaborator, but I'm trying to seek out all possible opportunities.

Health: I want to be healthy.  I AM surprisingly healthy but I don't take that for granted, nor do I believe my health will sustain itself if I am unable to address my weight issues.  The way I figure it,  a good New Year's Resolution is at least good for a jump start...and beginning is better than never starting at all.

Finances:  I've been battling debt for a long time and although I've been winning the LONG fight, the daily battles are often lost.  I'd like to show AT LEAST as much progress toward being debt free in 2012 as I have in 2011.

Website: - second job?  I want 2012 to be the year that my website really gets off the ground which means that I've got to create and invest a huge amount of searchable content that people actually want.  The good news is that my dad, otherwise none as Texasbob is helping me out on this, so I am confident that progress will be made. 

Education:  Wouldn't it be nice to go back to school?  Maybe - there are about a dozen obstacles in my way of seeking a master's degree and only one of them is the financial cost.  I just always want to be ready if the Lord provides an opportunity. 

Profession: My job is just right for me as long as I don't have to talk, which of course means that it is a tremendous challenge.  I'm praying that this year the Lord will provide me with some tangible long term solutions that will either enable me to continue in my chosen profession pain free OR will provide me with some other job where I can serve people and talk less.

That's quite a bit to be juggling, but God is able!  I want everything that I am and everything that I do to be God-honoring.  I am praying that in the year to come within each area of my life I will have the strength I need to be obedient, the wisdom I need to make sound decisions and the courage I need to do things that are hard. I have been blessed so much in 2011.  I hope that I am able to be a blessing ins 2012.