Shot to Hell

Since I apparently have commitment issues with this thing, my chances of being allowed to join BlogHer are, you guessed it!, shot to hell. Oh well, I guess that is just the way it goes. Things since I last posted have been busy, as usual, and with this being the first Christmas and Thanksgiving my dad has been here for in a long time, family time has been the main order of the day. I am very proud of our little family. My dad seems to have really mellowed out as a result of finally being free from the grips of Iraq for the moment; my sister has gotten her life together and is with someone who she is not only allowed to bring home but who is now a part of our family. My mother leads an active, healthy lifestyle that has rubbed off on all of us and we go walking as a family almost everyday. We have even been able to incorporate the puppies into this daily routine with the purchase of a "Poodle Pram" as my mom calls it. We get a lot of goofy looks, but whatever, it beats leaving them in their kennels while we are gone and they get a little fresh air, which is rare for two mostly indoor dogs. All-in-all, we are doing pretty good.

I am not a resolution type of person, but my accomplishments this past year have inspired me to set some goals for myself in 2009. In 2008, without any particular forethought or planning, I became a vegetarian and have been going strong for about seven months now. I also lost some weight, which was something I needed to do to be healthy and feel better about myself. In 2009, I want to let go of some of the anger that often shrouds my otherwise happy existence. The things I am angry about are typically outside my control, which, of course, just makes me angrier, and I need to just let them go. We will see how I hold up as the year goes on.

Tonight I feel lucky to get to go out with some friends I have not seen in a while. We are all growing up, getting married, moving away, and it will be nice to catch up. 2009 has started off pretty well!