Posted 11:53 AM by Bonnie

Happy New Year! Well, today is the first day of 2004 and I wasn't even finished with 2003. As my friend Rick said, he's still back in 1999! So, now it is time to move on and as Victoria said the new year is a good time to reevaluate last year and decide how you are going to make things better or do things differently this year. I like the two main questions so I will do the same here.

How am I going to change the world?

1. Encourage my friends, relatives, any one I meet to get out and vote and get a democrat back in the White House. We can work from there on rectifying the mess the Bush administration has gotten us into during his reign of error.

2. I will put aside my feelings of disgust over what we have done to Iraq and write to young people serving in our military as many do not recieve any mail from family or friends. I have a long list if anyone is interested.

3. Work with a man here who rescues feral cats, if nothing else he captures them, gets them spayed or neutered and releases them back to the wild where at leas they can no longer reproduce. I will work with him in finding homes for the ones who can be socialized.

What will I do for myself.

1. I have to agree with Victoria's first resolution. Be kinder to myself. Like her I spend all my time taking care of others and making very little time for myself. I will make more time to ride my bike, join a health club, and get out walking ALONE more often. Since my brother and sister-in-law have moved here she wants to go out walking with me, and that is fine, once in awhile. But I am a solitary walker and use that time to think, make plans, and solve problems.

2. Start a stricter budget. Lately we have been spending more than we are taking in, since Keith can no longer work the extra time or teach on Saturdays. The pay has cut back, but the spending has not. I am going to do more refunding, use more coupons, and shop less buying only what we need and encourage him to spend less time on Ebay :-).

3. Discuss issues not people. I have found myself getting back into that old routine of talking about people, and then I feel badly after because that is not me and I don't like doing that. I will stick with issues and leave personalities out of the conversations. This will make me feel better about myself.

Well, as Vic said...that's three for each one and that's a good start. 2004 is here and ready or not here we go.