A New Year Dawns

It is the dawn of a new year, and I am looking forward to it very much. I begin this year alone, much like I did last year, but the catch is that I will actually stay alone for much if not all of this year. I do not look upon this as a sad event, but one that I can truly be okay with. I won't have anyone there to talk me out of my tax return this year.. lol

This year brings a few changes. I've decided to make some healthy changes to my lifestyle. Eating right is the obvious change. It hasn't been the best so far, but I am slowly making progress on that front. I have also taken up hoop dancing. I'm hardly any good at it, but like everything else in my life, it is coming along nicely.

My daughter, who we'll call Raven, turned 5 in December. She is such a sweet, outgoing, beautiful girl. Growing up a bit too fast, perhaps, but sometimes not fast enough.

Raven and I have taken to hoop dancing together. She is really good for a girl her age. She an do tricks that I can't even dream of doing yet. She's such an inspiration. This is after she picked up a hula hoop in Toys R Us, tried it once, failed, and said she never wanted another hoop again.. lol...

I only have a few goals this year.... lose weight, eat better and spend more time with Raven. She's worth ever minute spent. And I mean actual quality time, not just trips to the movies. I am thinking of taking her to a museum sometime in the near future or perhaps to the library and get her a library card or something. That way we can read books together. She loves to pretend to read her stories to her stuffed animals.

We are also taking on a project together. I adopted a soldier today. Our commitment is to write one letter per week and send one care package per month. I used to send Mike stuff when he was overseas and also to another friend of mine. I decided that adopting a soldier who may not have family or friends to send him anything was a great idea and something that Erika and I can do together. I'm sure she will enjoy picking things out for our soldier. Perhaps I will be able to talk her into drawing a picture or two.

There are a lot of things that I plan on doing with Raven as far as community service goes. I am tired of constantly thing about myself. I have had to do that for the better part of most of my adult life just to survive, but I'm a lot more stable financially and home and all around life, so I think it is time to give something back. Besides, I have three days off during the week, and I'm tired of spending them at home. The winter months are rough for me because I like to be outside, but I can't stand the cold weather. Some of the stuff I am considering doing is putting in some time at a local food bank, visiting some senior citizens, volunteering at a soup kitchen, things like that. I think that Erika will benefit greatly from these experiences, and so will I.

That's about all I have for today. I'll try to keep this blog updated more often. I write in so many places it is hard to keep track.

I feel really good about 2011. That perhaps I can make a difference in someone's life and they in mine. Happy New Year!