plans for 2009

i had to include one of our pictures from new year's eve--rock band was the big hit, and we were able to get everyone involved.

(fun fact: we figured out that rock band and guitar hero equipment IS interchangeable. we were using rock band drums and mic with guitar hero games and guitars! ha! outsmarted the system.)

we spent friday afternoon watching the sad event that was the liberty bowl, where our pirates were plagued with bad calls, knees on the ground, and just some overall crappy football. maybe next year?

yesterday, we got up and took pepper to her "consultation" with top dog academy. they had asked about some of the specific behaviors and gave us some great suggestions for how to work with her and apply more effective discipline with her. we were also encouraged to sign up for one of their basic obedience classes, which we will start tomorrow evening. it should be interesting to see how this goes! i think more than anything, we just want to feel like we're doing something to address her problem behaviors and preventing them from progressing to anything more severe.

we then headed out to raleigh to see the dead sea scrolls exhibit, which had been extended by a week at the museum of natural sciences. i had just been to the museum of history earlier in the year when i chaperoned the 8th grade trip to see the lost colony exhibit there. i can't remember the last time i had been to the natural sciences museum, but it was awesome. and it's all free!

we did pay extra for our dead sea scrolls tickets, of course, and they were well worth it. the exhibit was fascinating, with lots of artifacts on display, as well as information about the various theories surrounding the scrolls. the last two rooms had the actual six sections of scroll on display, and then several historical Bibles on loan from the duke rare book collection. you can read more about the exhibit here

after our tour of the exhibit, we explored the rest of the museum. my favorite part was the butterfly conservatory on the fourth floor. i only had my little camera, so the quality of these photos aren't the best. but it was so cool!
(not either of us in this picture, but the butterflies were everywhere!)
as i was watching, trying to take pictures of certain butterflies, i heard justin ask behind me, "hey, is there a butterfly on my head?" i turned around and took a picture as quickly as possible! it's not exactly in focus, but this was his butterfly friend.

one of the better pictures i got.
after we left the museum, we headed to crabtree valley to browse some of the stores and eat at the cheesecake factory. it was so good, and i felt saavy because we managed to grab a table in the bar area rather than waiting almost an hour to be seated. justin got to watch the play-off game while we ate, so we were all happy.

today, we're going to concentrate on taking down decorations and getting ready for our first full week of work in a while. it'll be a rough adjustment, but in a way, i'm ready for things to get back to normal.

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so, here are my goals for 2009. i won't call them resolutions, because those are so easily broken. these are goals (i am a therapist, after all.)

1) take care of myself--this means in general, exercise, eat better, take vitamins, get sleep. i have a gym membership that hasn't been used in weeks, and i'm determined to get back there! i'm not putting any number of pounds that i want to lose or size i want to get to. i've essentially been in the 10 lb weight range since i was 18, and that's not really what matters to me. i just want to be healthy!

2) read the Bible and keep up with daily devotions. i have one of the 365 Bibles that breaks down the entire Bible into daily readings (this one is nice cause it gives an old testament, psalms/proverbs and new testament excerpt for each day, which is great when you're bogged down in numbers) and i'm determined to get through it this year! i also have some devotional books that i want to work through, including beth moore's "90 days with Jesus." i'm going to make this a priority and put forth time each day in my own studies, not just when i'm at church or meeting with small group. and of course, to continue working with the youth group and getting involved with church activities.

3) compile a family tree for me and justin for six generations of family (up to our great-great-grandparents.) i did several of these projects in school for sociology and family social work practice, and then lost them all in the "great computer crash of october 2004" as i like to call it. i would love to have all of that information written down again in one place, and for justin's family, too. if i could turn it into a cool display or piece of art for our home, that would be even better.

4) finish my provisional status for my license for clinical social work. this will happen this summer! it will have taken 3 years for me to complete all of the clinical hours, the exam work and the case studies for this, but it is well worth it. once i am fully licensed, i will have so many opportunities! short of getting my doctorate (which i would only use if i wanted to teach in the university setting, and even then many of my professors didn't have doctorates) it is the highest level i can achieve in my field. and i guess i could get some other certifications or something, but this will allow me to practice anywhere, in any setting.

5) go on a big vacation with justin. we've been eyeing disney for a while now, and i would love to make that happen this year. especially if we can go when they have the christmas decorations up. not necessarily when everyone else is there for the holidays, but like the middle of november or the week after thanksgiving, before schools get out. that would be awesome.

what do you think? good goals for 2009? anyone else have things they're working towards?