Reporting

There is absolutely nothing that keeps me more on top of my New Year's Resolutions like reporting on my blog how I am doing. When I don't report I don't keep my resolutions. When I do report I tend to keep at least some/most of them. I think it has something to do with a self-preservation that stems from not wanting to look inept or be embarrassed by my lack of resolution keeping. There is also nothing like reporting when you have actually had a pretty good go at you resolutions:

Year-Long Goals:

1. Read 12 Nonfiction books:

I read one: "More than Petticoats: Remarkable Utah Women"--It was a terribly written book that I would never have picked up except we were reading it in book group, but, hey, I get to check off 1 of those 12 nonfiction books. Now I just need to figure out what to read this month (any suggestions). I already have the first half of the month scheduled out with books and none of them are nonfiction so I really need to start thinking about this or I will be on my way to reading 11 nonfiction books in December.

2. Read 2008-2010 to-read list:

I have 1 and 1/2 books left on my 2008 to-read list so I fell like I am making some progress.

3. Read the New Testament:

Nearly through with Matthew!

4. Attend the temple twice a month:

So, yes, I ended up attending the temple twice last week. And yes, one of those times was on Saturday morning in a purposeful attempt to watch the BYU Men's Basketball team that afternoon (I would like it noted that while I did arrange my temple attending time around a sporting event my temple attendance itself was in no way related to the event) and it would appear that I was not the only one with that idea as I was forced to park a least a 1/4 of a mile away from the temple. As I was walking my 1/4 of a mile I started wondering if my local temples see a drop in attendance during BYU sporting events and if temple's world-wide see an increase of temple attendance during the first couple of months of the year the way gyms do. Something I will need to remember to ask my temple-working friends.

5. Go someplace new:

No movement on this one

6. Write 12 thank you cards:

Sadly, no movement on this one either

Monthly Goal:

Posture:

I think I mentioned earlier this month that this was a rotten goal as there is no real way of measuring my success except to say that I have a better understanding of what makes good posture, a better awareness of what I, in particular, need to do to have good posture (No Crossing of My Legs), and have made a real effort throughout the month to have better posture. And I'm going to go ahead and call all that a success.

This month's monthly goal:

Prayer (another rotten goal without any key measurements):

1. Pray morning and night (I tend to let my morning prayers slip through until mid-morning and sometimes forget entirely on weekends--oddly enough especially on Sunday (I blame 9 am church--or at least I'd like to except that I manage to pray in the mornings when I have to be to work at 8 am)).

2. Spend 5 minutes before each prayer to ponder what I want out of the day/what I have accomplished and how I have seen my Heavenly Father's hand in my life.

Any other ideas on the topic of prayer would be much appreciated.