goals for 2012

I've never really made New Year's resolutions. Never publicly, anyway. I know myself, and I know I will fail. Still, I think it's good to have goals, so I've come up with a list of things I'd like to accomplish in 2012. We'll see how it goes!

1. Read through the Bible. This has been a goal of mine every year for the last ten or so ... and I haven't accomplished it yet! I always start out so well—but one, two, or three weeks in I fall off the wagon and never get back on. I'm determined to make this year different, and I have a new plan, thanks to Tim Challies. He's created the 3650 Challenge, where you read 10 chapters of the Bible each day using Professor Grant Horner's Bible Reading System. I've used this system before, but I only made it about 15 days in before I got behind and ultimately gave up. A Facebook group has been set up for encouragement and accountability for those who are taking the challenge, and I'm hoping that being part of a community of believers who all have the same goal will help to motivate me! I plan to do the majority of my reading on YouVersion, as they have a reader that will present each day's readings in a chunk, and I can check off each chapter as I complete it. 
2. Exercise four times a week. If you know me, you know this is a lofty goal—but I'm going to try!
3. Lose 30 pounds. Another lofty goal ... if I can get the exercise thing down, this will be a lot easier!
4. Travel somewhere new. It doesn't have to be anywhere exotic (and seeing how my Europe fund is dwindling, it probably won't be!), just somewhere I haven't been before. Preferably with Blendy.
5. Complete one crafting project a month and blog about it. I've never been much of a crafter, but now that I'm on Pinterest, a whole new world of crafting ideas has opened up to me! I plan to include Blendy in this one, too—'cause she's the crafting brains of this operation!
6. Learn to say "no." I tend to over-commit myself, especially when it comes to book reviews. I'm getting better—I have let a few offers pass me by—but the question I need to ask myself is, "Do you really want to read this book?" If the answer isn't an unequivocal "yes," then I should probably just say no.