It's not the end of the world

       As the year comes to a close, I've found myself thinking about where I was a year ago. I was living in Pennsylvania, had a bit less wisdom, was stressed about college, and didn't spend near the amount of time I craved with either God or my hobbies (though I am still fairly stressed about college decisions..) My 2011 goals were reached- read more, get closer to God, branch out and be uncomfortable, move to New Jersey with my sanity in tact...Those are just the ones I've met. I've learned that I set too many goals for myself, and get bummed out when I can't reach the unrealistic, impractical self-set standards.
        So, with that in mind, my resolutions for 2012 are (hopefully) more obtainable and focused than they have been in the past. As with every year, I want to become more well-rounded and grow in my faith and relationship with Christ. But aside from the yearlies.. 1) Learn the basics of American Sign Language 2) Go to college  3)  Learn Cable and Brioche Knitting  4) Blog more  5) Read the New Testament 6) Make a bed quilt 7) Draft and make a hope chest.... I think that's fairly plausible.
         And as Thanksgiving is still aboard my train of thoughts, I'm creating a conglomeration of thankfulness. So far on my list:  my Pennsylvania friends- even though I'm an hour and a half away, I'm only an hour and a half away (:  My parents- their never ceasing love and patience with my quirkiness and unusual interests (thanks for putting up with me dying fabrics in our porcelain sink!) My brothers/sister-in-law- their loving honesty and admirable maturity and thriftiness. My new church family for their continuing support of my family through all of the adjustments and the deepening roots of budding friendships. There's always more, but that gives a fairly okay birds' eye view.
        I'll be posting pictures hopefully soon of what I've been up to. Now that Christmas is over, I can throw in some of the Christmas gifts that are still obtainable for pictures. But blogging hasn't become an obsession yet... though it is nice to keep record of what I'm doing- sometimes I get destination disease, and forget to let myself see my accomplishments. With that said, I wish ya'll a safe (and dare I say sober?) New Years Eve- stay safe Owen J.