A new year, a fresh start.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! 2013 HAS FINALLY ARRIVED! New beginnings! Fresh starts! Renewed outlooks on life! I love it all!

I haven't made a blog post in like...three months. That's really bad. But, hey, why not make a resolution to blog every week this year? I need the writing practice, and I think it's healthy to write down (or "type," haha) my thoughts.

I have a lot of resolutions. I won't bore you with all of them (I have ten), but I'll explain some of the bigger ones.

If you've read my blog before, you can probably guess #1 on the list. Yep, I want to lose weight. Yeah, I know I said I was going to finally get it over with in September. Well, I'm not perfect, and I messed up. It's hard for a busy 16-year-old to diet. Especially from Thanksgiving to Christmas. But, this time, it will get done. I can't let it go on any longer. I'm tired of being discouraged when I look in the mirror, feeling totally unattractive, and trying to suck it in when necessary. I'm tired of it. But that's why my family is buying a gym membership and putting it on the schedule to go work out together each morning. We're also going to attempt to change the way we eat. I mean, we don't eat pizza and hot dogs every night or anything, but we have room for improvement. This is the last time I'm saying this is the last time. Really.

A resolution I need to have every year is to grow spiritually. I'm going to be honest and say that I have really slacked off with my devotions the last few months. I'm a very schedule/routine-oriented person, and I need to commit my devotions to my daily routine. I chose not to read through the Bible last year, and that was a mistake. I need some kind of commitment that keeps me in the Word every day, and having that little 365-day schedule helps me stay on track. Growing closer and closer to the Lord is a lifelong goal that I always need to have on my mind. The new year is just a good reminder for me.

A third resolution I have is to be a better witness by being just friendlier to people. While visiting family this Christmas, we were talking about how technology has changed our social habits. While sitting on an airplane, waiting in line to check out at Wal-Mart, or walking in the park, we tend to ignore strangers. Why talk to them when we're already so connected to the ones we already know by using our smart phones? My grandpa told us about how his dad (a preacher)  felt the need to always talk to the people he ran into each day because he wanted to be a witness. How else will those we come across know that we are Christians? It's not really my nature to be super outgoing, but I'm going to work on it. It's really a responsibility given to us by God.

Looking back on 2012, my life has changed a fair bit. First of all, I moved into my new house in Westmoreland. I tried out volleyball for the first time. I made new friends at music summer camp in Pensacola. I grew closer to some of my existing friends, and, perhaps, drifted away from some of them. I got a puppy! (I'll tell you more about him later.) I flew on an airplane all by myself for the first time. I got my driver's license. I got a new piano teacher. A lot has changed, but that's what's great about life. If things always stayed the same, life would be pretty boring, don't you think?