2010 Resolutions

at 01/12/10 9:23PM
The time has come to collate my 2010 Resolutions. I will hopefully do better on this years list than on last years.

2010 Resolutions:

Lose 25 pounds

How? Make better food choices and watch portion sizes. Especially when eating at home. Plus exercise more - see next resolution.

Exercise

Exercise at least four times a week. Exercise can include walking, arm weights, yard work, sports (i.e. Ultimate Frisbee), etc...

Study the Bible Daily

Sunday, Monday and Wednesday are covered with regular church services and a Monday Night Bible study that I go to. The other four days I need to move from just reading the Bible to more focused study such as preparation for group studies or in depth study of what I am currently reading through on my reading schedule.

Read the entire Bible four times

This requires about 13 chapters daily. I have a schedule and I should be able to keep up with it. I read on-line, and the website I use keeps track of what I have read. One of things that I realized early last year was that the my ratio between pleasure reading and Bible reading was really out of kilter. I did much better last year and plan to continue.

Listen to the entire Bible at least one time while walking

This ties in with the exercise resolution above. I have the complete Bible on an MP3 player. I did this several years ago and it is amazing how you pick up new things when you listen to someone else read the Bible from start to finish.

Develop a one quarter Adult Bible class

I need to put my degree in Adult Education to work. I already have a few ideas for topics. For one of them I even have a 13 week schedule laid out. Course material should include a student workbook and in-depth teacher notes.

Take a real vacation

This was one of my resolutions for last year that did not get achieved. This year it should happen. I have a two week cruise already scheduled. My sister Erika and I will be going to Argentina, Uruguay, the Falkland Islands and along the coast of Antarctica. I will then have taken pictures of all seven continents. :-)

Enter a photo contest

I have my eye on several contests, and have identified a few pictures that I may enter.

Write at least six notes in my planned Religion in Family History note series

The notes may someday lead to a full-pledged book on how families shape America. It is still in the idea stage and still needs a lot of thought.

Finish reading the books that are on the 2007 World Book Day List

Details of this list can be found at http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/mar/01/topstories3.books
This is the exact same list that floats around Facebook with the title "BBC Book List - How many have you read?" I have read the majority of the books, but still have some work left.

Read at least 12 books that won Pulitzer prizes for Novel or Fiction

Another list that I am working on.

OK, I think that this is enough resolutions. I also have some that are more private, but thought I would share at least some of my goals for the year. Hopefully sharing them will help spur me on to completion.

Now to start that diet. I especially need to lose some weight before the cruise and the endless buffets.

Steven
  • stevenbraman
    Heading off on vacation to meet one of my resolutions. :-)
    by stevenbraman at 02/12/10 6:52AM
  • justjoey
    I'm with you on the first three!
    by justjoey at 02/14/10 10:13PM
  • schmidtkins
    Haven't heard from you in a while... did you get back from your trip yet? Hope you had a wonderful time!
    by schmidtkins at 03/02/10 10:07PM
  • stevenbraman
    I finally started on the resolution below tonight. Walked for almost 40 minutes while listening to the first 10 chapters of Genesis.

    Listen to the entire Bible at least one time while walking

    This ties in with the exercise resolution above. I have the complete Bible on an MP3 player. I did this several years ago and it is amazing how you pick up new things when you listen to someone else read the Bible from start to finish.
    by stevenbraman at 03/20/10 12:10AM

2009 Resolution Review

at 01/03/10 2:49AM
In early January 2009 I put together a list of resolutions for the New Year. I decided it was time to review the list and see where I ended up. There were a few items that I totally bombed on, but there were also a few items where I really did well. I will hopefully post my resolutions for 2010 within the next week.

2009 Resolutions:

Lose 15 pounds. - This one was not met, however I did end the year about five pound lighter.

Walk for at least 15 minutes, three times a week. Brisk walking, no sauntering. - This was an on again/off again program. Overall though I would say that I failed this resolution.

Use arm weights at least three times a week. - Maybe three times for the whole year. A complete failure.

Teach an adult Bible class for one quarter. - I taught I & II Thessalonians on Sunday Morning for one quarter this year.

Study the Bible on a daily basis. Not just read, Study! - I did read the Bible on a daily basis. I found a good website http://www.scripturebuddy.com that helped me keep track of my Bible reading. I read through all the English translations on the site during the year. It was interesting to read through the Bible in different versions. I also bought four new study bibles this year, and found great information in each of them. Although I didn't 'Study' the bible every day, I probably averaged about four times a week. After completing my schooling, see below, I also joined a Monday night Bible study. We are currently having a great study on the book of Romans.

Finish my masters degree in Adult Education and Training. - I finished my masters degree on June 1st and went to my graduation ceremony later that month. It was a great learning experience and has really helped me in my work.

Read at least 30 books from a list my High School English teacher (9th and 11th grades) compiled. We could read any of the 300+ books for extra credit. I have now read almost all the books on the list. I have only 45 left. - This resolution was accomplished and then some. I finished reading all the books on the list before the year was half over.

Take a real vacation. Possibly an Antarctic cruise to visit the only continent I haven't been to. - This one was not fully accomplished. My sister wanted to go with me on the trip to Antarctica. We decided to go in February of 2010, as it would work the best for both of our schedules. So, even though I really didn't take a real vacation, I have one scheduled.

Build better relationships with people I work with. - I made good progress on this resolution, and believe that I have much better relationships with quite a few people at work. However, several relationships need some serious work in the future.

OK, now to get started on my 2010 resolutions. I already have started a list in my head.

Steven
  • the_bandersnatch
    I really liked that book list that you posted however long ago it was now. I saved it to my computer, and I've slowly been chipping away at it here and there. It seemed to me that it was an embarrassingly low number of books I had actually already read on it. I need to fix that.
    by the_bandersnatch at 01/03/10 6:24AM

Picking Calendars

at 12/28/09 9:57AM
Saturday, December 26

Today I did my Calendar shopping. It is always interesting to determine what calendars to have hanging on my walls each year.

One of the calendar choices is usually very simple unless I have waited too long. I like to have the National Geographic Eagles calendar hanging in my kitchen. I was able to find the calendar at the mall this afternoon. It was the last one, plus it was 50% off :-).

In my home office, I usually will pick a calendar that has some significance based on what is currently happening in my life. Last year I picked a map calendar as I knew that I would be planning a major trip by the end of the year. I am going on a cruise in South America and along the coast of Antarctica with my sister Erika in a couple months. This year I spent considerable time looking at different calendars until one just came into my hands that was the perfect choice. My office calendar this year will be "Mount Shasta: Where Heaven and Earth Meet." My Grandfather, Richard Yoder, preached at Weed, California at one time and you could see Mount Shasta from their house. It is a very beautiful mountain and has an interesting history and significance for Native Americans. My Grandfather passed away at the age of 90 last week, and I will think of him each time I look up at my calendar and turn the pages to reveal a new picture.

In my bathroom I normally have a calendar from OSH (Orchard Supply and Hardware). They give it out free each year and it has pictures of steam engines. Unfortunately, the local OSH was out of calendars when I checked this afternoon. I have left an e-mail with OSH"s customer service to see if they can send me one. I let them know that I had been out of the country for two weeks and then in Missouri for another week at a funeral. Hopefully they will honor my request. I will also check another OSH near our church building tomorrow and see if they have them. (They did have one)

As a backup I have a free calendar from a newspaper in Australia that has cartoon images. I also usually get a calendar from a friend who is an insurance agent.

At my office at work, I always get a Hawaii calendar from one of our field service engineers.

I was also planning on putting together a digital calendar that could be used a screen saver, but never found the time to find the software utility or choose the pictures. For those of you who have encouraged me to put together a calendar, there is hope for next year. If any of you know of a good software utility or run across one, let me know.

My Mom also puts together a birthday calendar each year that shows all the family birthdays. This calendar will reside in my laptop case for easy reference.

I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse into how I choose calendars each year. What calendars will you be displaying this year and why did you choose them? Place your comments below.

Steven

Remembering my Grandfather

at 12/20/09 12:54AM
Somewhere between checking in at the Sydney airport and the Air New Zealand lounge my Mother called me. It was ominous to see that my Mother had called when I took my Blackberry out of my carry on in the lounge. I knew something must be wrong. I tried to pick up the voice mail she had left, but was unsuccessful. I then returned the call and found out the news that my Grandfather had just passed away. I was luckily already on the way back to the United States, and was able to work with one of the agents in Sydney to make further travel plans to get back to Missouri. I will be flying again about 21 hours after landing. Just time enough to drop by the office to finish a few tasks, go home and do laundry, re-pack my suitcase and get a little shut eye. I am now to the getting some shut eye. However, I am not even tired at the moment and have to get up at 3:00 so that I can leave at 4:00 to get to the airport on time. It will be interesting. I will turn on three different alarms :-).

Here is a link to my Grandfather's Obituary: http://www.freemanmortuary.com/08obits/showobit.aspx?OID=285

The visitation is not until Tuesday night and the funeral on Wednesday, but I was unable to get flights on Monday. It would have been great to have spent Sunday morning at services with my church family. However, I will be able to worship with the Nashua congregation tomorrow evening where I was a member when I lived back in Missouri. Another drawback is that I am flying back to California on Christmas. No seats available until the start of the following week. Too late to be back for work on time. Still, I have four full days to spend with family remembering a wonderful Grandfather. He preached for 45+ years.

I will be singing at the funeral and also be one of the pallbearers. I will be singing 'Precious Memories,' which I also sang at my other three grandparents funerals. It will be an emotional week, especially since I will be a bit jet-lagged from spending two weeks down under in Summer. Now to a cold Winter and the chance of a White Christmas.

Steven
  • schmidtkins
    My heart is with you and your family during this time of loss. May your travels be safe, and your visit be blessed. May the Lord hold you close in his bosom during this time, and comfort you with the comfort your heart needs.
    by schmidtkins at 12/21/09 8:35AM

Antarctic Cruise

at 12/03/09 12:52AM
Is getting closer. Tickets are purchased for cruise and flights. Hotel has been reserved for the night before the cruise in Buenos Aires. New camera purchased. All the little details are falling into place.

Of course a few wardrobe items are still to be purchased, along with a netbook so that I don't have to haul along a larger laptop. Also, I don't think the company would really want me taking my work laptop along with me.

First however, I am taking off for two weeks of Summer down under.

Steven

  • mill2093
    Sounds like a fun trip!
    by mill2093 at 12/03/09 10:33AM
  • schmidtkins
    Wow, sounds great! So when is your cruise planned for? So glad that you are getting to do that!
    by schmidtkins at 12/03/09 3:52PM
  • stevenbraman
    Cruise is still a couple months off. Today I take off and will not land again until Sunday.
    by stevenbraman at 12/04/09 1:28PM
  • schmidtkins
    Wow, that is a very long flight. Please let me know when you safely land. I will be praying.
    by schmidtkins at 12/05/09 6:18AM
  • sirtorin
    What type of camera? =)
    Camera geek strikes again. =P
    by sirtorin at 12/08/09 2:55PM
  • schmidtkins
    How is your trip going? Are you exhausted? Bored? Having Fun? Doing lots of reading? Sight-seeing? Taking lots of pictures? Hope you are well
    by schmidtkins at 12/08/09 10:31PM
  • sirtorin
    Not a bad camera, from a brief research. =)
    by sirtorin at 12/09/09 10:40PM
  • schmidtkins
    Praying for you and your family
    by schmidtkins at 12/18/09 11:36PM