A New Year

I always look forward to the New Year. Excitement is in the air and everyone is amped up to start anew. I'm looking forward to 2015 a lot. More than most years, but I don't really know why. I just think 2015 will be great.

2014 was a year of growth. Gavin has grown in every way, and for me, I've definitely made great strides when it comes to personal and emotional growth. Dylan has always been generally awesome at being a human, but I guess everyone has room for growth, and he's grown into someone who can wake up really early to help out his family. The year started off a little rough. Those first few months are mostly blur owing to stress like I've never known before and exhaustion at it's most visceral level. Also, we hit up Scottsdale Healthcare Shea a couple of times, which only makes us eternally grateful that we're all generally healthy. However, we hope to avoid the hospital for all of 2015 and beyond because it is just an all around unpleasant experience. But we've come full circle, and our little family found itself in a very good place as we rang in the holidays and closed out the year.

We've overcome some obstacles, but I know it's nothing compared to what people all over this world are up against, as far as disease, poverty, hunger, war, and a list of a million other terrible things that are happening. Dylan, Gavin, and myself- we are very, very lucky people, and I make a point to remember that every single day.

As I consider my resolutions, I recall a list that I recently read from Huff Post about the habits of chronically unhappy people. I know we're all probably guilty of some or all of the things on this list when we're having a bad day, but it was a good dose of perspective and offered some things to keep in mind as I go about my days in 2015.

So, this here is what I hope to achieve or otherwise do in the new year.

1. Bake my own bread- I'd like to try making my own bread again, even though past attempts have been less than successful. It's better for your body than store-bought bread, and as I become a hippie a little more every day, this has become a real priority.

2. Maintain a focus on health and well-being- Getting enough sleep, plenty of exercise, and eating decently healthy food. Also, taking whatever time or effort is required to benefit my mental, spiritual, physical or emotional well-being. Relax, and do things I enjoy. Also, stop worrying.

3. While we're talking about worrying less...don't worry so much about the condition of the world- This world has so many problematic things happening, and it's so overwhelming. But, life is wonderful, and while it's important to be aware, it's unnecessary to let the awareness bring everything else down. Find some optimism in regards to the big picture...that's what I'll try to do in 2015.

4. Do nice things for others more often- Dylan is a good role model for this. He is generous with his time, and he's just a nice, giving person. I'm sure everyone's heard the saying that goes something along the lines of "Nobody ever went bankrupt by giving too much." Thinking of others and doing nice things out of the blue- it's a trademark of a happy person, and it's just a nice way to be.

5. Watch more movies, read more books. No doubt about it, I love escaping into a good story. I think it's good for the soul. I barely watched a handful of movies to their completion, and I can probably count on one hand the number of books I read in 2014. I could have used the escape from real life but didn't carve out the time. No bueno.

6. Find the patience and discipline required to ride my bike with my shoes clipped in- I have the shoes, I have the pedals, there's no reason not to, except that I'm having fun in my regular shoes and I don't want to learn. It will be frustrating, but I think I'll be glad I did it.

7. Clear the clutter and accumulate less stuff- I always try to do this, and I've never been very good at it...but I'll keep trying!

I could go on and on, and really, these aren't all New Years Resolutions but just general ways to live my best life.

The Tea Ring was a success!

Gavin approves...because Gavin approves of anything edible.

We had a fantastic New Year's Eve, which kicked off when Dylan met G and I at Jalapeno Inferno on our way home from work. After getting Gavin to bed, I started work on our Swedish Tea Ring, a Miller family New Year's tradition. Then, we settled in for a viewing of Boyhood, and amazingly I stayed awake for two whole hours until we decided it was time to hit pause and watch the ball drop in Times Square. We have a relaxing day ahead of us, and it's wrapping up to be one of the best New Year's Eve/New Year's Day ever. It should be a great year. I can't wait!