New Year’s resolutions are something I’ve turned my nose up at for many, many years. Because I learned at a very early age that they’re a terrible idea, unless you’re looking for a new form of self-flagellation. Really, how many people stick to their shiny new five-days-a-week gym routines for more than about four days? Who among you has actually given up desserts for good? There might be six or seven of you out there, but as a teenager, I always turned my back on my New Year’s resolutions almost as soon as I hung up my new calendar.
So I quit the resolutions. Kind of. I started calling them “Goals for the New Year.”

And so, without further ado, I present my (first) ten Goals for the Year 2012. None of these are about photography; that’s a different list. These are about my home, or myself, or remembering to bathe the dog before he starts smelling like rotting fish. But mostly, they’re just the things that I think would make my life — and, by default, business — seem more organized, run smoothly, and make me happier.

1. Make at least three home-cooked-from-scratch dinners per week (we’ve been working enough that this has been a challenge, but I used to cook every night)
2. Give the entire house, including Mr. Georges-Pierre, a thorough deep cleaning once a month
3. Carve out more quiet time for devotionals
4. Continue the trend of traveling somewhere new each year (New Orleans in two weeks for Imaging USA already ticks this one off my list!)
5. Exercise enough — enough to feel energized and healthy and fit
6. Sew the long-planned valance and pillow covers from the fabric that’s been sitting in the closet for almost two years
7. Paint the bedroom and bathroom that have had sample paint colors on the walls for almost two years
8. Read a book a month, minimum (for someone who studied literature on college, I don’t make much time to read anymore)
9. Work to create homemade Christmas gifts for friends and family, and shop throughout the year
10. REMEMBER TO TAKE MORE TIME OFF INSTEAD OF WORKING PAST MIDNIGHT SEVERAL DAYS EACH WEEK.

In case you couldn’t tell, that last one on my list is very important to me for the coming year. Danny and I work really hard when it comes to our photography, and we love it, but working ridiculous hours is the fastest way to risk burnout and a bad way to build an even better marriage. So I plan to turn off the computer more frequently, put down my photography magazines more readily, and compile shorter blog posts if need be (ouch — that one’s going to be difficult). Photography is very, very important to me. But so is having a life outside of photography, and time to enjoy with Danny. So 2012 will be a year of working to find a great balance between the career we love . . . and the nightly mini-vacations we should enjoy away from work.

I know we’ll be doing plenty of both. Here’s to a 2012 filled with wonderful pictures, wonderful clients, and wonderful memories!

~ Laura