It's Resolution Time Baby!

I'm hunkered down in my apartment today waiting for a big New England storm to dump inches upon inches of snow upon us. We already have about an inch but the brunt of it is supposed to hit later today into tonight. Snow day from work tomorrow? Doubtful, but a girl can hope.

The day after Christmas is always the time when I start to take a good look at the past year and reflect on how it went, and how I want the next year to go. I really don't like to call them New Year's Resolutions because honestly, who really sticks to those?

This blog has never really been a place where I've shared my personal story beyond the Crohn's disease. There is so much more to me than a damaged small intestine. This year I turned 30 and it has really been a major turning point in my life. I started a new job after six years working in the family business. I maintained my health without medication. I made new friends. I worked on my dating life... I could write a completely separate blog about that! I watched in amazement as my niece grew and changed through her first year of life. I shared my story for a documentary. I played in a bowling league. I danced. I laughed. I loved. I learned a lot about what's important.

My twenties were difficult and I faced a lot of challenges. I could have let those experiences break me, but instead I looked at everything I went through as a chance to make myself better. The most important thing I learned is that if there's something about your life that you don't like, change it. You have a lot more power and control than you may think. Life is too short to waste it being unhappy.

I know that 2011 is going to be the best yet and I'm really excited about it. I plan to write more, to cook and eat more, to exercise more, to volunteer, to advocate, to make more of an effort to keep stronger bonds with my friends as we grow older and in different directions. I will work hard, play harder, take more photos of people, not just food. I will accept the things I cannot change, change the things I can, and be wise enough to know the difference.