Happy New Year!

Its been a great year! I have accomplished so much! I am traveling the world, making great friends, becoming a better teacher, and finding myself. 2015 will be just as wonderful. I have many goals for the new year.

1. I want to read at least one book a month. That doesn't seem like many but I am a slow reader and a busy girl. Being who I am, I made a list of what book I want to read each much so I have a plan to stick to. I already know for the month of January I will get through 3 books as I am reading the Divergent series. Here is my planned list:
January: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
                Allegiant by Veronica Roth
                Four by Veronica Roth
February: Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
March: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
April: Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
May:The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson

June: The Girl Who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson
July: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest by Steig Larsson
August: Saving Max by Antoinette van Heugten
September: Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
October: Something Blue by Emily Giffin
November: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
December: Christmas Novel

2. My next goal is to lose some weight, get back in shape, and get toned. I want to be ready for the beach when I get back. Stopping softball and coming here with different foods has really got me off track. However, I have a gym membership and I will go everyday except Sunday and workout. I already started today by running for twenty minutes. I will be following a workout plan and eating right. Eating right leads into my next goal...

3: I will eat healthy. Now being in China, for me, it is a little difficult. Most of the foods I like are bread and that has been killing me. I have decided I am still going to eat what I like but in much smaller portions. I will not snack on junk food. I am cutting out pizza, cookies, and junk food. I am going to stick to the healthy things like egg whites, fruit, baked and boiled chicken, etc. I will allow myself one piece of chocolate a day until it has run out (Christmas gifts).

4.  While in China, I want to learn how to cook at least a little. I can't cook at all. I can follow recipes when I bake so I feel as though I can do the same with other meals. I will begin to try.

5. I will finish my jewel craft I bought for myself. I would like to try to do 5- 10 rows of jewels a day.

6. I want to keep working on my Chinese. I only know a few words here and there and I should know more. I am not saying I want to be fluent by the time I leave but I would like to be able to communicate some. The language is very hard and I have to repeat and repeat and repeat to remember. I plan to get a notebook and start writing words and phrases down that I learn.

7. Sign up for a 5k when I get back. I have never done one and now that I am done with sports, it seems like a perfect time to get into them.

8. Lastly, I want to find a job for when I return home. I have been searching but I think it is still too early for job openings for the following year. I am nervous but I know I will be able to find something eventually.

For New Year's Eve, I didn't do much. Ally has been really sick and hasn't been up to much. Miki, a good friend of ours and Rou, her daughter, came over for dinner. We made dumplings and chicken salad. We didn't even stay up till 12. We talked had a good time and called it night but it was all I needed.

 Rou decorating my computer with foam stickers. She also made Ally and I a foam sticker picture.

 The night before we went to eat duck with Michelle, her parents, Miki, and Rou.

Happy New Year everyone and I hope all had a wonderful year like I did!