checking in

At the beginning of this year I made the obligatory new's years resolution list, and I thought it would be fun to do an update/progress report.

1. Vary my reading. I've failed the most at this one so far. To be honest, in Africa, I was never in the mood for anything but fiction. However, I did read a lot in Africa, so I feel like I made up for this resolution in a sense. I read more in Africa than I have in a while, partly because there was nothing else to do and partly because I rediscovered my love for it which I'm excited about. I was able to check off a few classics that I had never read and felt that I should as an English graduate. A Tale of Two Cities, Emma, and North and South just to name a few...

2. Go overseas. Check, check, check! Five months in Africa, and while it wasn't all fun and games, it was an amazing experience and there are days when I miss it a lot.

3. Read through the Bible. I really want to go ahead and check this one off because I'm still plugging away at my Bible reading program, and I feel that since I've made it this far I have a pretty good chance of finishing it. Right now I'm making my way through some minor prophets, Isaiah, 2 Kings, and 2 Chronicles. I love it, and I hope to make reading through the Bible a yearly habit.

4. Be healthier. Wellllll, if you disregard the fact that I haven't exercised in almost two months and just ate some potato chips and a few handfuls of chocolate chips (along with a bunch of other unhealthy stuff the last two months), then you could say I've done okay with this one. In Africa I was very healthy because I walked everywhere and had a limited selection of food and very few sweets. To be honest, that's one of the things I miss most about the place-- especially the walking part. But I'm hoping to bounce back from these last two months and get into a routine once I get settled (more on that part later).

Here's to the rest of 2014 and checking more resolutions off this list!