I was three years old when this was introduced.

The Navajo Rez has never been known as an incubation chamber for great writers (come to think of it, the Rez has never been an incubation chamber for “great” anything). English and Grammar were non-existent through my K-12 years. Given my history there should be no reason for me to enjoy writing. But one day, in Gump-like fashion, I decided to start writing. I realize that I will never be a great writer and I realize that I have a history of poor grammar skills. But we all have to start somewhere, and this year I’m focused on three main areas to improve my writing.

Blog
You may have already noticed consistent blog updates. My goals is to systematically update the blog each week. The content categories will remain the same and the postings will be more frequent.

Journals
One of my favorite things in the world is to sit in a coffee shop with a Pilot V-Ball Grip Extra Fine Pen while arranging words in a journal. Rachel deserves all the credit for introducing me to the joys of journaling. I have a personal journal, a ministry journal, a marriage journal, and journals for both the boys. The thing I love most about pen and paper is that it forces me to choose my words carefully. I’ve committed to one journal entry per week.

People
I would like to share the humor of my grammatical blunders with people that I care about. Most of the time I do this through hand-written cards. Other times I write personal letters. John Adams has become my inspiration for lifelong personal correspondence.

I’m optimistic that these avenues of repeated scribbles will improve my writing and perhaps earn me the title of “writer” someday. You are always encouraged to leave feedback and corrections to anything I write!

NOTE: This post is Part 5 of a series on my 30 Day Trial New Years Resolutions.

Free Time
I LOVE my family. My family values time, rather than money or luxury. So I decided to give them the gift of time! This is a huge step for me because I enjoy using my time to help people. The downside is that when you help people for free you end up having more people make demands on your time. This year I put a stop to it. From here on out my family alone gets my time for free!

Table Diversions
We’ve been doing well at this goal so far. I used to fancy myself an expert board game player, but Rachel has beat me at everything except Chutes and Ladders. My slight of hand doesn’t go over well with her and I often end up having to play by the rules. Qade and I sometimes play cars on the coffee table while Myles looks forward to the day he gets to scratch up furniture too. Other times Qade and I walk on the coffee table in order to amuse the other household residents.

Hiking
As kids Rachel and I hiked all over creation. From the beginning of our relationship Rachel and I have loved hiking. We got to know each other on hikes. We were engaged on a hike. But volunteering for two organizations, trying to make a living, and having two kids ended up relegating hiking to the past. Until now. I no longer volunteer hours upon hours and I’m currently underemployed. So we will take advantage of the free time and enjoy the great outdoors. The positive in taking the kids is that a carrier and backpack provide us with automatic conditioning for a future Grand Canyon hike!

Weekly Design
Every Monday we sit down and go through our schedules. We design the perfect week. We decide when to go for family walks, what to do during the evening, and how to avoid packing out our schedule with things that do not relate to our family goals. We also go over our finances every month to make sure we are not spending our limited income. Sometimes I give input into the meal calendar. I know it seems very business-like, but I look at it as a creative process. Over time we will come up with better ideas for family activities. Our Weekly Design has kept me focused on the most important people in my life—my family.

NOTE: This post is Part 4 of a series on my 30 Day Trial New Years Resolutions.

Congressional Logic (some things never change)

My resolutions for creativity are strictly personal. I’m not creating “art for art’s sake” or for anybody else. I’m creating art for my sake. I find grand satisfaction in creating something that I can accept.

Music
Since I’m mostly unemployed I’ve been working on piano and guitar. Piano is always handy when we are visiting small, rural churches. I’m working on some popular music this year too (which I might detail another time). From Junior High on, Classical music has been one of my favorite genres. It will probably take a lifetime to learn Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in G Minor, but I’m might as well start now. As for guitar, I’m a Camp Program Guy. Guitar is a prerequisite in that business. Plus there are few ways of unwinding like sitting around plunking on steel strings.

Graphic Design
I’ve always had an eye for good design, but my start as a Graphic Design Major gave me a life-long desire to create appealing designs. This year I would like to focus on personal branding and start with my website. A website design will force me to learn CSS (which is one of my goals for 2009). I would also like to shy away from design trends and experiment with some unique ideas.

Photography
This recent amusement is something I want to improve. My goal is to take a large volume of photos this year. As I take more photos I will begin to find my style. Post processing will be key this year. I will learn to pick the best photo and get rid of the rest. Forcing myself to do post processing will also make me aware of my compositions as I’m creating them. Something I will carry over from last year is to have fun with the Nikon!

NOTE: This post is Part 3 of a series on my 30 Day Trial New Years Resolutions.

A nice, little playground in Salt Lake City, Utah.