2007 Down and More to Come

Another year has come and gone. It's hard to believe, but I'm happy to report I survived those 365 days relatively unscathed (i.e., no bee stings or snake bites), and here it is, already 4 days into the new year, and a mere 362 left to go (it's a leap year, ya know).

The best New Year's resolution I ever made was to keep no more resolutions, and not surprisingly that's the only one I've ever kept, but it remains to be seen if any resolution can stop me from making resolutions in the first place, and on that note, here's a recap of last year's post:

Another Year Bites the Dust

Where did the year go? It seems like only yesterday I was looking forward to 2006, and already it is coming to an end. Perhaps that wouldn’t feel like such a bad thing had I reached the goals I set for myself this year. But, here we are, mere hours from a new one, and I’m still 40 lbs short of the 20 I vowed to lose. I thought my office would be well organized by now too, but when I couldn’t find the file folders I bought in 2005 that kind of put a damper on the project. So, it appears I will be starting 2007 in pretty much the same place as 2006.

I am nothing if not an optimist, however, and I believe each new year brings with it a fresh opportunity for improvement and enrichment. In that spirit, I chose “quality over quantity” as my primary goal for 2007. For instance, instead of worrying about how many pounds I can (but probably won’t) lose, I want to focus attention on my physical, mental and emotional well-being, and when I applied this new way of thinking to my family history project, I decided this is the year I want to add more meat to the bones of the ancestors I have already identified rather than fret over the still empty slots on my pedigree chart.

The good news is I have a lot of what I need to do that right here in my office. The bad news is most of it is buried underneath a hellava lot of useless clutter, and I guess that means organizing my office is, once again, number 1 on my list of New Year’s resolutions. Hey, but maybe I’ll finally find those file folders!

Geneaholic, 31 December 2006.

How did I do? Well...My ancestors are still skinnier than I am, and my office is still trapped under "a hellava lot of useless clutter," BUT I did finally find those file folders! So, all in all, I'd say 2007 was a pretty successful year.

The highlight, which is gonna seem strange to those of you who don't know the backstory, was burying my mother on October 5th, and her funeral the following day. Her cremains now rest next to her parents in China Grove, N.C.

Grave of Dora Turner Summer, 1935-2002

And with that behind me, I feel like I'm finally ready to move on, and by my own account, I've got a lot of catching up to do, but I'm raring to go.

So, without further ado, here are my resolutions goals for 2008:

1. I'm going to take down and put away my Christmas tree. Today.

2. I'm going to clean and organize my office - No, seriously, I am! - and I'm going to do it - You think that's funny? Well...HaHaHa... - by following in the footsteps of Susan A. Kitchens, who is following the words of Anthony Trollope, "A small daily task, if it be really daily, will beat the labours of a spasmodic Hercules."

3. I'm going to join a genealogical society. Done! Joined NGS January 1st.

4. I'm going to scan, label and upload no less than 5 photographs on the last Sunday of every month that Scanfest meets. Then, I'm going to place those 5, or more, originals into some sort of archival quality photo album or box.

5. I'm going to invest in some archival quality albums and/or boxes.

6. I'm going to read the rest of those 900 and something blog posts you guys wrote while I was away, and then - OK, this ain't gonna be easy - I'm going to whittle that unwieldy list of feeds down to no more than 25. I know, I know, but...There was a time when I could read every genealogy blog in existence but I can't do it anymore, not if I want to be a blogger myself. I'm so sorry.

And there you have it, my goals for 2008. Check back in 2009 to see how I did.