Koopman Kraziness

I know...watch out for smoke, call the newspapers, etc. I really have been doing a lot of thinking over the last week. With Jeff gone and a LOT more quiet time on my hands than I am used to I have had time to ponder, decide on, and entertain the thought of more "resolutions". I'm sure if you are reading here now you've read my blog about new year's promises but I wanted to elaborate a bit on it and add to it. I would ask that if you read and respond by comment with regard to this entry that you consider yourself willing to "hold me accountable" on my promises. I Promise To: *Get our family out of debt by using the money that Jeff makes while deployed. Thanks to the encouragement of some amazing friends, I will be following the method for freedom from debt that is encouraged by Dave Ramsey in his book Total Money Makeover. If you aren't familiar with Mr. Ramsey, I highly, HIGLY recommend and encourage you to familiarize yourself with him. I...

We got into Texas on Sunday, December 21st and managed to get in early enough to surprise my parents at the morning service rather than waiting until mid-afternoon. When we got back to their house after lunch, my mom's sisters, their husbands and my grandmother came over to see us and see Kamden. One of my cousins and his wife and daughter made it over as well. She is just a little older than Kamden (by two months) and she and Kamden hit it off wonderfully. They were holding hands and giving "loves" in just a matter of minutes. It was so great to get the chance to introduce Kamden to the extended family! On Monday evening, we went over to have dinner with my dad's side of the family. It was the first time in 14 years that all grandkids and extended family had been there at the same time and it was AMAZING. Tuesday night my parents took us to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate our birthdays. Jeff had never been and we had a blast. We used up all the tokens to buy stu...

We celebrated the Koopman Family Christmas early so that Jeff, Kamden and I would be able to attend since we were going to Texas for the holidays. We had such a great time! Jeff's oldest sister brought some of the books my mother-in-law had liked to read at Christmas time and had story time with the nieces and nephews before we had gift exchange. While we had already celebrated Thanksgiving without my mother-in-law, it seemed like Christmas was missing something huge without her there. I kept expecting to hear her laugh when all my nieces and nephews joined in a tissue paper war. I even caught myself a couple of times looking around for her. She was definitely missed and will continue to be, but I'm happy for her that she was able to celebrate her first Christmas in Heaven.

Okay...I know that it's "tradition" to make resolutions, but I tend to NEVER keep resolutions. Instead, I propose to make New Year's Promises. I Promise To: *Get our family out of debt by using the money that Jeff makes while deployed. *Lose a HUGE amount of weight. My goal for 12 months is 97 pounds. I promise myself NOW that if I do not reach that full goal in 12 months, I will not beat myself up. However, I do need to make a large dent in that amount in order to start living a healthier, more productive life for myself, my son and my husband. *Get certified as a dental assistant. *Begin a true relationship with Christ and a daily quiet time with him. *Get a good amount of savings built up. *Get in better control of my diabetes. And keep it that way. *Learn to like myself more. *(As trivial as it ay sound) Wash off my makeup EVERY night. Fo' real. What are YOUR promises for this year?