I finally got around to typing these out. I had written most of them in a big drawing book, but time got away on me, like it usually does. By the way, the first resolution doesn’t count for this month. I think it has something to do with the fact that it is summer and school holidays, and my brain is floating on clouds.

Here are my accomplishments for 2013, not in any order:

1. Played a new sport at the start of the year, got fit and lost a little weight. And loving it!

2. Read my Bible every night for the past six months.

3. Got a job. It was tough, and I thought I was all on my own, but then God came in, offered me this really cool opportunity, and now I have a fantastic job at a kid’s party centre.

4. I cut my hair short in March. Okay, so not short-short, but up to my shoulders. I was quietly freaking out while the hairdresser did her job, because honestly, I hadn’t had it that short since being a toddler. Since my hair had always been long, it had the weigh of its self to pull it down. When it got cut, I felt like Ms Frizzle, because it frizzed out all over the place. I got over it eventually, and had the fun of inventing new hairstyles. Now, I’m growing it out. Fun.

5. Found my best friend all over again. She’s amazing, she truly is.

6. Started a successful homeschool teen group. I headed the very first meeting and embarrassed myself enormously. But now I have the fun of organising all our activities, and it keeps me busy.

7. Started learning guitar and opened up this amazing world of being able to play your own music. I love it! Thanks to my lovely, lovely, teacher. You’re the best!

8. Actually completed some goals from 2012, and was able to sort out my be-muddled thoughts to write (some!) of this before midnight on New Year’s Eve.

Now that I look back on it, 2013 was a good year with lots of accomplishments. It had its setbacks, mistakes and frustration-pulling-your-hair-out moments, but all in all, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I plan to this year as well!

So here are my resolutions, quite outnumbering my list above. But that’s good, it means I’m super enthusiastic and plan to carry them all out! They are in a sort-of-ish order, but the first few are the main important ones.

1. My biggest goal this year is to write. Write, write, write. I need to create more time and put a lot more effort into it. Every day! Even it is a little unworthy scrap of thoughts. It needs to become a habit.

2. Earn enough money to go to Israel in September. It’s going to be hard, especially since the business I work for hasn’t had many bookings for the holiday activities, but between doing paid surveys, busking, doing sponsored fun-runs, maybe structuring a kid’s drawing lessons homeschool thing in a few terms, I can scrape it together. Four-five thousand dollars isn’t easy to come by. Please pray.

3. Study! Widen my horizons on study, speech and language. I need to get the Hebrew learning disk working again and learn a little French on the side, just for fun. I want to get school work done as quickly as possible this year, create flex time for myself, and hardly have anything left to do in year 12.

4. Be organised. Order, I want order! I must have all the teen group activities booked and organised in advance; desk and room tidy. Tidy room = tidy mind.

5. Do my duty as sister at home. I have a hand in raising my brother, and I want him to be a godly young man one day. My sisters too.

6. Also do my duty as sister-in-Christ to my spiritual brothers. I really recommend It’s (Not That) Complicated book to read, for girls. It has changed my entire view on how I relate to guys.

7. Become more loving. Ask Jesus for more wisdom everyday and help me to treat my siblings and other people around me right.

8. Get fitter for the sweet sake of it and lose some more unnecessary weight. I started this whole fitness thing this time last year. Only now am I reaping the benefits. Victory!

9. Open and make things for my Etsy shop.

10. I learnt, and became very good at, procrastinating. Let’s just say, it’s not a helpful skill, and maybe I can tone it down a bit this year.

11. Run: Nailcan = 11.5K, Beechworth 3K, Tallangatta 5K, Fedhill 5 or 10K

12. Put more effort into appearance, manner and speech and first impressions. It’ll be helpful later in life.

13. Have a go at applying for a monthly writer sometime.

14. Write and hopefully publish the childhood stories dad told us as children’s chapter books. Sam the Snail and Sallie the Seastar.

15. Fill out all my song ideas and write the music to them. EXCITING!

16. Get one or two little dreads with the beads at the back of my hair. Just for a little quirk and something different.

Things I’m looking forward to this year (in the order they will most probably happen):

1. Visiting my crazily insane, my gorgeous, my godly role model, my very best friend. She lives quite awhile away, and so, in a few months, I will go down and we will possibly have the best week together so far in our lives.

2. Year 10! I am in year 10! Wow. It’s quite weird actually. I reached the “double digits” point for the second time in my life. It’s only 2-3 years till I’ve done…school. Ha, but then there is Uni and getting a degree of some sorts.

3. Living and learning, breathing and surviving. Discover new skills, abilities and gifts, and glorifying God with them.

4. Going to Israel! Some friends of ours went over there with an American-based organisation called HaYovel. They stay at vineyards and help the farmers harvest the produce. And you get to tour on the days you aren’t working or resting. Think about it, being right in the spot where Christ went, or somewhere where an event in the Bible happened. It’ll be great going as a young person, be challenged and inspired. That is, if I get the money to go this year.

So, I’ve got my clean slate, and hopefully I won’t smash it over Gilbert’s head this time. Even if I get called “Carrots” from time to time.

I’ll make mistakes like dying my hair green, but that’s okay because it grows out and teaches me lessons.

I wish everybody a fantastic, exciting and fulfilling new year ahead. And special blessings and hopes for Exra and Kyleigh who got married this month.

And thankyou, ApricotPie, for being the best motivator to write. Thanks to Ben and James, if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have excelled in writing at all. Thankyou.