17. Share the gospel with a friend

Oh the joys I have too easily missed by not sharing the gospel more often with friends. I know not what God does in the hearts of others during those conversations, but he draws me closer to himself every time. And that is the joy I want others to know.

87. Go to the Georgia Aquarium

Back in October I finally made it to the Georgia Aquarium. My parents and I spent the better part of a rainy day checking out the fishies, sharks, whales, and otters. 

The contemplative parental units at the end of our lengthy tour:

22. Hand write and mail letters to 10 friends. Letters remaining: 10

I hadn't sent Christmas cards in a few years, and didn't feel like doing the newsletter update thing either. But when I was getting out my Christmas decorations and came across some cards I had picked up after Christmas last year, I decided to hand-write and send the 8 cards to friends.

So, 8 down, 2 to go!

67. Write and send a thank you note every week for a month

I still value the thank you note. I credit my family for this. My mother taught me to make them a (good) habit. My father emphasized an attitude of gratitude. My brother and sister have a gracious way with the written word. And my Grandfather still sends me a birthday card every year.

These days I confess I write more email thank-yous than handwritten ones, but I try to make time for handwritten ones when the occasion allows.

Christmas, birthday, changing jobs, etc. have all provided several opportunities for me to express some thanks this past month.

And while Crane is always a good idea (see this post: http://elaneymedia.com/2009/05/29/note-to-self/)
sometimes you can get by with options form World Market, Target, and even CVS.

My one rule: A true thank you note should never be written on a card printed with "Thank You" on it.

71. Revamp my budget

Bring on the fiscal responsibility!

I revamped my budget and updates my handy USAA spending plan. Now the tough part is just sticking to the budget!

18. Clean out my inbox at work

True confession: I had kinda thought I might have a new job by the time this list ended when I created it, so it was sort of my plan all along to check this one off the first day of my new job.

Well, here we are, Jan 3, 2012 and it is my first day at my new job. And I cleaned out my inbox. I even created some subfolders in Outlook already. Crazy, I know.