New Year's Resolution Progress

When you're an adult, time seems to fly by so quickly.  I can't believe it's already mid-February!  My boyfriend and I wanted to make a lot of changes in our lifestyle this year.  I'm happy to report that we have been doing pretty well with them so far.

Hit the jump for more...



The Boyfriend is working on quitting smoking.  He had been a smoker for many years and struggled with quitting the habit.  Of course, I wasn't a fan of his habit and he was quite good about not smoking around me.  We went to my old roommate's Christmas party and one of her friends was using an e-cigarette.  It's pretty much a miniature hookah with cartridges filled with a solution containing nicotine.  Gradually, you can order cartridges that contain less and less nicotine.  Boyfriend is already using some cartridges that contain no nicotine at all.  These method has been much more fruitful than patches as it gives him something to handle tangibly.  So if you know of anyone who has been trying to quit, he would recommend that they give this a try.  Since quitting, he has been saving some more money as well.  Yes, buying the e-cigarette, its cartridges, and accessories cost some money but once you have the basic kit, it ends up being less than buying packs every two days.  I'm so proud of him for taking the initiative to take care of himself.  He went through a withdrawal period but now he's breathing better and has more energy these days.

The Boyfriend also piggybacked onto one of my resolutions- go to church.  We've been going nearly every week since the New Year started.  I felt really compelled to go as the Boyfriend and I are getting super serious about building and planning for our future.  My parents raised me as a Christian and I've always acknowledged it as a part of me.  Ever since, I left for college, my relationship with church has been pretty spotty as it often happens with people in their 20's.  I've always associated church as a "family" ritual so I never felt comfortable going by myself.  The Boyfriend's schedule recently stabilized once he got promoted so his Sunday morning's finally freed up.  He grew up going to Catholic churches with his family and didn't enjoy his experiences then.  I was pleasantly surprised when he told me that he would be up for trying church with me.  So far, he seems to like it.  As for me, well, I've decided to go regardless of whether the Boyfriend can come with or not.  I think it's time for me to confront my insecurities with church on a personal level.

This year, we have also resolved to save money.  The Boyfriend isn't to bad about it but I can get a little carried away.  For some reason, my sister and I don't have the best sense when it comes to finances.  Luckily, the men in our lives are a lot more stable in this area.  It's not that I am a frivolous shopper but sometimes I don't reasonably justify a purchase.  I was so proud of myself as I saw the number in my bank account growing over the past month.  And then, tragedy... well not that serious, but I got into a minor car accident a few weeks ago.  It wasn't my fault as I had the right of way and the car I hit didn't properly heed a stop sign.  As a result, his insurance company covered my car repairs.  After the shop had fixed up my car, they did a maintenance check and found that my brake lights were blown, the radiator was leaking coolant, and the battery needed to be replaced.  I wanted to cry in frustration as a good chunk of my money went to the repairs.  Now that this whole car debacle is behind me, nothing else can be done but to start anew.

I've got a good feeling about this year despite the car setback.  I am looking forward to what is to come.  =)