New Years Resolutions

I realised I hadn't shown you all the Toby - our new black lab (well, we've had him since the end of October)! So here he is, watching his big sister Katie swimming at Ruakaka Beach - it was a gorgeous day, and while he did go for a quick dip he's not one for long swims (yet...). He's turning into a really nice dog - I was a little worried at the beginning as he was quite agressive and liked to bite, but he has calmed down a lot. So, here he is, nearly four months old, and a delight to us. We still miss our Jack though.

So...resolution time. I have so many! Obviously, the resolution of getting pregnant again and staying that way is a little beyond my control, but apart from that one I have made two decisions.

Firstly, is to get my fitness up - I've entered Run Auckland which starts in March, six events at different locations. So, I'm going to start with 2 5km walks, then 3 10kms walks, and finish up with a half marathon (21km) Over the last week I've been pounding the treadmill and have officially clocked up just over 20kms. Of course, in addition is the dog walking, the normal day to day stuff, but I am only counting "serious" walking. I did my first road walk today - 5kms, in just under 50 minutes. The goal (I hope) is around 45 minutes for 5k - I really can't see myself walking any faster than that!

My second resolution - if you can call it that - is to spend more time in the garden. I find it so relaxing, and I love planting and weeding and helping things grow. I've spent the afternoon ripping out a very old and messy garden bed and replanting it with veges and herbs. It looks so pretty, and much better than it did before, and there is the added bonus of our own salad from the garden. When we bought this house we knew the gardens would need a lot of work - it's a large section, and the gardens were either neglected, overgrown, or weed infested. And so, now the good weather is here, I intend on spending some of these summer nights out there tackling some of the areas that need it.

Christmas was nice. Sad at times, when I remembered (500 times a day) the miscarriage, but nice nonetheless. I feel mostly ok - I know that these things happen for a reason, and it was better for it to happen earlier than later. Every now and then it hurts though, and I have to go somewhere quiet. Just to be. And grieve. Folks are so kind, but it's not something that anyone really wants to talk about. Maybe miscarriage is the loneliest sadness there is? Because no one else knew the baby, no one else had the dreams and hopes - so there really isn't much for anyone to say. A hug is always welcome though.

New Years was fun - we had a few friends over for the evening, and much to hubby's disgust everyone had a turn at Singstar. He HATES karaoke with a passion, or maybe just singing out loud himself :-) We managed to butcher some great songs, and see in the New Year with a few drinks. All good fun. So, that's me up to date. I guess this blog will go back to being the odd update about various things, and we shall see what 2008 brings.