And finally, I resolve to have fun blogging!

Welcome to the last day in my blogging blitz!  In the past 5 days I've presented the last of my new year's resolutions: the hobbies I plan to foster this year.  I've got lots of other fun things I hope to do this year - get back into running, mountain biking, some travel, hanging out with my amazing husband & son, visiting friends and family - but I wanted to give a special shout-out to a few of my hobbies.

Why these ones?

Birding: because it's a new hobby, it's a chance to learn more about the natural world around me, and it's something I can teach Finley.

Cooking: because it's easy to incorporate into a busy life (we have to eat!), it will help me learn new and healthy recipes to feed myself and my family.

Reading: because it's one of my oldest hobbies.  I've always loved reading; I even remember the first "book" I read by myself - "Freckle Juice" by Judy Blume.  Yet when I get busy I often let the reading drop.  It's easy to read a few pages before bed, and relaxing too.

Skiing: because it's hard to incorporate into my current schedule, so I need to put a special effort into doing it.  Because no matter how busy I get as a mom, a wife, a doctor, etc, I need to have a little time that is dedicated to something that gets me revved up!  And skiing does that.

And today the last hobby is revealed - blogging!  Yes, I resolve to keep up with my blog.  But why blog??? It's a good question.

I started blogging almost one year ago.  I thought long & hard about starting a blog, and what my goals would be.  I couldn't think of a theme, I couldn't imagine why anyone would want to read about my life, and it took me a bear's age to decide on a name.  But when I was pregnant, I really felt like I wanted to share some of my experiences, and blogging seemed like a great way to do just that.  Now that Finley is here, I have even more I want to share.  Since I'm not on Facebook or other social media outlets, a blog was a way of communicating with everyone.  I never had the intent of creating a high traffic blog; I just wanted a place that I could post some stories & pictures for the entertainment of my family & friends.

I have to say, though, that it has turned into something more for me.  I've always enjoyed writing as a creative outlet, so I really have enjoyed doing the blog.  I like to think about different topics or ideas I might  blog about, I like taking the photos that will go along with the story.  And while it's not exactly a journal, the blog postings about my pregnant and our growing family will become a type of memoir to look back upon.

And lastly, I touched upon communicating.  This is my final resolution that I'm going to throw out there.  I know I can do better, and this year I will.  The blog is one way, but I know I need to pull up my socks when it comes to answering phone calls, emails, and even good ol' fashion letters.  In a world where it's so easy to send a quick hello to someone, I don't really have any excuses!