WELCOME 2013

The first Monday of every new year, the Bengtzen family would gather in the family room with 2 poster boards.   The first poster board had all of the previous years goals from each member of my family written with a black sharpie.  My dad would hold it up and one by one we would go down the list and see who had actually met their goals.  My dad would then pull out the new poster board, our "clean slate", and we would all try and figure out what we wanted to accomplish in the coming year.  Very few of the Bengtzen traditions have been carried on in the Finlayson home, but this is one that has stuck.  We may not have the poster boards and sharpies, but we make our goals and do our best to accomplish them. I thought it would be fun to look back in some old scrapbooks and see how our resolutions have changed over the years.

Just a few of the Finlayson's New Year's Resoltions:

2002

Brittani - 7 years old

-Learn to ride a slalom ski

-Be a good girl for Momma

-Be a good ice skater

-Swim really good

-Ride a big bike

-Be a good help with Connor

-Change Connor's diaper

-Be nice

-Draw really good

-Be thankful for everything I get

-Get baptized by my Daddy

-Pass second grade

-Not be a tattle tail

-Read really good (I already do, oh well)

-Choose the right

Nathan - almost 5 years old

-Learn to ride my "lakeboard"

-Be good for Momma

-Learn to read

-Learn to drive the boat without any help

-Take karate classes

-Be happy

-Be like Jesus

-Take care of my belly frogs

2006

Brittani - 11 years old

-Realize what the sacrament really means

-Finish Book of Mormon

-Stop repeating the same prayer

-Don't talk as much in reading and math

-Get to Zones in swimming

-Throw a football farther

-Think about things before I say them

-Don't be angry with my parents when I don't get my way

-Stop spending my money

-Don't beg for things I don't need

Nathan - almost 9 years old

-Finish Book of Mormon

-Practice spelling

-Get good at cursive

-Run a 5K without stopping

-Get to State in swimming

-Be nice

-Try to talk mom and dad into buying me a paint ball gun

2013

Brittani - 18 years old

-Finish Book of Mormon

(she took her list up to her dorm, that's the only one I could remember!)

Nathan - almost 16 years old

-Read Book of Mormon

-Think more about the Gospel every day

-Get a 4.0

-Pay attention in school

-Bulk up

-Start Varsity Lacrosse

-Get everything I can done for my pilot's license

-Get a job

-Save 30% for mission

Connor - 11 years old

-Stop hating church (really - this is one of his goals!)

-Pay attention in school

-Get straight A's

-Get at least 1 sack per game

-Run faster

-Think before I talk

-Save $300

Alicia - 38 years old!

-Pray as a family every day

-Better on personal prayers

-Better Sunday School Lessons

-Eat healthy

-Be positive

-Look for the good

-Help Nathan prepare for mission

-One act of service outside of family every week

I wonder what our goals will look like 10 years from now...just a thought.

Climb High

Climb Far

Your aim is the sky

Your goal is the star