Welcome 2005!

A blessed year 2005 to all of you! I hope it will be a wonderful and exciting year for all of us.

I always want to make serious plans for the new year, but somehow it all stays rather vague. And for all who've been wondering about that question on their blogs or privately, I am not making new years resolutions... Making them up - if they're supposed to be pursued seriously - takes for too much thinking and self-examination for lazy me. I know such a reflection time would be really good for me, but with all the work I had before Christmas and that is coming now, I just don't feel too much like serious reflection over the holidays...

BUT I have two resolutions anyway (they're kind of obvious at the moment):
1. Read through the bible in one year (we started that with a group from church)
2. Finish my PhD - I've theoretically worked on it for so long now, I really want to have it done! And whatever is coming this summer, it needs to be finished.

More vague ideas: figure out what to do with my life - be more persevering at my job, motivated or not - read more (although I read lots already) - stop being stressed out - ...

Some things I'm definately looking forward to:
1. Holding the book we've been working on for more than one and a half years now finally in my hands!
2. Skiing trip with the youth from our church to Bad Gastein, Austria - in less than three weeks, yeah!
3. Vacation with Markus :) and lots of quality time together
4. Something new will start this summer - whatever it may be. I really need something new happen in my professional life!
5. Spending great times with friends and family!

Good things that happened last year (I won't remember all, I know):
1. Markus
2. My god-child Paula was born in january and baptized in April
3. I became a member of the APC, my church here in Bonn, and am on the council since May
4. Lots (!) of vacation - Southern France with Markus and a wonderful time in the US
5. My friend Jess' wedding
6. My friend Karens's baby Nick
7. Meeting old friends
8. My friend Astrid's wedding
9. AICEMEA youth conference
10. Lots of coffee with my friends!
11. Making new friends
12. My first publication
13. Started blogging
14. Grown closer to God (although it's here at no. 14, that's a big one)
15. Did the devotion at Oasis
16. Great concerts (tops include The Dubliners, Third Day and Delirious)