New Years Resolution

Well another year has come and gone and I can tell you overall that is was a twist of ups and downs. Last year we were still in China and heading to Vietnam (one of the worst vacations of all time(because of the location, not the people), teaching in China, visiting America and then coming back to China.

Some 2009 highlights that I will always look back with fondly:
Mexico - thank you Mandy for helping my blondeness. Mexico with Mandy, Cory, Sarah and Jason was fantastic and was, by far, one of our favorite vacations of all time.
People coming to visit us in Asia - thank you for all of you brave souls
Cousin at Christmas time - although this was really recent, it is by far one of my favorite memories in China
Getting accepted into grad school - we are so excited to be attending Concordia in the fall, it is going to be amazing
Road trip USA - Luke and I traveling around the US and being welcomed by all of our loving families
Baby Henry, Corbin, Fiona and Trudgeon - To all of the babies who were born or conceived, we are so excited to meet them all. Henry Li over here in China, my friend Sarah's little girl and my two lovely cousins who are coming along anytime now.

There is so much more I could write about but I am so excited to start 2010 with a bang! Luke and I spent a long time trying to figure out what we could do for our New Years Resolution and really - were coming up blank. It is really hard I think to keep on something really intently for 12 months, ideally I would love to say 'I am going to get in shape' or 'I am going to cut out junk food' but people, let's be honest - that would never happen. So Luke and I decided on a dual resolution: TO BE MORE GREEN.

I guess I really came up with this resolution for a couple of reasons. Our lovely hippie cousin Lili moved in next door and she is very green friendly. So all of the time I have spent making fun of her, she has put more and more information into my head. Another reason stems from my students. For their final exam - Lili and I decided to ask them to give a speech about how they would help the environment since it is getting worse and worse. I guess after listening to over 300 speeches in two weeks the message finally sunk in and I do want to help out our earth. So that is what we are going to do.

And in my effort to help out our mother earth - here are five easy ways to start going green yourself:
1. Bag it yourself - Bring your own cloth bag to the grocery store. This preserves resources by cutting down on the huge number of paper and plastic bags that are discarded after a single trip.
2. Save electricity - There are many ways to trim those electric bills. Wash your laundry in cold water instead of hot, line dry your linens, and use a toaster oven for small heating needs instead of a bigger electric stove. Open windows to let the light in, turn off unneeded lights and appliances, and unplug unused electronics to counter the 'energy vampire' effect.
3. Gas gas gas - Sadly, we cannot all go out and get Hybrids but there are still ways you can help. Every gallon of gasoline you burn produces 19 pounds of carbon dioxide, so it pays to conserve (in more ways than one). Your car will work more efficiently if you obey the speed limit and avoid rapid, unnecessary acceleration. Keep your tires properly inflated and get regular tune-ups. Forget warming up under most conditions.
4. Help a farmer - Check out your local farmer's markets and buy some products from them.
5. Drink from the tap - Those single use bottled waters are actually more harm then good for the earth, they tend to not be recycled. Go and pick up a tap filter today so you can start filling up the glass that way.

Those are just a couple ways to start, and I will continue to post more as I keep going on my green kick. Hopefully this will not just be a New Years resolution, but become more a lifestyle change.

Hope everyone had a safe and fantastic New Year! We are excited to travel in two short weeks to Thailand and then only three short months until we will be moving home. Love and miss you all!