So, all joking aside... I guess I DO have a New Year's Resolution...

I've seen both my still relatively-young parents decline a lot this past year...

Mom's only 61 and Dad's 67 (I'm 43) and they both are in conditions that would make any casual observer think they were 20+ years older.

This is influencing me a lot- opening my eyes to things I should have been more aware of all along.

I don't need to remain FAT- especially w/ the genes I seem to have likely inherited, so the year's events have been instrumental in helping me see the light and begin to make changes.

While I don't necessarily aim to one day have the Spice Place nickname "slimalaskagriz" hopefully one day I might be able to at least change it to "notaschubbyalaskagriz"!

I would like to lose a few pounds myself mainly for my health. I have high blood pressure so dropping weight would help in that regard. And then I have the fact that I smoke to deal with. Of all the stupid things I've done in my life, smoking tops the list. Since moving into our new home this past spring, I don't smoke indoors anymore. That has helped me cut down. But damn it I still enjoy smoking. Just wish I never started :mad: