Columnists share their New Year resolutions

The columnists who write for The Friday Flyer are Canyon Lake residents who have regular jobs and other interests separate from what they write about in their columns. But the one thing they have in common is an enjoyment of writing and sharing their insights and experiences with their fellow residents.

We asked The Friday Flyer columnists to share their resolutions for 2019. They are as follows:

Pat Van Dyke

Pat Van Dyke, Pat’s Funny Bone

My resolution for 2019 is to place all the junk mail in the trash before I walk through my back door, to leave Costco without having spent over $200 on a massive amount of stuff that I don’t need and to purchase less than $50 at Kohl’s so that I don’t have to come back the next week to use my “Kohl’s Cash.”

Ron and Leigh Martel

Ron and Leigh Martel, Movie Reviews by Reel People

We will remain as active as ever but spend more time with loved ones and less with cynics. These are the good old days, so we need to savor every moment. Abe Lincoln once said, “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count, but the life in your years.”

Kelly Welty

Kelly Welty, All About Pets

Every year, people like to make resolutions. I am not usually one of them. I don’t like to put pressure and expectations on myself just because we embark on a new year. That being said, because I was asked, I decided to make an attempt at a few heartfelt ones that I plan on making every effort to attain.

I have some serious health conditions that continue to monopolize my time, my family and my life. I would like to spend the next year making my health a priority. It may be that I need to find new additional doctors to add to my medical team or it may be that I need to address additional ways to deal with the stress in my life in order to keep my health in check. I will also adjust my commitments accordingly.

A big one for me is my father. My Dad has a terminal diagnosis (lung cancer). If I do nothing else this next year on my list but this one I will be happy. I intend to spend as much time as possible with my father.

I would like to get involved with an organization that trains therapy dogs. Although I am an avid animal rescuer, I do not have the type of animals that are capable of being therapy dogs. I am scratching my dream of having my dog Denis be a therapy dog and will spend the next year assisting where I am needed. Maybe one day Denis will grow up and step into those shoes. Not this next year though.

Lastly, I hope to continue to grow as a person in all ways that are good. I hope to be a better person, wife, mother and friend. I want to make sure that the people I care about know that I care about them and feel loved and appreciated by me. Happy New Year to all of you.

Dave Dain

Dave Dain, Sports Communist

For 2019, my number one resolution is to get back in shape, so I can participate competitively in cross country mountain bike racing again. I did this competitively for six years. The last two years, I have been on the injured list. It is a big commitment to do this, but I look forward to the challenge again.

I really enjoy being involved in community events. This is something I was not interested in until I moved to Canyon Lake. I’m not sure if this is a resolution or if it will happen next year, but as part of the Yacht Club, I am hoping to organize a Boat Show for the community in 2020.

My final goal is to work on my wakeboarding skills for 2019. I got a late start in life on this sport, but it is a passion of mine. I suffered a pretty big concussion one and a half years ago. I am recovered and ready for some quality time on the water this year.

Betty Williams

Betty Williams, Cook’s Corner

This past year, my personal goals included being more efficient in the kitchen (hello, 30 minutes meals!) and reading through the entire Bible in one year. I’m happy to report that I have spent less time preparing meals this year, thanks to some great 30 minute recipes, and I am on track to finish my reading plan by the end of the month.

For 2019, I am going to re-visit a resolution I made back in 2015: getting together with a friend each month and treating them to coffee. I failed miserably in doing that a few years back, so I’m determined that 2019 is the year to re-connect with friends, face to face, coffee cup to coffee cup.

Kerry Keith

Kerry Keith, Techie Tipster

In 2019, I’m going to enjoy my children, laugh, take risks, be kind, read more, write a lot more, go after my dreams, keep learning, be grateful, give back and forgive myself if I can’t do it all.

Ken Cable

Ken Cable, Ken’s Korner

My New Year resolution is to look for signs that I have followed through
with past resolutions. Still searching.

Spencer Massicot

Spencer Massicot, Teen Talk

Resolutions, for me, are often difficult to stick to for very long, so my resolution for 2019 is one that I feel I can reasonably accomplish. I want to finish out my senior year as strong as I can, hopefully with high grades and a clear plan for life after high school. To do that, I will try to be as organized as possible and make sure that I complete everything that needs to be done ahead of time rather than waiting until the last minute. By making a more detailed schedule of important deadlines, I think that I can study and complete assignments more efficiently.

I have finished my college applications and once I receive decisions about my admissions, I can better prepare myself to start in the fall. My goal for the year is to get into one of my top college choices and major in sociology.

A poor performance in the coming semester of my senior year could rescind any admission decisions that I have received, so it is very important that I maintain my current grades. My main wish for 2019 is that I successfully transition from high school to college and make a concrete decision about whether or not a sociology degree is right for me.