Ringing in 2014 with parties, resolutions
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on December 31, 2013 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Miriam Ramirez shops for supplies for her family New Year's party Monday at Paper Place in Crossroads Plaza. She gathers with a group of 50 family members for dinner, and at midnight they exchange hugs and go home.
The start of a new year has traditionally led people to set goals for themselves, whether to stop a bad habit, lose weight or simply improve their performance at work.
And Wayne County residents are no different, with many vowing to change for the better. Among the most popular resolutions are the usual ones, exercising more and dropping those extra pounds.
Jack Kannan, executive director of the Wayne Community College Foundation, has been an avid walker for years, but for the past 10 years, he "walked with pain." Two knee replacements this past year -- facetiously named "George" and "Gracie" -- have served as a motivator.
"I'm walking already. I want to get back to running," he said. "I want to run a 10K in 2014 and get back to playing competitive racquetball. And to be more positive throughout the new year."
Sheriff Carey Winders took a more pragmatic approach.
"My resolution is to 'try' instead of 'will,'" he said. "I'm going to try and lose some weight, try to be more patient, just try to be more observant and listen more."
Selena Bennett, executive director of Communities in Schools, said her goals can be boiled down to three words -- "to work smarter."
"Instead of harder and longer hours, both at home and at work, to work smarter," she said.
Attorney Geoff Hulse said he had his own personal resolution -- to be more consistent in his workouts at the Y -- but as the former president of the Downtown Goldsboro Development Corp., he still wants to see its goals come to fruition.
"I don't want to sound too trite, but my resolution is to just bring more awareness for downtown Goldsboro," Hulse said. "We're right on the cusp of something great ... (I want to) try to be more outspoken for what we're trying to accomplish downtown."
For Emily Tucker, 2014 promises to be a "huge, huge year." The recently crowned Miss Goldsboro says the title has shaped her resolutions this year, as the upcoming Miss North Carolina pageant in June looms large.
"One of my main resolutions is to work hard to become the best version of myself that I can be," she said.
In addition to embracing a healthier lifestyle, she said her goals include doing more community service work and representing the Wayne County area to the best of her ability.
"I'm Miss Goldsboro, but I want to branch out to many more communities," she said.
City Manager Scott Stevens had no specific resolutions, but said that he tries to live well year-round.
"I'm not very good at coming up with resolutions," he said. "I try to exercise and eat right all year."
Kate Daniels, president of the Chamber of Commerce, is the mother of two small children, so the challenges of juggling motherhood and a career come into play when it comes to making a new year's resolution.
"Mine is an overall internal wellness, making better eating choices, exercise and taking some down time and not feeling guilty about it," she said. "It's about finding that balance."
--Matt Caulder contributed to this story.