Yearwood, McPherson, Okie personalities set New Year's resolutions

BY JENNIFER CHANCELLOR, SCOTT CHERRY, NOUR HABIB, BRAVETTA HASSELL, NICOLE MARSHALL MIDDLETON, RITA SHERROW, JAMES D. WATTS JR. & JASON ASHLEY WRIGHT Wor
Sunday, December 30, 2012
12/30/12 at 4:26 AM

With the new year just around the corner, many people are thinking of the changes they'd like to make in their lives.

Some want to read regularly, some want to enjoy time with their families and some want to become better listeners.

Those are all among the resolutions shared by the following 50 Oklahomans. For most of them, 2013 is the year to do more while also slowing down to live life more completely.

Trisha Yearwood, country singer, television personality and foodie: "Every year I make a New Year's resolution to not make any resolutions."

JD McPherson, internationally touring rock 'n' roller from Broken Arrow: "I'm going to finally read 'The Grapes of Wrath.' I also want to learn to forage wild food in central zone climates. I toured recently with a guy who could do that. It would be so cool to come out of the woods with a sack full of black walnuts, greens and hackberries."

Chad Malone, local musician in The Shame, Larkin and other bands: "My New Year's resolution is simply, 'more.' To travel more, to laugh more, to be more ridiculous and more resolute, to see more of my family and friends, to write more music and read more books, to do more of everything that makes me happy, because who knows how many more days I'll get to do those things."

Brian Horton, owner-president of local nonprofit record company Horton Records, named Jivewired's 2012 Indie Record Label Of The Year (besting Merge, New West, Sub Pop, Matador, Bloodshot and others): "My New Year's resolution is to find Bigfoot."

Mary Beth Babcock, owner of hyper-local Dwelling Spaces boutiques in Tulsa and Oklahoma City: "LIVE and LOVE LIFE WITH PASSION and surround myself by CREATIVE BRAINS. Constantly collaborate!!!"

John Cooper, singer for longtime local band the Red Dirt Rangers: "My New Year's resolution is to do more: live more, love more, laugh more, give more, play more, write more, sing more, jam more, garden more. I want to look back at 2013 and say, 'By God I did more this year than ever before ... more, more, more.' "

Lauren Stamile, actor, USA's "Burn Notice" and "Grey's Anatomy" and new mom: "I am inspired this year by my sweet baby boy to be, every moment, more patient, more present and most importantly, more grateful."

Tim Blake Nelson, actor (can be seen in "Lincoln"), writer, director, singer and playwright: "This was a year of fantastic challenges, on both personal and professional levels. I hope these continue to deepen not only me, but those around me, in all we do."

Cindy Chupack, author, storyteller and Emmy-winning TV writer whose credits include "Modern Family," "Sex and the City" and "Everybody Loves Raymond": "When at work, be at work. When at home, be at home. Now that we have a baby (she'll be 2 in January!), I am trying to really separate my professional life from my personal life. I used to write at home and keep strange hours writing, and I would watch television and films and read scripts at night for research (it was all part of the job) - but it kept me from being present in my real life! So I recently got an office outside of the home just for writing/working, and now more and more, I'm trying to leave my laptop at the office and get home in time to have dinner with my family and to put the baby to bed, and I want my morning time with them, too, and weekends, AND I want time with my friends and extended family, as well. So my goal is to be fully committed to work when I'm working and fully committed to NOT WORKING when I'm not."

Becky Dixon, television personality, host of "Oklahomans" and a national pioneer for women in sports broadcasting: "I resolve to visit more of our national parks in 2013! An awe-inspiring trip to Yellowstone this past summer confirmed why our National Park System is called America's best idea. Yosemite is at the top of my list for this year!"

Danny Cahill, season 8 "Biggest Loser" winner, motivational speaker and author of "Lose Your Quit" and "Losing Big": "My New Year's resolution is to quit making excuses and get back on scheduled gym workouts. I have depended on running and biking 'when I have time' and have found that I usually put it off until I don't want to do it. I'm going to start planning my weekly workouts on Sunday for the entire week a just like on 'Biggest Loser.' "

Michael Patton, executive director of The Metropolitan Environmental Trust: "This year I resolve to do all I can to reduce Styrofoam consumption. A piece of Styrofoam the size of a dime can kill a fish or a bird. It means I can't order drinks at many restaurants, including Sonic."

Jillian Ihloff, of Ihloff Salon and Day Spa: "This year's resolution is different than I had planned (earlier). Before the events of Friday, December 14th, it probably would have been to get myself back into shape post having three (very) young children. Now, my resolution for 2013 will be to make sure no matter how crazy a morning it is getting three kids ready for school and no matter how late we may be running, that I hug them with every ounce of my being and let them know that they are loved 'a million times a billion times a trillion.' "

Barry Fugatt, director of horticulture at the Tulsa Garden Center: "Like many gardeners, I place way too much emphasis on the end result of my gardening labor and way too little emphasis on the gardening process itself. I resolve to do better. I suppose that's just another way of saying 'enjoy the journey.' "

Mana Tahaie, director of racial justice for YWCA Tulsa: "I'm working on two things in 2013: developing greater empathy and cultivating humility. After years of working in social justice, it's clear that these are crucial to understanding and accepting one another - and, like everyone I work with, I'm still a work in progress!"

Cici Richards, fashion designer, stylist and producer, co-owner of iicky + CICI: "New Year's resolution No. 1: Really, really try to go on a date with my husband to the movies after 7 p.m. and NOT fall asleep during the movie! Resolution No. 2: Challenge myself more, creativity."

Sallie Godwin, public relations director for The Salvation Army Tulsa Area Command and blogger: "I've decided that my 2013 resolution will be to try to double the monthly average of pageviews on my blog, www.unsinkable-sallie.blogspot.com."

Last year, Godwin's 2012 New Year's resolution was to start writing more for pleasure. This October, Godwin launched Unsinkable Sallie, which received 1,300 page views in its first two weeks, to help herself during a three-month medical leave and to benefit The Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges.

Teresa Miller, executive director of the Oklahoma Center for Poets and Writers at OSU-Tulsa: "This year I'm being more realistic, hoping to find virtue in my indulgences. I want to laugh more, dream bigger and eat chocolate at least once a day."

Jenny Guy, actress and adjunct professor of theater at the University of Tulsa: "In 2013, I look forward to observing, and contributing to, the continuing artistic growth of our city. I'm so proud to live and work alongside organizations like Tulsa Project Theatre, the Tulsa PAC Trust, the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa and the George Kaiser Family Foundation that are making changes in our community that allow art to happen. I also can't wait for June 2013, when Tulsa Shakespeare in the Park in partnership with TU will present 'Much Ado About Nothing' on the Guthrie Green."

Scott Gaffen, house manager at the Tulsa PAC and producer with HvK Productions: "I hope that 'Into the Badlands' and 'Redneck Ghost Hunters' (HvK's most recent productions) become cult smash successes, that the Tulsa metro region realizes and promotes the importance and impact of sustained volunteerism, and that I get to perform once again on a stage after a very long hiatus."

Tim Sharp, artistic director, Tulsa Oratorio Chorus and executive director of the American Choral Directors Association: "In 2013 I plan to trade some time spent on social media in favor of proactive work to support art education/performance in Tulsa's elementary and secondary schools. And I will actually read the rest of the books downloaded to my iPad."

Sam Harris, singer, actor and author of the forthcoming memoir "Ham: Slices of a Life": "I try to think in terms of each day's resolutions, rather than the year's. The constant, often overwhelming challenge of planning, organizing, being tenacious, being a good husband, being a good friend, rising above the little stuff, recognizing scoundrels and charlatans and false promises, no longer accepting bigotry as 'beliefs' when applied to equality, maintaining the art, finding patience, not texting at red lights, not eating ice cream at 2 a.m., being of service without being bitter about it, being the person I want my son to see me as - it's all too much of a daily thing for me. My resolution for 2013 is to take the pressure of not eating ice cream at 2 a.m. off my daily list."

Kostis Protopapas, artistic director, Tulsa Opera: "My resolution is that each day in the new year I will play some music and read a book that is not work-related."

Rebecca Ungerman, singer and impresario of Spinning Plates Productions: "In 2013, I resolve to continue developing as an entertainer and help other artists of all ages and disciplines find and express their authentic voice in any way I can. Oh, and to make money. I gotta start doing that!"

Kathy Collins, executive director of Tulsa Town Hall: "To take more time to appreciate and enjoy the many gifts Tulsa offers - from outstanding arts programs, to fabulous parks, to educational opportunities, and the newest jewels, our AHHA and Zarrow Center - and to do my part to make them better!"

Kim Jones, deputy director/curator at the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium: "I'm not usually one for making resolutions since not keeping them causes too much angst and self-loathing! That being said, I resolve to see TASM's MD-80 Discovery Center project to completion. It may not be complete by the end of 2013, but it will at least be installed on the TASM campus where we will begin to repurpose the interior into a Discovery Center for children and families."

Susan Tilkin, director of communications and marketing at the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma: "Make more time for the things that really matter."

Nancy Day, president and CEO of the Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice: "As this age of turmoil tears us apart, I resolve to do my little part in this world to move us forward to a hopeful future."

John Fancher, communications coordinator for the Tulsa City-County Library: "Walk more. Smile more. Stress less. I'll approach 2013 with the same resolve as previous years: To spend as much time as possible with my children - hiking, swimming, biking and chasing butterflies. And then there is the traditional resolution to try and live by the adage, 'Don't hurry. Don't worry. Don't forget to water the flowers.' That one is a bit tricky to stick with."

Rabbi Charles P. Sherman, Temple Israel: "Aging is often accompanied by a variety of hearing challenges. I resolve to try to listen better by means of more concentrated focus, diminished distractions and less ego intrusion."

Lucky Lamons, president of the Tulsa Public Schools Foundation: Last year Lamons said he wanted to "read one book each month and cycle 8,500 miles on my bike for the year." And as 2012 closes, Lamons said he "will have logged 9,700 miles on my bicycle and have read eight books." For 2013, he plans to ride "five centuries" (100-mile bike rides) and weigh 175 pounds by Dec. 31, 2013.

Michael Minden, chef and owner of Michael V's: "Stay healthy, go to Lifetime (gym) a minimum of three days a week for one hour of exercise. Lose 15-20 more pounds in the next six months for my goal of 195 from 280+ and continually strive to be a great restaurant!!! That's it! I never want to have another heart attack, and I love to cook and please people with food."

P.C. Cast, best-selling fantasy and paranormal-romance author: "To ride my bike to Andolini's one out of every three times I go, which will make pizza healthy."

Adley Stump, former "The Voice" contestant and aspiring country singer: "My New Year's resolution is to be more fearless. With all that we have planned for 2013, it's going to take a lot of faith, work and guts to make it happen."

Lisa Regan, Garden Deva: "I plan on laughing more and worrying less in 2013. Also to get a little international travel in this year. Maybe a month in Greece to awaken my creative flow."

Ralph Eady, namesake owner of Ralph's Menswear: "It seems so small, but we take it for granted: to be thankful for what I have and not complain about what I don't have."

Greg Hughes, owner of In the Raw restaurants: "Try to remember people's names when I see them in the restaurants or out and about. I am the worst, and I meet a lot of people. My dad, who owned Pepsi in town for 30-plus years, was the king of knowing every name of every person he met."

Philip Kaiser, owner of Cosmo Cafe and soon-to-open Laffa Medi-Eastern Restaurant & Bar: Last year Kaiser's wife, Miranda, resolved to learn to skate like a rollergirl, and Philip Kaiser wanted to be a rollergirl cheerleader. "The rollergirl resolution was kind of a bust. This year's is not very exciting but more likely to actually occur. I resolve to open a new restaurant and participate in the ongoing revitalization of the Brady Arts District and downtown Tulsa."

Barry Friedman, author, humor columnist and radio personality: "To be less snarky, to suffer fools more gladly (or stop being so judgmental about who's a fool and who isn't), eat a green vegetable without pouting, pet a dog without sniveling 'Ewww, he's slobbering on me,' use 'meme' and 'schadenfreude' less in everyday conversation, not break my New Year's resolution until the 4th or 5th of January, and most important of all, steal fewer packets of Sweet 'N Low from Panera."

Scott Petty, owner of Petty's Fine Foods: "To make no more resolutions until I have accomplished ones made in previous years."

Original Print Headline: In 2013, I resolve ...

Associated Images:

Jillian Ihloff kisses her son Colin, 2, as Allie, 4, looks on while the family gets ready for school. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World

"My resolution for 2013 will be to make sure no matter how crazy a morning it is getting three kids ready for school and no matter how late we may be running, that I hug them with every ounce of my being and let them know that they are loved 'a million times a billion times a trillion,' " says Jillian Ihloff. MIKE SIMONS/ Tulsa World