I’m not usually one for New Year’s Resolutions, but this year I set three goals—one personal and two professional.

Goal #1 (The Personal One): Return to our honeymoon place for our anniversary. For the first 5 years of our marriage, we did an anniversary trip to Sooke Harbour House, the same place on Vancouver Island we honeymooned. It was an awesome indulgence and great way to recharge. Then baby came along, and logistics haven’t worked out. My goal was to get that tradition back on track—it didn’t happen. We (actually, Marya) did find a really nice weekend hideaway closer to home and more affordable, and that’s where we celebrated this year; we also technically still have time to visit Sooke this year, so I’m counting this goal as “half accomplished” and it’s already reappearing on next year’s list of goals.

Goal #2: Attend WWDC. I wanted to take the next step toward creating Mac software, which has long been a hobby/pasttime/fascination. This isn’t really a goal that can give half credit, and I didn’t actually think this was going to happen until (again, with not only my wife’s blessing but encouragement) it was decided at the last minute of early registration to go for it. I haven’t regretted it since, and need to make this another annual tradition.

And now the biggie:

Goal #3: Make some money writing Mac software. This could have been the easiest one, and certainly the most affordable. The size of the check wouldn’t matter—it could have been $5 under the table for all I cared, and it would have been a step forward. I have exceeded that goal.

I now hold in my hand a check for a side contract I accepted to write an iPhone application. I had not really been interested in iPhone apps when I went to WWDC, but I had just thought of an app that would scratch a personal itch and started writing that app when I was approached about this contract so I felt confident enough to accept it. It’s been hectic fitting this development into my schedule, it’s been frustrating to figure out not only how to do things on the phone, but how best to do them. But it’s also been incredibly rewarding even beyond the financial end.

This check was for the prototype of an application. It may never make it to the App Store, and you may never see it. I hope you do, and if it gets that far (and I’m allowed) I’ll make sure people know about it here. I’m proud of what I’ve done on it so far, but if it never goes any further, it will still be the application that accomplished one of my goals.