Out with the Old/In with the New

Better late than never? "Head of a skeleton with a burning cigarette," postcard from the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.



I have neglected to post anything for months. Suffices to say that I became side tracked. But with the close of one year and the beginning of a new one I am feeling reflective.

The last year went by at an unbelievably fast pace. Like a snowball rolling downhill, it ended bigger and better than I could have thought (kick-ass New Year's Eve party included). I hope this momentum continues.

Highlights of 2012 included:

• A visit from my friend Jacky, with whom I taught English in France;
• A trip back to Europe, to Madrid, Barcelona, and Amsterdam;
• See Helen and John get married;
• Leaving the job I got when I got back from France for one I absolutely LOVE and is related to my degree(!)

I more or less kept to my 2012 resolution to exercise. I fell in love with ballet barre, ran outside (in preparation for a non-competitive 5km race), did Saturday morning yoga occasionally, and had a gym membership that I at times got in the routine of using. The gym kind of fell by the wayside when I got stressed out just before switching to my new job and when another personal project that swallowed me whole.

Blogging also seemed to cease around that time, and as a result I never finished sorting through my photos or posting about my trip. I've thought resuming those posts, but I'm not sure I will. I think Kathleen worded it best when she described a similar situation regarding her trek through Eastern Europe:

I just have too many demands on my time and am too excited about sharing what's happening right now to dedicate a chunk of time to retelling a story that's already happened.

Except I didn't continue to share anything on this blog.

My resolutions for 2013 are still swirling around in my head, coalescing. Some of these are probably not worthy of being "year" resolutions, but in 2013 I would like to:

• Finally get a handle on stress management;
• Be more gracious and grateful;
• Make a Black Forest cake from scratch with the kirsche syrup David gave me when I hosted him for Helen and John's wedding;
• Do a 3-day juice cleanse and transition to either a fully paleo, or at least mostly wheat free diet.

Happy New Year!