a year in the life

Happy 2013! The time has come, the walrus said, to talk of many things. Like, for example, how a year has just ended! I really like having time to reflect back on the year behind me and to look at the year ahead.

In 2012, I:

• got out of my retail job and into a full-time temp gig
• got a permanent (though part-time) job in my field 
• had my face in a nationally circulated magazine
• moved out of my parents' house (and in with my best friend)
• attended my first convention (LeakyCon!)
• hosted my first houseguest (who is here now! Hi Claire!)
• read more books for pleasure than I have since before college
• learned how to pick up a cat
• opened a bottle of champagne with no injuries (New Year's Eve, just squeaked by!)
• survived a suburbs-to-downtown commute (every day!)
• bought my first piece of furniture 
• handled a plumber
• tried two different kinds of Butterbeer
• ate brunch downtown
• got a book signed in person by an author I admire

As for 2013, I don't really believe in "resolutions." It seems like a way to set yourself up to fail, making sweeping declarations and plans that will fade when you get back to everyday life and probably be a bust within the month, which is a bummer when you have a brand spankin' new year to explore. But I do believe in goals and my goal for 2013 is...to achieve more goals. Basically, I want to do things, things that I've never done, or things that I've been afraid to do. I might make an actual list, but either way, I sort of feel like my adult life has really "begun" now (with a job, car, apartment, even a cat running around!) and with all the serious building blocks in place, it's time to enjoy some extracurriculars. I want to write more, I want to explore my new(ish) city, I want to make things and share things and accomplish things. My goal is to nurture my confidence, my creativity, and my relationships with family and friends.

Happy New Year! May we all enjoy happiness and success in the coming year.