I’ve had a lovely 2+ weeks away from Los Angeles and back home again in Indiana and Chicago. It was a perfect visit with family and friends, full of relaxation, lots of snow (the magical kind you don’t have to go out and drive in), pets, sports, games, and food. I also got an awful cold that I still haven’t managed to pry from my body, but I’m trying not to dwell on it.
I’ll spend some time over the next few days writing about my visit and sundry adventures, but first I wanted to acknowledge that it’s a new day, a new year, and my life is teeming with possibility. Yours is, too. That’s the beauty of the reset button.
Welcome, 2013. I’ve had bad years, and I’ve had good years. Which will you be? You are unpredictable, and that makes you mildly scary. There is beauty in your uncertainty, however, and I think my work this year is to make the most out of what I can, and let the rest of it go.
I won’t make any resolutions in the usual sense. My list of life goals are intentionally without time limit. I could talk about wanting to learn to speak Italian (my husband, in a happy turn of events, is eligible for Italian citizenship. As his wife of over five years, I am, too!), but I know that one doesn’t learn a whole new language during the course of one year. That’s the work of a lifetime, really, and that’s how I feel about most things. I’m not in it to scratch something off a list. I’m in it to be happy and to really bring purpose to my life for the full duration of it.
There are some things I do know for sure in 2013:
1) I will be going on another “girlfriend” adventure within the next few months, this time to New York City for a long weekend filled with old friends, Broadway shows, and probably lots of ridiculousness. Natch.
2) I will be traveling to Turkey with Mike sometime late this summer. He’s an archaeologist working on a project there, so I’ll join him after it ends and we’ll spend a week or two visiting Istanbul, various archaeological sites, boating around Greece (hopefully!), taking a cooking class, and seeing things like this:
3) I will spend my birthday in June on the Channel Islands, on a birding adventure, and my 8-year anniversary in late August in Yosemite.
Beyond that, I know I’ll have a year filled with art, birding, cooking, gardening, hiking, yoga, friends, and family. And danger.
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Would have loved to have seen you while you were in town. I wish you and Mike a wonderful and prosperous new year! hugs.
Sarah~
I wish we had, too. I planned to swing by the ‘Jorg after Christmas, but with the weather acting up we just never got around to it.
I know you’re going to have an incredible year, and I can’t wait to see pictures of new baby Bean!
Oh my goodness, I am SO jealous of your adventures. SO JEALOUS!
And re Italian citizenship – snazzy!
It IS snazzy, isn’t it? All we have to do is file some paperwork.
And let’s start that book club, shall we?
I’ve really enjoyed following your blog this past year and I’m looking forward to reading your writing in 2013. Happy New Year!
Thank you, and likewise! Your recipes always inspire me, and I look forward to lots of kitchen time in 2013.
That’s awesome about the Italian citizenship. Can’t wait to see all your pictures from your adventures this year. Wishing both of you a wonderful 2013 and will look forward to reading about your year on the blog.
I’m so excited to perhaps become an Italian citizen (at least a dual one, anyway). I wish you both the very best in 2013, too! XO
Sounds like a great year to come.
Thank you! I sure do hope so. Here’s to a wonderful year for you and your family, too.