2012!

So, I know I'm like, a week late updating with details of my holiday trip and my fabulous New Year's, but I need Tyler's computer to upload the pictures from my phone, and he's still in South Dakota visiting his family. He returns tomorrow, and I'm so excited--it's been two weeks since I've seen him, and I miss him! In our four and a half years of dating, it's the longest we've been apart (if you don't count, of course, the first few months of our relationship when he still lived in NY).

This time of year is often spent in reflection of the previous year, of the good times and bad, of what we want to do differently. It seems as though everyone feels a bit more hopeful because there's this whole year ahead of us that's new and unblemished. I've never really put too much meaning into the "new year, new start" thing--maybe because I don't make resolutions. Or maybe it's because I don't really care. Every day is a new day to start over--not just a year. Blah blah blah.

And yet...

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I'm kinda frightened of 2012! The Mayans predicted it to be the end of the world, and if that's the case, then we already just celebrated our last Christmas and New Year's. Do I believe the Mayans? Not entirely...

...but there's still a little part of me that wonders WHAT IF THEY'RE RIGHT?!

If they are right, I hope the world goes down quickly, and I hope my death isn't slow and prolonged. I hope in my last moments of life I can look back with happiness on how I spent the last year on earth. 2011 was good to me. Tragedy stayed away from my life and the ones I love. I got a job in the field I wanted (indeed, the field I moved here for), I got (and still get) to read and be around books for a living, I met new friends, joined a book club, shot a gun for the first time (more on that later), traveled to a different country, explored more of upstate New York, hiked and saw my first big waterfall, took interesting classes at NYU for publishing, and bleached my hair!

So I suppose if I were to make resolutions, they would involve practicing patience, reading more news and staying more informed on current events, and not being afraid to try new things--because this might be THE LAST YEAR EVER on earth that I get to do so!