And we bid you adieu 2013.

Well, here we are again, in a flash back to another December 31st.  As has been my usual practice for the past several years, here's my annual 38 question round-up, a tradition I've come to look forward to almost (but not quite) as much as my annual book list swap.  I like the practice of giving myself a few minutes at the close of a year to reflect on all that the past 365 days brought...and looking forward, to that bright and shiny brand new year that awaits us, as the calendar flips to 2014(!) at midnight tonight.   2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 are linked if you're interested.   


1. What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before?
Traveled to Australia, Morocco, Key West, and Kiawah Island. (I'll add in Charleston too, though I technically had been there before - but didn't remember it.)
Visited two author's homes - Flannery O'Connor's and Ernest Hemingway's!
Went snorkeling twice - in Key West and along the Great Barrier Reef in Oz.
Fed a flipping kangaroo(!)
Took a multi-week writing class at Grub Street; joined the writing group that formed because of that class. 
Spent an afternoon at San Francisco's MoMa
Ran a 5k road race
Went an entire year without stepping foot inside a laundromat, thanks to family and friends lending the use of their personal washers and dryers. (There were many years in my childhood when I never set foot in a laundromat either...but this is the first time since I was 18, so it counts!) 
Got a new position within my company - the gig I'd been secretly eye balling for years.
Attended the Red Sox - World Series Champs! - Victory Parade
Finally saw a Tennessee Williams's play performed live, The Glass Menagerie.

Oh, 2013!  I have loved the hell out of you for all of these new experiences you blessed me with.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Here's what I said last year about 2013:  
The other day a friend was telling me about how she doesn't make resolutions, per say, but "intentions." She picks one aspect of her life - friendship, health, etc., and decides to make that her focus for the year...and the resolutions for that aspect sort of fall into place after that.  I like that idea.

So with that in mind, I intend to focus on my heart in 2013; taking time to listen and trust it, remembering that it's just as important as the rest of me as I go through my daily existence.  There are times, when I let the "what-ifs" take over...and I talk myself out of things; I avoid putting my heart out on a line for fear of it getting hurt.  I'd like to do less of that in the coming year.

More reading time is a necessity for 2013.

And then, the usual - more writing, more running and yoga, making time for the things that matter.  Basically, keeping up and maintaining the things I got right in 2012.    

2013 was a good and wonderful year for me, one that I'm honestly sad to see come to a close.  While I imagine the year Gods played a part,  I also have to think that setting my "year of the heart" intention had a little something to do with all that I got out of this past year.  So for 2014 I'd like to continue to honor my notion of listening and trusting my heart as much as I did in 2013.  I think over the past year I did a better job of saying yes to the sorts of things I really wanted to be doing and, in turn, recognizing when I really wanted to say no and then saying it without feeling (too much) guilt. I worked hard to get myself to places I wanted to be and took more calculated risks than I have in the past.  I feel like this past year I lived with intention more than I can recall in the recent past...so again, that's a trend I'd like to continue for 2014.

While my running program has fallen by the wayside (whoops) I have fallen into a pretty regular, solid routine with my yoga which I love and definitely plan to maintain.  As always, the same notion of making more time to read and write are at the top of my resolution list.

And here's one more I'm going to pile into the vast, open pages of the 2014 calendar.  And that's taking more risks in the dating department.  I had some hits and misses in the romance department in 2013, but I'm not always good about getting myself to just take the leap to go out on a date.  Just one date.  I can sometimes get 18 steps ahead of myself before we've even met for a beer.  I need to remember to take the world of dating one single step at a time.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Hell yes.  I feel like I have more friends who have babies these days than those that don't...which means I am almost sure to leave someone off of this list, but here goes...my dear friend Kate had a beautiful little (early!) girl in August, an old friend Lauren had a little girl in late September.  One of my oldest high school friends welcomed a little boy in March.  A college friend had her second baby boy while I was in Australia.  My friend Vanessa had her second little bambino in January.  Is that it?  I think so.  Is it terrible that I'm sort of losing track of when exactly these perfect little souls arrive?

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, no.  Every year that I am able to type no, I am so grateful.

5. What countries did you visit?
Australia!!!
Morocco!!!
Two continents in a single year!

6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
I got a hell of a lot out of 2013, so don't really feel like I have a huge "want" list for this question.  I feel like I always come back to the relationship idea with this question and sure, that would be nice. As it always seems to be the one slice of my life that is the most - ahem- challenging.

7. What dates from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory and why?
When I think of June, I think of Australia since I was Down Under for most of that month. 
April 15th because of the Boston Marathon Bombings.
October 4th as the day I left for Morocco.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? 
 Really following through with my intention to make 2013 the year of the heart.
Getting myself to Australia - a goal I'd had since I was 16.
Getting my current job at work.
Traveling to Morocco, working with the non-profit I went over with, and experiencing a part/side of the world that could not be more removed from my daily existence.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Anytime I lost my patience or got frustrated over something silly that wasn't worth it.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I tweaked my wrist at some point doing yoga, so had to stop for a month to let it heal, but other than that, thankfully no.


11. What was the best thing you bought?
My plane ticket to Australia.  Hands down, no question.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Every single person who ran toward the bomb blasts at the Marathon Bombing and all of those who helped in that crazy week after while they tracked down the two suspects.
I am utterly in awe of the marathon victims who have moved forward with so much grace, determination, and courage, even after their lives were changed for forever on April 15th.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The two assholes who decided to set up some bombs near the Marathon finish line.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Plane tickets and travel expenses.
  
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The moment I walked onto the airplane that was bound for Sydney from SFO was one I would like to bottle up and sell on the streets, for it was the most euphoric, giddy, and excited I've felt in a long time.

16. What song will always remind you of 2013?
It's sort of a tie between Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" and Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines."  Oh, and that Miley chick has a few tunes that were quite popular this year, eh?

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) happier
b) almost exactly the same
c) richer


18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Simple things like making my own meals more and bringing my lunch into work to save $$ would have been a good idea.  
Less procrastinating when it came to tackling the biggest challenges in my job.
Seeing more movies in the theaters!

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Wasting time on the internet.
"Stressing" out about down time versus just embracing it. I'm not always the best at having large swaths of time before me that are completely and totally empty when I'm on my own.  I tend to need a balance between planned activities and some chill time.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
I was in the suburbs of Atlanta for Christmas, visiting my Mom and amazo-dog Bailey.  It was quiet, with just the two of us, but still a really nice Christmas.  We managed a good mix of busy and relaxing.   Santa was good to both of us too.

21. Did you fall in love in 2013?
I don't know how to write this without sounding like the cheesiest person in the world, but whatever.  In 2013 I fell in love with my life all over again. Romantically, no.  But holy hell am I so very happy and grateful to be where I am in this life, to soak up every experience that I can.  I am truly blessed.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
Breaking Bad.  (RIP Walter White.)

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No.

24. What was the best book you read?
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Hmm.  Probably The Lone Bellow.

26. What did you want and get?
Everything.

27. What did you want and not get?
A romantic relationship that actually *works.*

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
I struggle with this question every year because I blank on what I've seen throughout the year!  I definitely did not get to enough movies this year either. I guess I'll say Gravity because it was certainly a movie that I totally and completely lost myself in.  I don't think I took a breath for the entire 90 minutes of the film.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 34 in September; I spent the weekend up at Christmas Cove in Maine with some of the greatest people I know.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
This year was pretty damn satisfying.  I feel greedy asking 2013 for anything more beyond what it already gave me.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
The nautical obsession continues, as does my love of all things striped.  Lots of leggings and tall boots, pencil skirts, cozy sweaters.  Infinity scarves, statement necklaces.  I wore booties more this year than I have in the past and I also found myself wearing little stud earrings more this year than I have ever before...I'm just not that into the dangle earrings these days it seems.

32. What kept you sane?
My friends, my family.  Traveling.  Reading.  Writing.  Yoga.
Turning inward and remembering that 2013 was the year of the heart -- and then actively listening and trusting my heart.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I had the chance to meet one of my favorite authors and hero's (independent book store lovers unite!) Ann Patchett earlier this year.  That was pretty awesome.  My girl crush on Kate Middleton continues, of course.  And we should all just agree that Ryan Gosling is a forever crush, right?  Swoon.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
The fact that our government cannot agree on anything and had to SHUT DOWN for over two weeks because of that? What other job in this country could you have where you just refused to compromise, closed the company down, and then still got to keep your job??

35. Who did you miss?
Any of my friends and family members who live too far away to see on a regular basis.  My parents.  The older I get, the more I miss their companionship on a very regular basis.

36. Who was the best new person you met?
I can't think of anyone I didn't know at all last year at this time that I now know, but I did develop closer friendships with some people, in particular a few colleagues at work, that I'm now much closer to and appreciate.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.
Just Do It.  Take the leap, the risk, the chance.  It's almost always worth it.  And if it's not?  Well, now you know.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I am tempted to quote The Lumineers - Stubborn Love  again this year, as it remains one of my favorite songs and has lyrics I adore...but that's kind of cheating right?  So, a new one:
Kacey Musgraves - Follow Your Arrow

Just follow your arrow
Wherever it points, yeah
Follow your arrow
Wherever it points
Say what you think
Love who you love
'Cause you just get
So many trips 'round the sun
Yeah, you only
Only live once