For Auld Lang Syne, My Dear

Helloooo, 2015!

I've spent the last week on the most delicious vacation that first involved Vegas and rounded off with a visit to several of my people in Utah. Other than both of these places being inappropriately freezing, it has been a magical adventure and I'm just at the point where I'm ready to wrap it up and head back to CA tonight and start working again tomorrow. But, more details on the trip in my next post. (I also owe y'all a post about my Christmas tree. Don't think I don't remember.)

For now, let's talk about 2014! WHAT A YEAR.

I remember at the end of 2013, after a year of chaos and job-quitting and spontaneous move-to-California-ing and scrappy employment measures just to pay rent, etc etc etc, that I just knew that 2014 would have to be calmer and smoother. "SHE HAD TO BE." (Name that movie.) To some degree, it was calmer and smoother. I spent the first four months wrapping up my contract with Ralph Lauren, the next 5 months in my first Google contract role, and the rest of it in my current Google role. So, it's been a tad more stable (and better than finding odd jobs on Craigslist, as intriguing as that life phase was), but still full of a lot of nail-biting moments when contracts were coming down to the wire and I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen next. Truthfully, that could happen to me again this year come September, but at least I've got a solid 9 months between now and then, and a track record of knowing I can get through it.

Last night I was trying to come up with one word or phrase to describe 2014, and the first couple that came to mind were "pivotal" and "grit" and "doing things I didn't think I could or ever would do." That last one is probably most accurate about my biggest/favorite moments of this year.

If you would have asked me last January, I would have said finding a job at Google was impossible (because after a couple failed interview attempts, I was a tad bit sour on the idea)....but then I did it, twice. If you would have asked me last January, I would have said my plans to travel the world someday would be...you know, SOMEDAY...but then there I was on Valentine's Day, gifting myself with a passport and then I was off to Iceland in June, with plans to hit Italy mere weeks from now (!!!!). And buying a new car? Well that's a grown-up thing I was vaguely sure I'd do eventually....and "eventually" ended up being April, and it ended up being my dream car that fell into my lap like a magical unicorn gift from the universe at an impossibly affordable price. And speaking of said June Cooper car, if you had asked me last January, would I ever learn to drive stick? Probably not, considering that I avoid doing things that I'm not good at the first time I try them, and right up until the day I signed June Cooper's papers, I was adamant that I would NOT complicate my life by buying a car I couldn't drive. But, there I was and here I am and here we are and look at me go! Turns out deal breakers aren't so much deal breakers when your little heart is twitterpated by just the right set of wheels.

Big accomplishments aside, this year was also a whole lot of FUN.

I went to so many concerts I can't even count them, including a summer chock full of gettin' down at country concerts with some of my favorite pals (seriously we went to like ten country concerts).....and did I mention Iceland??? OK I know I did. But I'm still not over it. I refuse to ever be over it. STOP LOOKING AT ME I NEED A MINUTE

Then there were all the weekend getaways, to beaches and cabins and yurts and tents and southern California and northern California and Tahoe and Yosemite and Arizona and Utah and my bestie getting married and so on and so on and so on.....it makes me all just so happy I could 'shplode.

Maybe my favorite thing about this year, just like every year, has been my people. Always, my people. I was only 6 months fresh to California as of last January, so I was at least slightly still in that awkward new-kid phase where you do know people and do get invited to parties but you're not quite sure who to call when you're alone on a Friday night and you want to see a movie or eat food or watch Netflix or what-have-you. You know? You know. But now my life, both California and otherwise, are brimming with incredible people and I can't talk about it in too much detail or my eyes will leak all over my computer. I am a lucky, lucky, lucky, times infinity, girl. Because every single thing I listed above, from the trips to the country concerts to Iceland to Google to buying a car to learning to drive stick.....every single one of those things happened because of my PEOPLE.

This year was incredible and, yes, pivotal, but every bit of it hinged on all the hearts beating around my little heart and all the hands holding my little hand through all of it.

And now I wanted to wrap up with some inspirational lyrics from "Auld Lang Syne," but turns out that song includes paragraphs like "We twa hae run about the braes, An pou'd the gowans fine" (?????) so we'll just stick with the translation of the title itself, which is something like "times gone by" and also that one line about taking "a cup of kindness yet." (I mean, if twa and braes and gowans do it for you, I'm not here to stop you.)

SO. For Auld Lang Syne, my dear. And here's to many more!