Holy Moly, It's A New Year!

Even though we're hitting mid January, it's still acceptable to say happy new year, right? I personally think it's acceptable to say so the entire first month of the new year but that's just me. It boggles my mind that it's already 2012. When I was home for Christmas, we were watching 'Back to the Future' and, since it came out in 1985, it seemed that "30 years into the future" seemed so very far away. Oh Doc, I wish I could go back in time and tell you how life edging toward 2015 has changed since your first DeLorean trip...

I've been asked by several people recently when a new blog post would be up. I feel so sad that there's been such a big lapse in my posts, particularly because I still have yet to do a marathon re-cap! I honestly thought that life would calm down after the marathon but it just got busier, especially with the holidays mixed in, so I haven't had the uninterrupted time I crave to devote to writing. I really hate that. One of my lesser resolutions this year is to make more time to write even when nothing particularly significant is happening.

I hope everyone had such a beautiful holiday season. Christmas is my very favorite time of year (Thanksgiving is a close second) and I usually feel so down when it's over. I suppose that's because I always go home for Christmas and often it's the only trip I make down south all year. I have warm, sweet memories of the holidays growing up and sometimes you never lose those childlike feelings, at least you hope not to. So, for me, January is often tough and I like to fill it with as many fun, silly things as possible so it helps ease me out of that funk.

On that note, I'm off to Denver tomorrow morning and couldn't be happier! I'll get back into the swing of things with writing just as soon as possible when I return. I truly do wish each of you a happy new year. Let's make 2012 the very best, yet!

New Year, New Awareness

Happy Wednesday from snowy NYC! This is the first time I can say that we got hit with the winter storm that Georgia already went through! My Atlanta friends are all on day three of being snowed in and I'm every shade of envious possible. Grace told me she's been working from home fire-side and I'm just so jealous. At any rate, they're calling this storm a "winter bomb" because it's been exploding up the east coast. Ohhh weather people, what entertainment I get from your dramatic reports. The snow surely was pretty this morning though as I made my way to work. It's always so beautiful when it just falls and then it sadly turns to black, dirty, grimy sludge. Boo!

How has everyone's new year started off so far? Hard to believe it's mid-January already. My return back from the holidays carried with it the usual heavy hearted sadness that comes from leaving my parents, friends, dog...so many things actually...and I definitely needed a few days to adjust. This recent visit home was one of the best I've had in a long time simply because a) it was lengthy and b) I had really treasured visits with people. Sweet Gia and James are growing up so fast and being able to see them a couple of times was priceless. Gia is talking like crazy and she's now saying my full name instead of the heart-melting "Varoberie" that I had gotten used to. There's really nothing like seeing kids get bigger to make you realize just how quickly time flies. Erica got Gia a play kitchen and apron with her name on it for Christmas because she loves to help Erica cook. Of course I was in heaven playing with her while she "cooked" for me. I want her to grow up and be a chef like Aunt Valerie. :) Please indulge me for a moment and enjoy Gia in the snow from yesterday:

I love that child. Anyway, I already wrote about Medieval Times and Dave's house party so I think I've properly explained how great my time at home was.

The start of a new year is always emotional for me. It seems like I've either been at the highest high or lowest low back and forth over prior new years but one thing has always been very consistent - I am always hopeful. During my low points, I've been hopeful that things will change for the better and during my high points, I've been hopeful that I can continue living with humility and optimism. I have to admit too that getting older has been awesome for me instead of scary. I swear, I must have been told a million times by various people that "life begins at 30" and it has been so true for me. Getting older is always what's helped the start of each new year go a little more smoothly than the last, even if it's been tough at times.

I have a few resolutions this year that are quite personal but a few that I don't mind sharing openly. One of the biggest ones is simply that I will become a person with deeper awareness. That seems like it would be funny to say for this year since I spent all of 2010 hammering through walls I'd built in my life and becoming aware of who I really want to be. However, it's different becoming aware of who you want to be and aware of who you are. I hope I never stop striving to be better but I've realized it's pretty tough to look at yourself everyday and truly be aware of who you are. Thus, that is one of my bigger resolutions.

I've got a big year ahead and big change is going to come with it. If I don't work everyday to be aware of how fortunate I am, aware of what rich blessings I have, aware of who really is a true friend, aware of what ways I can live my life with purpose, aware of what gifts I have, aware of how good I really do have it even when I think I don't...aware of so very many details of my life...how will I ever be able to appreciate and enjoy what is in store for my future? Most of all, I want to have a new awareness of how little I really understand how big this world and god is. If I can be honest with myself and become more aware of that, I think my life will become even more enriched by the daily beauty that passes me by far too often. Things like a sunset or someone who smiles at me on the street. Things that you know are nice but that you don't have a heightened awareness of just how nice.

So, as we press on into this new year, I will be praying for god to help open my life in these areas. Walking in the light of humility and awareness are two things that are very important to me. I hope that this resolution is one that I can not only stick to but one that I can be proud of when I look back.