Happy New Year

2012

Ah, 2012. What is there to say? Probably the fastest year of my life...still blows my mind that we find ourselves here again so quickly, looking back on the year that was and trying to make sense of where it all went. It's been a strange year with a lot of bumps, a year where I oscillated between knowing everything and absolutely nothing almost every other day (like a true twenty-something should).

But more than anything else, 2012 is the year that I gained a new family. I joined the Operation Groundswell team in early June and it has changed my life entirely. OG is unlike anything I've ever experienced before. Our office is a home, our staff is a family, and our work is the passion that drives us all. Getting up to go to work isn't drudgery, but something that I long to do. Everyday I'm surrounded by people who I admire so much and who push me to do and be better. It's a rarity in this world to do the work you love and be surrounded by such crazy cool cats at the same time. I've drank the Kool Aid, no doubt...every last sip of it! 

So here's to a 2013 full of laughter, love, discoveries, and adventure. May you find what you're really good at, what you really want to do, and both the courage and the luck to make it all happen. 

2010

Oh, the inevitable year in review post! It's New Year's Eve and I find myself (as usual) looking back on the year's blog posts, written letters, and photos, allowing myself that moment's respite. What can I really say about 2010? I think more than anything else, it's been a year of stability. A year of settling into myself. I've gotten into my groove at work and learned that I do really love and enjoy working at the intersection of the non-profit sector and online media. I've mastered this world of undergraduate studies (and am so very ready to move on!). And I've spent many a lovely moments with the people that I love...learning how to balance this trifecta that is my life. After the whirlwind that was my 2009, I think it's safe to say that this year was relatively tame...and thankfully so!

But it's drawing to a close and something tells me that what lies ahead will be anything but tame or stable. 2011 is graduation year and no longer will I be enclosed in the safe shell that I've known all my life, this world of school and academia. I end my 16 year romance with formal education...thrilled and apprehensive at the same time. And what comes next? Who knows? I've no plans and no maps laid out in front of me. I didn't do the whole grad school application thing nor am I planning to do the whole find-a-job-and-jump-into-the-rat-race thing either. Instead, I hope only to satisfy this beast of wanderlust that lies inside of me, travelling to new countries and exploring different cultures. I'll be in this in-between place, a sort of limbo as I figure out what my next move should be. 2011 and beyond is just a whole load of uncertainty. No firm plans of any sort. Terrifying? A tad. Exciting? Beyond.

Alas, it looks like 2010 has been the calm before the storm. And as for 2011? Je ne sais pas! So in the meantime, let's drink to the year that was and welcome the unknown that lies ahead of all of us!

Cheers to you all! Here's to making ourselves and the world better each day...

 xoxo.