1. I like this photo because it has an adorable smile in it (Miss Morgan) and it reminds me of all the great times we had dancing in that room! A lot of dancing happened that night too; it was a surprise birthday party for Lizzy, so of course it was a lot of fun. Plus I love, love, love the arched doorways in that house.
2. Mom is never really into the whole taking pictures thing, but she let me snag this one and it is one of my favorites. She's gorgeous in it and it definitely does make me miss my Mama.
3. I like this picture for three reasons: 1) It has Ripely in it. I'm one of "those" people who really freakin' loves my pets. 2) It was taken spending a summer day on the James River. 3) One of my favorite people took this photo (Anna!).
4. What's not to love about reading at the river? Lots of great family times have happened here, and I think the lighting can represent warmth and love and happiness.
5. There is a lot to love in this picture. I love the lighting in the summer rain, you can see my flower garden and my favorite tree in the whole world, the pink crape myrtle, and there's my grandma and mom, running in the rain.
6. This was our last father-daughter dinner before moving to Missouri. I really miss those dinners!
7. There is enough greatness in this photo that not much needs to be said. All of my best girlfriends- from elementary through post-college are in this photo. How cool is that?!
8. This was at the going away party Dominic's mom held for us. This picture is just really cool and it was one of our last nights in Richmond. A lot of good times have happened here as well.
9. Favorite photos for 2012 would not be complete without a picture of the two wonderful people who helped us move halfway across the country! Plus this is just a really great photo of both of them. Big smiles!
10. Sissy and John's backyard in Chicago is quite the natural oasis in the middle of the big city. One great thing about the move- being closer to them! The fact that weekend visits to Chicago are possible is sooo super awesome and it really makes me happy.
11. This pup followed me home one day. I still think about this little guy (and can't help but secretly- or not so secretly- wish I could have kept him!). I really, really hope he found a good home.
12. What's not to love about a cat who loves his Christmas present?
Okay, choosing 12 favorite photos for 2012 was a lot harder than I thought. There are at least three that are missing. One is a beautiful picture I took one sunny afternoon of the outside of the house we lived in on Masonic Lane (where the first picture was taken). Unfortunately, I haven't been able to snag it in the labyrinth of my photos and so maybe I did not take it this year but last. This exercise certainly showed me how time really starts to run together and there are things I was going to post and thought dang, that happened well over a year ago!
A photo of Mizzou is also missing, along with a photo of Dominic and I. So to make up for it I will post two photos from New Year's Eve. Technically the first one was taken in 2012, but hey, we were prepping for the new year ;)
He is a big goofy guy and I absolutely love him for it <3
I know the lighting is kind of weird, but I still think it's a neat-o picture, and you can see Dominic getting ready to climb up on one of the columns. And this was one of the first photos taken in 2013 (around 1:30 in the morning)!
Okay, so how does everyone feel about 2013? When I think of how much changed in 2012, it kind of blows my mind, and so I am reluctant to make any predictions about 2013. This time last year I had just finished up my second year of grad school applications, I was still working at VCU but was getting ready to start with a new supervisor on a new project, and I was thinking of life path alternatives, aka, what will I do if I decide not to go to grad school (or don't get in again)? I was volunteering with Cats Cradle and spending everyday Tuesday morning with the kitties. I made some really cool new friends at VCU right as I got ready to leave Richmond. I actually got into more than one school and had to make the really difficult decision between Missouri and Kentucky. I had a whirlwind summer characterized by saying a lot of goodbyes to a lot of people and places I've been around my whole life. I moved halfway across the country, luckily with the love of my life by my side (thankful for that/him everyday!). I started grad school, met a ton of new and interesting people, and Dominic and I are really living on our own for the first time. It is all extraordinarily exciting and absolutely terrifying at the same time.
So I decided that any "goals" or "resolutions" for the year will be general and relatively easy to accomplish. I have no idea where this year will take me. I am applying to language schools for the summer- I could spend two months in Bangladesh (unlikely but, hey, you never know) or Madison, Wisconsin or ??? Of course, I really want to make a trip home in 2013, but I have no idea when- Spring break, early summer, late summer? This year I will need to pick a thesis/dissertation topic, really start working on my own research, and eventually start studying for my MA exam (*shudder*).
So I'm picking six pretty basic things I really want to try to do in 2013:
1) Continue reading fiction during the semester. It's good for the mind and the soul.
2) Submit a research paper for publication. Any journal will do! I need to do something with all this work I've done on my Korean TV show project.
3) Keep up my weekly blog. And keep it real. I have every intention of being "real" with anyone who reads. By this I mean that I don't want to appear fake or false in my posts- I want to share what's really going on in my life, how I'm really feeling and thinking. Maybe this will lead to a couple of TMI (too much information) moments, but I think that people need to share more than they do and I really think honesty is the best policy. Let's be open and keep it real!
4) Join and/or start an online or in person book club. I know this is super general but hey, I'm keeping it easy here. Ideally, I would like to join an in person book club for gals in Columbia, but unfortunately I haven't found any. I'm considering starting one, but we will see where I decide to concentrate my time...This can definitely help out with number 1 though.
5) Write letters!
6) Save $100 a month. Okay, for some of you this may sound ridiculously easy. For me, it's actually a pretty big challenge. Right now I'm making $13,500 a year (keeping it real here- yes, that's how much I roll in per year)...it's great and I am SO thankful for it, but it is borderline impossible to save. This is an important goal though because I will have no set income for June and July, especially if I do manage to go to language school, and we are still going to need to do things like, I dunno, eat and pay rent. Dominic's income is obviously a monumental help and he will probably be paying the bulk of the bills in the summer, but neither one of us can do it all alone. So a little savings would be a huge help!
That's it for me. Let's tackle a new year with open arms, hearts, and minds.
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