2011 ended with a riotous bang, even if you could only hear silence here on the blog. My baby brother in-law got married on Saturday afternoon and we rocked it. All. Weekend. Long. Want to have the best New Year's Eve you've ever had? Force one of your sibs to get married, accept graciously an invitation to stand up in the wedding party, rent the Crazy Train (yup, the big one) to take you (and 50 of your closest friends) to the reception and after an entire evening of hugging the beejezus out of your extended family, dancing like maniacs, taking advantage of a very (very!) well-stocked bar and snapping a bajillion pictures in a photobooth with a viking hat on your head, strut on down to the nearest downtown for a little after-after party.
(This is the part where I don't blather on about how important detox is to me right now. Blech.)
The New Year is my favorite way to start over. I'm excited for a fresh start. There are so many things I want to do this year and like I always do, I thought I'd share a few with you. No wild expectations this year--these are intentions, not resolutions nor guidelines nor systems set up to fail. They're just the steps I'm taking toward living my idea of a well-rounded life.
* Plant a garden. This is the year. (Beets, cabbage, kale, cilantro and asparagus are at the very top of the list.)
* Make two quilts this year with my new sewing machine. I've started in on the first already.
* Make my house my home. We've been living in it for almost eight years and while I really, really love it, it still feels a bit soul-less. (I've never actually hung a picture on the wall. Is that weird?) Time to repaint the living room, hang some art, slipcover the couches and cozy in.
* Spend a long weekend in NYC, eating my way through the city with a few friends.
* Become a better cook. Recipes to conquer in 2012? Beef jerky, sauerkraut (hence the cabbage), my great-grandmother's ravioli.
* Take my yoga practice to the next level. I've been doing Yoga X for years and I love it, but I'm ready to add something new. My best friend gave me a wonderful gift for Christmas: my choice of five classes at Yen--an inspiring way to start the new year.
* Sweat every day. (I stole this one from you, Ash.)
* Be productive in my knitting life. See projects through to completion.
A new sweater I started last Tuesday. I plan to finish this one before the month is over. Really.
* Free up the knitting needles. Time to rip back the projects I don't plan to finish. There are many.
* Create space. I easily get bogged down by clutter--physically and metaphorically. 2012 is the year to clean out some closets, file, organize, purge and make room for the things that matter.
* Be happy.
What about you, friends? Any plans--big or small?
