Instead of a Christmas Letter...

My Year in Review: 2012 in Charity-land

Georgia, Florida, California. Weekend adventures, beach-walking, road-tripping, moving. Hotels, apartments, bay-side living, even my car. New friends, new places, old friends, and older memories. 15 states (3 of them new), 8 planes, a few trains, and thousands of miles on my car. Turned 28 for the second time and settled down for the first time. Bought a bed, a Kindle Fire, a new computer, and the usual share of wedding presents. Attended 1 wedding, 0 baby showers, and 0 funerals. Made scrolls for the first time and chocolate chip cookies for the millionth time. I visited my family, and they visited me.

This was the first year since 1979 that we didn't have our entire family in one place at the same time; it was the first year that we didn't fight over what to wear for family pictures; the first year I was the one watching a sibling move off to another country indefinitely; the first time I missed a roommate reunion since I started going to them; first year since college that I have only one W-2.

I'm good. Good apartment, good city, good roommate, good job, good church, good Bible study, good friends, good-ish car, good computer, good times. Commitment-phobia: still present, but less than in 2011. San Diego: fantastic (do I really live here?).

Things I didn't do: camp, take up smoking, replace my car, get a boyfriend, kick my caffeine addiction, read J. K. Rowling's new book, get a piercing, get a traffic ticket, have a baby, bake a cake, go skydiving.

Things I did do: lived in a hotel, took up a collection, fixed my car, thought about getting a boyfriend, kicked my toe (and fell on my thumb), read the unabridged "Les Miserables," got a roommate, got in a traffic accident (minor - no injuries), held a few babies, baked cookies, went snorkeling.

Top THAT, 2013. I dare ya.

12 Things I Did for the First Time: in 2012

• Road-tripped cross-country solo (Everybody sing: "I'm ridin' solo / I'm ridin' solo")
• Cooked eggplant - successfully, I might add
• Mailed a package to Sweden
• Illuminated a scroll (can't post a pic, until the person it was for receives it)
• Registered a car in California (though, I didn't obtain my CA driver's license for the first time)
• Bought a bookshelf
• Drank wine
• Tasted beer (Wow, two alcohol-related bullet points. Scandalous!)
• Wrapped every Christmas gift before giving it
• Refinished (and re-upholstered) a piece of furniture. With Roommate. But still.
• Attended a pirate festival
• Denied my real age (I told everyone I was turning 28 again, because prime numbers annoy me)

So yeah, it was a pretty good year. Not gonna lie.

Happy '13, everyone! (Ugh, a prime number)