So Long, 2017

This was the best year of my life. 

California has felt so unlike home for so long--we've been here for almost a year and a half and I still find myself missing the East Coast and all the people we love who live on that side of the country. But in 2017 I finally let go and said yes more, even though my goal was to simplify my life. Instead I wrote two books, became a Pure Barre instructor, moved into a new place, and had a baby.

And yet somehow by taking on what sometimes seemed like an unending number of new things, I learned what really matters to me: family, health, happiness, friendship--that's it.

We live in a cozy house with a sweet pup and our amazing daughter who has already changed our lives forever. We paid off our student loans. I worked harder--both professionally and physically--than I ever have in my life. I wrote to-do lists that were long and aggressive and somehow I managed to check most of the items off. 

And now that that's all done, maybe in 2018 I will finally slow down a bit--Sophie will see to that. More evenings on the couch nursing, more quiet mornings with coffee in hand, more afternoon walks with Ender, more visits from friends as the baby grows. Six weeks ago she was a newborn who could barely stay awake throughout the day and yesterday she looked at me and gave me an honest-to-God smile. The days are long but the years are short--I know this already; and I intend to savor every moment of this next one.

Happy New Year, friends.