What a whirlwind vacation: a 20-hour road trip with a toddler and a bloodhound (not nearly as awful as I thought it would be!) from Austin to Tampa, a couple days with my family in Florida, a last-minute change to our flight to avoid the blizzard that descended upon Indiana, a Christmas-day flight to Matt’s hometown in Bloomington, five days of snow, a trip to the pediatrician for antibiotics, two flights back to Florida along with a 2-hour car ride to get to my best friend’s house on the other side of Florida, a New Year’s party, a trip to the beach, a two-hour trip back to my family’s hometown,

As much as I like the festive Christmas spirit, I really, really like the new year. I like the natural cycle of reflection, planning, goal-setting, dreaming, and the renewed sense of energy I feel.

My friends and I have been filling out this New Year’s Reflection form since I created it in 2005. Last year, I added Andrea’s reflection into the mix, which is more holistic. We also make a collage to represent the kind of year we want to have. I like Andrea’s idea of having a mantra for the year. This year, I want to make sure I incorporate my mantra into my collage.

My mantra for 2012