koalas in Christmas hats

Thanks for always looking out for me :)

Another year-gone-by sort of post.

First up, thanks for being my friends and family. You're all awesome and I love that I can count on you to be there for me through anything. I love that even though I'm not super stellar at keeping in touch, the friends I do re-connect with share their lives in such a way that I feel like no time or distance has really passed between us. I love that my friends and family can do anything, talk about anything with me- whether it's a baking bonanza, a jog (or slog) around the park, a Disney marathon, a serious discussion about what kind of poo I just trod in, or how to make my computer cooperate. So thanks, to all of you. I hope I"m the kind of person you like to be around, and I strive to be there for you, too.

Secondly, this year was great, in no small part to those above. I got to see a new country- New Zealand, a place I can't wait to go back and see more of. I explored my home state, taking in the history and sights that were both old and familiar but new and different, thanks to the lens of living in a faraway coutnry. I went to California, a new part of my home country (to me), which was beautiful and big and super-diverse. I visited new parts of Australia, climbing in Victoria and finding pretty places in the bush around Sydney. In exploring these places, I found parts of myself, and quite a few of these spots were a bit rough around the edges. These are places I can polish, experiences I'd like to try again with a bit more mindfulness.

Me in my element- sitting by a creek, poking stuff.

Thirdly, I learned a lot this year. Not just facts and figures, but skills, too. I got over my fear of making fermented things, and I encourage everyone to give making yogurt a crack (so tasty! So easy!). I baked, I got my nerd on, I even knitted my cat a scarf. He hates it, but that's okay. I am getting better with stats and bugs and plants. I can get a point across, and I can explain something to someone in at least 10 different ways. I dig what I do on a daily basis, if only because what I do requires that I dabble in anything that pops up.


There's a lot happening in my life (and everyone's life, really), a lot of bustling and busy-ness. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in that crazy current. Still, however, I have a good feeling for what I want, where I stand, and what matters to me. To me, that's reassuring.

I'm super excited for the new year. I'm facing some hard work, some long days, some grueling weeks, and a LOT of stress. But I'll get through it, I'll learn a lot, and next year I'll wonder where the time went. I'm looking forward to my fieldwork, and excited about the prospect of publishing. I'm excited for all the climbing, the surfing, the running and swimming and biking I'm going to do this year. I wonder what kind of breads and cookies I'll concoct, what new fruits and vegetables I will try (this year it was Jerusalem artichokes), what new places I will see.

And that is all, at least for 2013 :)