when this year began, i had a new zest for life. i had successfully put the past 2 horrible years behind me and instead of wallowing in whatever pity i had, i decided to take those lemons that were handed to me and make vodka sodas. winning. as we embark on a brand new year, i wanted to take some time to reflect on 2011 and how amazing it was:
family - the last 2 years were spent battling my horrible depression and kicking it's ass. my relationship with my family suffered and we went through a lot but we came out closer than ever. thanks to the amazing support of my friends and family - especially my husband, who stuck by me during my darkest days - i came out victorious and and a much stronger person.
i've watched kayla grow into an amazing, bright and hilarious toddler. her voice, her singing, her laughter fills our hearts and home with so much joy. it's amazing to see her growing independence and (unfortunately?) her defiance as she tries to assert said independence. we can't imagine life without her.
friends - my friends were with me throughout my entire ordeal whether they knew or not. you know who you are. you know you have an amazing set of friends when they know when to say the right things and when not to say anything at all. in some cases, i just needed to be around people; to try and remember what being normal felt like and they provided just the right comfort.
work - i love my job; always have. even if i try on different roles in different industries, i always end up consulting back at the company where i began my career. my director and my team are the best and i'm not just saying that because they're my team - they're smart, funny and just plain awesome to work with. they have the same work ethic as me - we put our heads down and do everything and anything to get the job done, even if it's outside of our "job description". my director always puts me on the most high-profile, innovative and fun projects and fun projects come few and far between where i am. i've only worked with 2 great directors and he's one of them.
the blogosphere - i met some great people through the blogosphere this year, both online and in real life. you ladies know who you are. i used to blog blindly; i never visited anyone else's blog nor did i leave comments or respond to those who were kind enough to leave me a comment. i realized that blogging involves a form of etiquette that you must extend to other bloggers and ignoring those who took the time to visit your site and learn about you, well, that's just bad form!
to all my bloggy pals and dear readers - you are the best! thanks for sticking around and reading my mindless, often senseless, random drivel!
travel - in april 2011, we booked our first family trip to turks and caicos. it was a sesame street themed resort so we knew that kayla would lose her shizz the second she saw elmo and the gang. this resort did not disappoint; we booked a catamaran cruise, kayla met some new friends and we had a great time relaxing and enjoying the beautiful sandy beaches.
then in july, my bloggy pals and i headed out to las vegas for the asian sensation blogging expedition and it was all kinds of awesome! when a group of girls chat about going on a trip, on rare occasions does it actually work out. well, this was one of those occasions and it was amazing. i'll admit that i secretly thought it would fall by the wayside especially since it involved 2 bloggers none of us have ever met in person but only knew through the blogosphere. well, i'm glad i was wrong; we had such a great time and not only did i get to bond with the girls i already knew, but two new friendships blossomed in the process; 2 friendships that i know will last a lifetime. reni and elisse, it really is too bad that you're so far away!
happiness - when things sucked really bad for me in 2009 and part of 2010, i didn't think i could truly be happy again. thankfully i was wrong; in fact, things couldn't be better. i've learned along the way that happiness is a state of mind; that in order to be truly happy, you have to be happy with yourself, who you are and what you have. once you understand that and know what an amazing person you are, it's easy to tell those who try to bring you down to suck a fat one. it's an amazing feeling.
happy new year to you all. may 2012 bring you much love and happiness.





