hope

I am officially getting old. Pete and I spent last night eating a delish steak dinner (which is now going to be our new years eve tradition), drinking bubbly and hanging out with Anderson Cooper, Kathy Griffin and 1 million of our closest friends freezing their butts off in Times Square. Unfortunately, since we rang in the new year with our East Coast comrades, we were sufficiently partied out by 10:30. Oh well.

The first day of a new year is usually a day full of promises of fresh starts: resolutions to lose weight, quit smoking, jog 5 miles a day. The past few years I haven't made resolutions, mostly because I always break them and seriously? There’s enough to feel bad about nowadays, I don’t need to add any fuel to the fire. This year, I have hopes for myself, things I want to incorporate into the big picture of my life, and that I aspire to carry with me long after this new year is over. 

I hope to be more thoughtful; to call my family and friends more often; to eat more of the amazing food grown around me instead of trucked in from far away; to be more active and to make exercise a part of my life instead of something I make myself do; to be more creative and productive, whether it be through photography, sewing, gardening, or baking; and to explore more of my environment. I hope to do these things because I know that they will make me a healthier person, both physically and mentally.

I hope that you said goodbye to 2008 surrounded by people you love, that you enjoyed the last year of wearing those new years glasses, that you drank tons of champagne, that your hangover wasn't too bad and that 2009 and beyond is everything you hope it to be.