Last New Year's Eve, uber reluctant to bid 2011 adieu, Grams + I found ourselves walking along a cobblestone street in Kensington trying to find our way back to our hotel after spending the afternoon in a snowy Christmas village. It was right before midnight where a gorgeous display of fireworks would light up London's skyline when the heel of my favorite brown boot broke off. I briefly faltered but after cursing the cobble + catching my balance, I clearly remember looking up at my grandmother and saying, "Please don't let this be a foreshadowing of how this new year is going to turn out." ...
Ohmyforeshadowing, it was. I contemplated not doing a review of twenty-twelve {frankly because I am so excited to see this year come to an end, I might just crawl in to bed at 7:30 tonight + forego the sequins, the ball drop + all that jazz.} but after reminiscing over last year's review here + o-ten's review here, I decided it would be a lovely, more jocelyn-esque idea to give 2012 a proper farewell, seeing that I am a huge fan of closure + all.
January arrived. I laid out my wishes for the new year but then snowmaggedon hit Seattle sending my car sliding sideways down the hill I lived on in Green Lake + with it went all my resolutions. Right. out. the. window. Thanks to the good graces of a kind neighbor, I made it to Carly's 25th birthday celebration + had an amazing time gulping sipping wine in Santa Barbara. I was also given my first nickname, I snow-shoed through a quaint little German town + realized who the girl really worth having was.
I started my very first clinical rotation + proceeded to spend nearly every day of this entire year in a NICU... coping only by attending happy hour @ 7:30 am. I put a chest tube in a chicken, learned that life's moments of impact will change our lives forever... and to let the hard ones go. I also encouraged every one of you to go find passion, the most beautiful make-up for a woman. 
March marvelled on, the paradigms shifted + I instagrammed my heart out. I didn't sleep hardly a wink the entire winter quarter until I went on a little weekend away to Tennessee when my heart grew too big for my body. I spent countless hours in local coffee shops drinking hazelnut lattes + was overjoyed to spend my spring break slowboarding in Whistler with Sammi. I met a wonderful friend {hi Alex!} from Texas + I grew exponentially fonder of the yummy cuisine in every niche of Seatown.
In April, cherry blossoms bloomed + I delved in to crossfit. I went to Florida for an impromptu roommate reunion at a little resort on the east coast of where we remade Call Me Maybe before it went viral + the world followed suit. I fell more madly in love with the Pacific Northwest daily {especially the tulip fields} but also made a shocking discovery that Portlandia is real, y'all.
May was liberating as I discovered what I would do with my one wild + precious life on a drive illuminated by the super moon through the Redwood Forest. I went to LALA land + ran a half marathon in NorCal on the Avenue of the Giants. I traveled to Sea World with Reese, Kara, Megan, Jess + Ella + my life became more technicolorful. Oh, and I finally found the words to honor my mama. 
June was an overwhelming mess of classroom, clinical + work. .. where the adult learner in me had an incredibly hard time balancing the Libra's in me need to be social... foregoing all sleep as laundry piled up, my inbox flooded and I lost all control of my life with the start of summer. I moved to Belltown. This little blog turned 5. I escaped to LA for the weekend to frolic in vineyards + dream of traversing around the country in an airstream. I snuck back to Winnipeg for an amazing friend's wedding + relished in family love. 
In July, I celebrated independence + commuted to Anchorage to attend my Level II clinicals in an awesome NICU with an incredible team of practitioners. I slowly transitioned back to blonde. I met another amazing friend + we painted Seattle rad redefining Sunday Funday on the three days off I had that entire month. My schedule was brutal but amazing:: brutally amazing.
Oh, August. You spoiled me with all your sunshine. Rollerblading was my favorite way to take in the gorgeous skyline + those western sunsets. It became a habit to spend sunday perusing farmers' markets + having bonfires at the beach. I nested with Kara in preparation for baby boy + paddleboarded with Sammi through deep cove. I hiked nearly every afternoon I had off + by the end of August, Seattle had me completely wrapped around its space-needle-of-a-finger.
September was a perpetual happy celebration of my golden birthday. Heather + I explored the San Juans. Celeste + I ventured to the end of the Earth. I helped a car thief escape from an overturned vehicle. Jason Mraz performed at the gorge + I spent every night of my birthday week with all my favorite Seattlites before flying to Knox to celebrate with the light of my life. It was golden, indeed.
October was overwhelming with the impending doom of leaving Seattle but I continued to get lost in apple orchards + took full advantage of restaurant week {which is actually two weeks} to spend quality time with my favorites. College football was in full swing + my final farewell to a city so full of wonderful people and a job that didn't once feel like work was: beautiful. All my favorite friends in one spot? I am one lucky girl. 
November was spent on a tropical island for my first Level III clinicals where I mostly learned that island living isn't for everyone, especially this girl. Before heading to Hellwaii, I spent a lovely weekend in LA with a few of the girls that make leaving Seattle so insanely hard. And after two years of heart mending, I was able to happily let go, give thanks + take a surf lesson with an adorable instructor named DJ. 
This last month has been a series of highs + lows returning only briefly to Seattle to write finals. With exams came a few good-byes my heart wasn't ready to make as the reality of leaving Seattle hit me full force boarding that east-bound plane + I ugly cried in the security queue at Seatac. I had a lovely weekend in Tahoe with two-thirds of my other halves but I miss my roommates immensely + decided this whole living in three parts of the country is not acceptable. But I was delighted to return to my sister's cozy home just in time for the holidays where Santa came with a new little nephew, a couple of weeks too soon. My beautiful sister and her sweet husband are ringing in the new year in the neonatal intensive care unit celebrating their new tiny little life... a fragile miracle that is humbling my heart + putting my blessed life back in to perspective... one breath at a time.
This year has definitely been chalk full of discovery + my one resolution for this coming year is to put myself + all said little discoveries together in one place + slow down.
2013, I'm armed {with optimism} + ready {for your arrival}. 10, 9, 8,...
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