Reflection.

This is my 3rd New Years post. You can read 2010′s here and 2011′s here. In 2010, I focused on the bests and worsts of the year. In 2011, I made a list of my favorite things of the year. In Auld Lang Syne tradition, let’s take a look at this past year.

I LOVED 2011. I remember thinking, on NYE last year, that if 2011 was so amazing then just think what 2012 would be. I had plenty of excitement and positivity. And then 2012 hit. On January 1st, 2012, my dad collapsed and an ambulance came. He was fine, but that certainly was a scary start to what is usually such a day of hope and clean-slatedness. A week or so later, I lost my car key at 100 Acres. A week after that, I lost my iPhone (but do have a hilarious story to tell about that experience). So we can easily chalk up January to being a crap month.

The next month, however, started off much stronger. I celebrated my 31st birthday in a room full of my favorite people. I was part of #social46 for the Indianapolis hosted Super Bowl which was such an incredible time for everyone living in this city. And from there, the months of February – April were focused on running, work, traveling and helping chair a campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. All that hard work paid off! In April, I PRed my 8th marathon at a 4:15:01!!! And in May, the day before I ran my first Ultra Marathon, I helped raise over $16,000 for L&LS! Oh, did I mention I then become an ultra-marathoner that weekend? Yep – from glamour to crawling through the mud – it was by far a highlighted weekend of the spring.

The summer kicked off with the Ragnar relay where I was able to run alongside a team of strong, inspiring women over 36 hours and 200 miles. We traveled afoot from Madison, WI to Chicago and despite the tears and exhaustion, had a little fun on the way. One of the “bests” of 2012 had to be our Call Me Maybe video. You know you wanna watch.

Soon after that race, however, I got a little malaise about my running. Maybe lazy mixed with cockiness? Regardless, I didn’t train as hard as I should have for my upcoming 9th marathon. For those loyal followers, you know that I struggled that training season. I never got my stride and really didn’t have the motivation necessary. I can think of a thousand reasons, but regardless of how those weeks went, I did manage to cross the finish line in Chicago in early October with two of my best friends. It wasn’t my best race (in fact, my slowest!) but it was so much fun. I loved every second.

Also in October (otherwise known as the busiest month of my life), JD and I moved into our new house. We absolutely love living in Herron-Morton and being downtown. The house is pretty much put together now with just a few details missing. We love our neighbors and though we had 6 years of amazing memories in our old home, we were ready for the next chapter

We also went to Mexico with some of our closest friends, Nathan and Hunter, in October. We relaxed, laughed, played games, danced and even released baby sea turtles out into the ocean. This was tremendous experience I’ll never forget.

And then in November, one of my biggest moments of the year, I was featured in Marie Claire. I know you have heard me talk about The Sussy Project before. It’s a passion of mine that has garnered quite the following since I started it in June 2011. And when Marie Claire (article here – I’m page 2) asked me to be in their December issue, I almost died. As I stood in the airport, seeing my face in the magazine for the first time, I kept thinking about how Nina Garcia has potentially seen it. And maybe even the cover girl, Jessica Chastain. I WAS IN THE SAME MAGAZINE AS JESSICA CHASTAIN????? I am so incredibly proud of what we have done with The Sussy Project. I love the attention it is getting (my hometown newspaper, WTHR, Fox59 and for all you locals, be sure to check the IndyStar this Sunday!) and that we are able to surprise more people with kindness. I hope 2013 has even bigger things in store for TSP.

There were some really great moments of 2012. I met new friends. I developed deeper friendships with old ones. I PRed my marathon time, became an ultra marathoner and slept in a van with 5 other women talking about everything from skittles to scissoring. I live in a gorgeous home. I had the best year of my career work-wise. I traveled to Miami, LA, Vegas (girls trip!), Canada, Napa, San Francisco, Mexico. It’s been a busy, productive, exciting and fun year.

But oddly enough, as the clock ticked down last night, I thought “good riddance.” Because sometimes when a year looks great on the outside, it isn’t always on the inside. I’m doing a lot of self-reflection, self-auditing. And though it’s progressive, it’s not always easy. In fact, sometimes it’s quite painful. And I know these aren’t things I blog about often as they are personal and intimate and make me feel very vulnerable to discuss. But I never want people to come to this blog and feel anything but real, raw, sincere me. The good, but also the honest. So I am just going to say that though I can look back and think “You know, 2012 was a pretty damn good year after all” I can also tell you that I am extremely excited for 2013. I am excited to get my groove back in every aspect. I am ready for the fresh start that every January 1st promises.

And I have to say that despite 2012 having one last laugh on me – giving me a stomach virus on the day of our huge New Year’s Eve party which resulted in me vomiting whilst wearing a strapless gown – it was quite the evening. We hosted 35 of our closest friends for a 007 James Bond themed party including a Casino Royale Blackjack tournament, a Goldeneye Bullseye Tournament, a photo booth, Entrapment Challenge and of course, a dance party. As I sat on the couch, sipping a Diet Coke, knees to chest in an attempt to make my tummy feel better, I looked out upon the crowd and thought that I am very lucky. Very blessed indeed.

 Next up…..looking ahead to 2013.