You Take The Good, You Take The Bad, You Take Them Both and There You Have . . .

So it's that time of year again. The taking-stock time. The thinking-it-over time. The making-plans time. The looking-back-and-then-ahead time.

This year feels too big, too chockfull of life events. But in thinking it over, there were really only two big events. The birth of my daughter. And moving away from what had become home. One incredibly happy, one incredibly sad. But both changed everything.

For me, it was a year of being alone. I spent more time by myself this year than I ever have. Whether it was time in my apartment in San Francisco while my baby napped or time working away in my home office in Seattle, I have never spent so much time without the company of others. It isn't necessarily bad, it is just different.

Here, in this new place, my world is small. There, in my old place, my world was big, bursting at the seams almost.

So what will next year bring? I don't know. But I hope my world gets a little bigger here. And I hope (against hope) that maybe (just maybe) parts of my old world will come to (and maybe stay in?!) my new world!

Here's to hoping that 2007 brings happiness to us all. I raise my glass of champagne to you all and wish you Happy New Year!