This year has been filled with the unexpected, the hard, and the beautiful. Each year when we reach the end and I look back, it never seems quite right that the new year is upon us. I always find myself wondering where the year went, how it could go by so quickly, and what the next might bring. I’m one of those people who loves to hold on to and remember the past, so New Years is always bittersweet.

2012 was a big year for me in so many ways. I have learned so much about design, about being unique – not doing everything others do – , about life and how to live it. I’ve seen my focus shift and narrow to being completely myself in everything I do – from design to photography to life in general. I’ve felt the pressure to be like other people, and I’ve decided it isn’t worth it to copy another person and stifle who I am. I’ve learned as fully in my heart and mind as I can, that life is so short, that there will be a time when I’m not here, and that I need to use every second I have for Jesus. I’ve learned that I need to love the people I know, regardless of their personalities, of their origins, of their bents. We’ve all been given a certain amount of time to live – we’ve all been placed here for a purpose – and we have to take that very short time and use it to the fullest, to glorify Jesus and contribute as much as we can to the lives of those we love, and to give of ourselves for those who will come after us.

I have no idea what 2013 holds. I have my dreams and my wishes – and I don’t know which ones will come true. I think I’m ready to see, ready for a new year. Welcome, 2013.