Happy New Year

So here we are at the doorstep of a New Year, a new chapter, new beginnings. The promise of a New Year always makes us hopeful and in my case excited to see the twists and turns the New Year will bring. As I’m getting ready tonight to spend the evening with my dearest friends, I can’t help but reflect where I was at this time in 1999 and how different things are tonight.

In 1999, I was living in Seattle, Washington, I’d been there for about two months. It had been a very tumultuous 48 hours, as I lived just up the hill from the Space Needle and it was a supposed target for terrorist attacks. At one point, we were were almost evacuated. Once that was behind us, we were focused on what the passing of the year would bring. Y2K panic had set in and my neighbor came over to make sure I successfully removed myself from the national grid system. (prior to this evening I didn’t even know this was possible) There was quite a bit of excitement and concern rolling into that night as there was so much unknown. The passing of that year did not bring any danger, however it has provided for many giggles and stories over the last 10 years.

Tonight, as I prepare to roll into 2010, things are vastly different. I’m making appetizers to take to a party, as I’m spending the evening with my dearest friends. I’m also feeling incredibly grateful tonight…grateful for the new friends I’ve made in person and online, the old friends I’ve reconnected with through social media, and my friends who’ve walked with me through these last 10 years.

As we usher in a New Year, we also welcome a new decade, who knows what it will bring for us, I’m excited though. I can’t wait to see what the future brings.  I hope you feel the same! Happy New Year!