seriously folks. i've had a heckofayear.

from new places to new faces. to terrifying realities about who i am and how much farther i have to go. to being completely blown away by the joys and intimacy found in community.

so ... just a little recap of my second year in l.a.

places i roamed this year:
new york city, santa barbara, toronto, mexico, kansas(twice), disney land (thanks to my annual pass), malibu, st. louis, chicago, washington d.c., india, china, honduras.
note: i spent a little over 9 weeks away from l.a. this year ... that's crazy.

things i saw:
creepy people at knottscary farm, niagara falls, the stars hanging over my city from the gorgeous griffith observatory, lots of waves splashing against the shore, vineyards, canyons, dave matthews band at the hollywood bowl, snope (fake snow), a blizzard in kansas, great wall of china for the first time.
note: even though i didn't see it ... i felt my first earthquake this year. yay!

new obsessions:
brunch, thanksgiving in mexico, christmas time at the grove, wine, rooftop pool parties and BBQs, economic development in the third world, surrounding myself with people who are MUCH MORE talented than i, road trips throughout southern california, staying up late with alice and talking about how we're changing the world.

things i thought i'd never do (but did this year):
stand in line on opening day for a product, pierce my nose, buy a car, fall in love with someone from california, go to a fraternity formal, actually live in the heart of a major city, be in a band with signed artists, help produce a film, spend time in a landfill and miss the smell and the people i met there, start a master's program

oh so thankful for:
visitors from home, my honduras team and the people we met there, being in the most incredible band EVER at mosaic, my roommate and our awesome loft in downtown l.a., my best friend's healthy pregnancy, my family and their enthusiasm for vince and i to come home and visit, vince and his family and friends who have taught me how to love and let go long enough to let them love me, mosaic and all it's messiness and beauty. and for the insanely adventurous journal God sent me on two years ago to find him in a way that only i would connect to.

here's to another year of goodness ...