full disclosure

i had some big dreams for 2005. some were written down for the world to see, others were kept only in my head, too important to even document. the biggest of them came true 12 days ago, when our baby girl was born. i suppose, in comparison to this miracle, none of my other resolutions or goals matter much. but before i publish my new year's resolutions for 2006, i thought i'd recap some other highlights from 2005.

over the past 12 months, i took a photo a day, every day, without fail. my little camera went with me everywhere, to germany, finland, greece, the usa, wales, and malta. it documented our search for a studio flat in london, and our visits from friends throughout the year. it recorded my growing belly, and witnessed the subtle changes in my life, as i developed friendships and started feeling more at home in the uk. in the past couple of weeks, it has started recording madeline's growth and development and her impact on our lives. as the year closes, i realize that i have a collection of images from 2005 that are a better visual record than any other year of my 34.

after seven years at my current company, i requested and got approval for an eight-week sabbatical in april and may, which made me appreciate my work and career even more than before but also allowed me to get needed balance back into my life. during that sabbatical, i took a solo trip to malta, where i saw the family i lived with in finland when i was 16, for the first time in a decade. i also enrolled in a creative writing class, where i learned to write short stories.

richard and i spent a significant amount of time in our great capital city in 2005, taking advantage of the culture and history just beyond our doorstep. i visited most of london's major museums, some of my favourites (including the national portrait gallery and the v&a) multiple times. we went to the theatre, seeing billy elliot, mary poppins, guys & dolls, shakespeare at the globe, mamma mia, and high society, to name just a few. we spent time in marylebone, the neighbourhood near our new flat. i started out the year counting these visits to ensure i would meet my goal of at least 24 days in london, but we had already hit 14 as early as april, so i stopped counting. my most recent visit was just a few days before giving birth to madeline. rich and i went in to go to an evening lecture with a friend. i think living near london is an amazing opportunity, and we plan to continue our frequent journeys into the city again this year.

in addition to these stand out achievements, i celebrated the birthdays of all of my employees, created a personal travel map with richard where we record places we've been and places we want to go next, and completed a 360 degree feedback process at work to better understand my strengths and weaknesses. i started eating breakfast--not only four times a week as i had hoped, but every day. in fact, i developed a particular weakness for organic oatmeal.

as i'm intending for this to be a full disclosure, i have to admit that i didn't meet all of my goals. the garden is not landscaped. the wedding album is still not finished. i know no more about my family history than i did 12 months ago. and sadly, my visits to the spa were few and far between. but it's 11:44pm on new year's eve and i am out of time in 2005. richard and i just fed and settled madeline for the night, it is quiet in the nursery, and we are watching jools holland while we wait for midnight. all told, i am proud of what i have achieved this year, and look forward to 2006.

happy new year, everyone!

Comments

[Michel]

Thats a lot achieved for one year...regrets on things not achieved should be replaced by new hope. Good luck to you and your family in the New Year.

[Lain (Knit and Purl Grrl)]

I think it was Michelangelo who said, "May I always aspire to more than I can achieve." Or something to that effect. :)

Congrats on your accomplishments! I am going to create a similar list. I did a list of what I will NOT be doing in 2006, so now it's time to make a list of what I WILL be doing.
:)
xoxoxo
Lainie