Getting drunk for the Himalayas. Whattup! (or, A bootleg version of Gossip Girl.)

New Year's Eve at a 007 James Bond party at Orange in Chicago, Illinois.

When Jeremy suggested a James Bond-themed cocktail party for New Year’s Eve I was a little skeptical. For one, it was at Orange, which is a brunch place that isn’t usually open past early afternoon. For two, it was a benefit for some Tibetan medical program and I was a little afraid that we’d be surrounded by Buddhists or something or, as Jeremy later said, feel like we were crashing someone’s office party. For three, it was a little pricey (for an unemployed girl like me, that is). But, it did include an open bar. And, if there is one thing I’m good at it’s taking advantage of an open bar.

And so, on December 31, Heather and I threw on our best Bond-girl attire (you know, dresses) and Jeremy for some reason wore an eye patch, and, after a little champagne pre-gaming, off we went. The party actually ended up being really fun, and kind of swank. I definitely took advantage of the open bar. Jeremy definitely won us a VIP table so we had a place to sit. And I may have ended the night making out with one of his friends…(OK, definitely on that one too.)

Let’s just say it was a very happy New Year…

Of course, the next morning all I wanted was a lot of coffee, a giant bowl of cheese grits, and to curl up in a ball and die….

And so, here we are. 2013. A little hungover but doing awesome. This was the second New Year in a row, and maybe in my entire life, where I could look back and forward and just be happy and excited and proud. 2012 was amazing for me and I can’t wait to see what this next year brings.

I do have a few resolutions for the year. I joked that my list would include things like stop falling for assholes (which I really should stop doing), stop eating boxes of cookies and calling it a meal (which I also should stop doing), and not talking about weddings on Twitter (because I’m sure if any guy reads my Twitter feed he’d be scared off for good — so I’m going cold turkey on this one). And it’s totally my goal to do all of those things (so I guess it wasn’t really joking). But on a slightly more serious note (if it’s at all possible for me to be serious), I have some big goals in mind for myself, such as: don’t apologize for who I am (basically stop wishing I liked things I don’t and just own up to myself), focus on the positive (“it’s easy to be happy“), find a way to tell my story (there’s something I’ve never shared on this blog and that almost no one knows, and I’ve been trying to write about for a very long time…), and be more honest with my feelings (because I have always and often been too shy to tell it like it is).

It’s going to be a busy year. Maybe I shouldn’t give up eating boxes of cookies.

I’m also sure you’re all wondering my plan for the future, not that I’ve been back in Chicago for two and a half months. When I first left on my round the world trip in 2011 I thought that there was no way I could ever want to travel for more than a year. Now, I’m starting to think that there is no way I could ever stop. So, as much as I love love love my dear city, I’m hitting the road again soon. On January 15 I’m taking a little vacation to Hawaii (for the first time ever!) and Seattle to celebrate my 32nd birthday (and my friend Jen‘s 30th!!!) And then, in February, I’m finally going to leave for Central America. Originally, I was going to travel on from Hawaii, but remember that job I had for five years before I quit? They called me up and needed some help this month. So I’m working there for a week and a half (I started back yesterday), taking a two-week vacation, and then going back for about two weeks. It’s weird being back to 9-5 work after so many months of 24-7 freedom. But I did miss the heck out of Lyric. So it really is nice to be back for a bit…and have a little cash to fund this whole Hawaii thing…

So, there you have it. An amazing night. Some rock-solid goals. And a plan. Sort of. OK, I have no plan. But who needs one, right?

Happy New Year everyone!