a new year.

it's always sort of crazy weird and overwhelming when one year ends and another begins.

i definitely feel like the older i get the faster time flies.
i mean wasn't it just a few months ago that i was ringing in 2012?
crazy horse.

but crazy as it is, it's here.
it's 2013.
and i'm looking forward to it being a good year.
but right now i'm reminiscing on a few good moments of 2012.

like:

spending all our holidays out at my parents house. this was easter sunday. i will truly miss spending holidays with them now that they're moved away.

spending some weeks in Spartanburg/Boiling Springs, SC visiting my sister and her family.

...it was during that visit to South Carolina to see my sister that i began doing the Insanity workout. (umm..i seriously just deleted and re-uploaded that picture more times than i care to admit. incredibly embarrassed about my before picture. please do not judge. also my face in both pictures. woof.)

watching the catching, head removal and skinning of a ginormous eastern diamond back rattler. okay, this was terrifying, and i totally had goosebumps and weird stomach leaping feelings every time i looked at that serpent, but it definitely turned into a story worth telling. just not for the snake. (also, we had a super good time tie-dying t-shirts for the fourth of july.) (also, my dad's face is perfection in this picture.)

going on a fabulous 2 week vacation to California. seeing family and practically living in a swimmy suit is just about the greatest thing ever. 

meeting my new baby niece and seeing my "adopted" sister again for the first time in 2 years.

going to the most redneck festival of all time with my family and grandma. twas a blast.

voting for the first time ever. being american is pretty boss.

making progress in my Insanity work outs. i'm still going. and it still kicks my butt every single day. Shaun T, you slay me dead.

road tripping to Arizona with my love.

christmasing. garrett and i haven't really done much by way of christmas decorations in the past, so we were pretty thrilled to have a tree this year. also, we took gilly to see santa. and it was pretty much great.

being able to be present for the baby blessings of both of my sweet baby nieces. and YES, my grandparents did fly to Georgia to surprise all of us (except my parents) for Christmas. it nearly brought me to tears i was so thrilled to have them there for Christmas. (bottom pictures: my siblings and my grandparents)

taking family pictures.

and fighting off an assassination attempt by a brutal band of sand gnats. i swear there were 4 stuck to my lip gloss. and at least 2 up my nose. and i definitely swallowed a couple. protein!

and of course, saying goodbye to these wonderful people. they moved across the country and i will miss them more than i'll know how to express every single day. but i am so excited for their new beginning and for all of the good things to come in their lives.

2012, it's been real. thanks for the good stuff.
2013, let's be friends.

love,
kate.

lyrics: New Years will bring so much to say. but nothing comes out right.