For the past several years, I have done what I call ‘December Diaries’, writing one post for every day in December. Last year I did not do so well at this, a task I gave myself, but I always say I am going to try.

And here we are, December 2013. Here’s what is going on today:

• My birthday is exactly one week from today. I am a huge fan of birthdays, of celebrating people & their existence, and December 10th has always held that excitement for me. As a December baby, I was often lumped into the holiday festivities when I was younger, a sort of ‘kill two birds with one stone’ scenario. One year, I was determined to have my own party, so I invited every kid in my class over to celebrate my birthday…forgetting to mention it to my parents. They found out when a parent of one of my classmates called to confirm the time, and handled it pretty nicely for two people who did not enjoy shoes on the carpet. We had a ‘chat’ about it later.
• My hair is getting longer, and this morning I was able to pull it into a tiny ponytail. Honestly, it’s the little things in life that bring me so much satisfaction, but this is a major accomplishment for someone who’s had short hair all of her twenties (that’s me).
• My little nephew is a month old, and I am so in love with him. I’ve never been extremely comfortable around babies, because they are so breakable, but he’s just the perfect little buddy. The best part is mealtime, because while drinking his bottle, he absolutely reminds me of this video:

Seriously, little things are the best.

• Work is going really well. I am finding a fire and a passion for certain things, and am trying to learn everything I can by listening and watching everything. I enjoy the challenges, even when I feel stressed, and I can’t really imagine being happier in a job. I can only hope this grows as the next year goes on.
• I’ve been noticing an extreme stubbornness starting to take root in me this last year. I speak with a stronger conviction, I stand a little straighter, and I get quickly irritated when people attempt to direct my path. I am not speaking in professional terms, just my personal life, and I generally feel no remorse telling people no. “It’s really liberating to say no to shit you hate.”

Happy December, friends.