Once upon a time in 2014...

Dearest 2014, 

 I used you this year as a year of soul searching. I started making small lifestyle changes, caved into giving things a second chance, and embraced the word spontaneity.. As a result, I discovered I do indeed have a love of Oreos, and realized yellow Gatorade really isn't as bad as I always made it out to be. I found that it is impossible to move your place with only one other person and keep your sanity at the same time. Impossible I tell you. Pendulum (Pen-duh-lum) is REALLY pronounced Pen-Juh-luh M. Gratitude goes a long way. Colorado is beautiful. I don't care  what anyone says, I am getting older and birthday's are STILL fun (attitude is a choice). Ziggy Marley is great in concert. Sometimes you just gotta "Shake it off." A decent sense of timeliness.   Ah wait, I haven't quite mastered that one yet. Thank goodness for 2015 resolutions, so there's still time.

But more importantly, 2014, I decided to challenge myself and do things I didn't realize I was capable of. Running a 1/2 marathon. Twice. Entering myself into my first bike race. Rode 30 miles in freezing rain/snow. Probably wouldn't do that again but it was my first one. I was naive, so don't worry, a lesson was learned. I worked through a growing pain in myself as a professional. Continued to pursue my love of dance. Learned that life can be a real pain in derriere. Oh wait, I continue to learn that every year and on a daily basis. And as much as I pride myself in being a more private person and appreciate my private life, I acted on a crazy and wild idea to start a blog.

So 2014, you sure had your peaks and valleys. A set of crazy twists and turns. I believe I learned more about myself in your year than I have in all my 20s combined (compliments to you of course). Okay, maybe a little over exaggerating here, but I had a lot of aha/sad/happy/scary/eye-opening/pushing myself out of my box experiences. However, despite your occasional punches to the gut and gentle pats on the back, I have made it.

So 2014, in tribute to your final hours I will spend my time choosing to reflect on the more glorious days I've experienced this year. It's been a real ride, yet I must admit I am very excited to write my next fairytale book of life in 2015.

All the best and putting you 2014 to rest.

Cheers!

xoxo Ashley

Have a happy and safe New Year's celebration. See you next year!

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