This past year was not a great year. I kept thinking through the year that “man I wish this year was done” and “ 2013 was incredibly shitty”. That being said, when I look back on it, and especially in comparison to some other folks I know, it was not as bad as I originally thought.

So instead of focusing on all the crap that went wrong in the year, I decided to focus on the positive and highlight some cool things that happened this year. With the help of my Project 365, I can actually look into the way-back glass and see where I was at what time and what happened. NONE of this could have happened without the wonderful people in my life.  Friends, Family, and this amazing woman I know who somehow, despite all my misfortune, still manages to want to be around me! (most of the time).

• I accomplished 3 separate photography projects that I think came out VERY well.
  • Project 365 (Ending today)
  • Kuwait Feral cats
  • Coffee Shop Portraits
• I traveled to at least 4 different countries around the world
  • Kuwait
  • Bahrain
  • St. Thomas
  • Saint Maartin
• I met HUNDREDS of new amazing people and a large percentage of those people I would consider friends now.
• I met quite a few people that I truly admire, and got to sit and talk with them more than just a “Thank you for your autograph” way.
• I got to play Artemis with a bunch of celebrities! (I know, right?)
• I got to witness a NASA launch that took a probe to the moon
• I got to witness and photograph two amazing people get married when most of the US denies them that right
• I opened an ETSY store for some of my Photography prints (And even sold some!)
• I may have lost my job, but I found a great new one at a great company
• I got to watch a taping of Ask Me Another, and the had NPR ask me if they could use MY photos on the site for the show
• I Became a webcomic artist (Which still feels weird to say)
• Sarah and I has a great vacation in FL (despite being unemployed)
• We kicked off the kitchen remodel project Sarah has been wanting for 5 years
• I helped an awesome charity give people clean water

So yeah….when you look back on it without the doom and despair eyes, 2013 wasn’t all that bad!  Yes, Bad things happen all through the year, it happened to us, and it happened to lots of friends we know.  But we need to not look at just the bad!  I would encourage all of my friends and family to look back on the year and not focus on the the bad that happened, but look for the good.

Oh, and my New Years Resolution?  Well, I thought about this one quite a bit.  I used to always see other people, be it celebrities, or artists, or even just folks that people I know know, and think “Man, it would be awesome to be friends with that person, I bet we would have a lot in common.”  Well, the problem with that is that I am not currently friends with them, and really there is no incentive for that person to be friends with me.

So I resolve to not try and be friends with people I don’t know, but to be a person that the people I don’t know want to be friends with.  I think I would much rather focus on someone that other people look at and think “Man, it would be awesome to be friends with that person, I bet we would have a lot in common.”

Happy new year everyone!  Lets be friends in 2014