## and a few hopes + resolutions for 2018. I've gotta say, 2017, wasn't my best year. I have spent most of the year unemployed. I have had a number of visa issues with my move from the US to Berlin. I've lost touch with friends and loved ones. I have dealt with a randomly reoccurring autoimmune reaction that no doctor can really explain. Yet I firmly believe that each year is better than the last. Every year is full of growth and change, development and exploration. No matter how challenging a year may be - I like to think that I have become a better person because of it, and that it will make the next one just a little bit easier. Plus, no matter how difficult the year, there are always gems of greatness. This past year was full of them for me. My partner, @madimov, and did a whirlwind tour of the US before we hit the road (or the ocean?) to Europe. We passed through some of my favorite cities - NYC, Washington D.C, Chicago, San Francisco, and LA. We took a spur of the moment road trip to Yosemite, checked restaurants off my bucket list, went to my cousin's wedding, and drank tea on numerous porches. I managed to fall in love with the US again (of course, right before leaving), and learned I liked having a home more than traveling for months at a time.

Our next journey was the **big move** across the pond - with a couple month long pitstops along the way. Visiting family in Bulgaria and friends in Greece has become a major part of my summers, or even just my life. A part that I wouldn't give up for the world. The sandy, salty taste of summer has helped me through many a difficult emotional period, and time with new loved ones is something I now cherish. ![IMG_5473 3.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmdeRazjzoLX3nUuHs9hC7ZiqzRT8FHb5SENeh3y5pq2cM/IMG_5473%203.JPG) ![IMG_5243.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmawPhcHSyoyX4J6y5yTmcQm5FZETTH8KfDjKJ733jFcdP/IMG_5243.JPG) In the fall I started as an au pair (basically a live-in nanny) for a family in the suburbs of Berlin, with dreams of cooking creative foods every night, cuddling up to Disney films with all three youngsters, and spending afternoons in the park running after life. However, we just weren't the right match for each other - the kids were much more aggressive than I anticipated, biting, hitting, and throwing chairs at a moment's notice, and the parents didn't find an issue with their behavior. We were at an impasse, and I decided to leave. Although still in that void, waiting for a new work visa, I was able to visit with my grandmother, aunt, and mother in Italy for my grandmother's 90th birthday. Something I would have never dreamed of doing. It was amazing to all be in Europe together, exploring and learning about a new culture - and mostly eating:) ![IMG_6141.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQqqEQimndRCFNRG5U3jJtAg4vszS4qKgWn8AHBvWw7qQ/IMG_6141.JPG) I ended out my year with new and old friends in Amsterdam, all staying in our friend's flat drinking homemade wine (by our friend's father in Greece). I don't think there could have been a better end. **Looking back** at the past year, it does seem as if the good weighs out the difficult. It is so easy to get *stuck* in a state where it is hard see the changes that are happening, where only the hard things stick out, where nothing good ever seems to be enough. Which ties into my second New Year's Resolution. I don't believe in the huge, life changing resolutions. They are impossible to stick to, and in the end, they can make you feel a bit like a failure. I choose to make small, monthly goals that I carry on for the rest of the year. By the end of the year I have made significant changes - but it has felt attainable. ### So here we go... new year's resolutions 2018 - january: go on a walk every day - february: journal one good thing about the day, each day - march: reach out to extended family more often - april: stretch daily - may: watch less netflix - june: use my camera once a week - july: read daily - august: drink 2l water per day - september: keep my room (daily)/house (weekly) organized - october: start a coursera class for fun - november: eat a piece of fruit a day - december: post every other day on steemit How has your past year been? Do you have any huge goals for the next year or are you choosing smaller goals like me? ## No matter how your past year went or your New Year's Resolutions, I wish you all a wonderful New Year, and hope to see you around Steemit!