I had a lot of strong memories this New Years, spending time with some friends I really don't see often enough (Frank and Janelle), making some new ones (Derek and Heather), and visitng with old stalwarts (Karen and Crystal), among several others. The moment that will stay with me the longest is sitting in Dinah's car New Years afternoon, listening to 'Hallelujah,'mourning her Grandpa Bob, who passed away on Sunday the 30th.

Like last year, when Kristen's fiancee died in a skiing accident on Dec 30, this New Years mixed the emotions of loss and hope, sadness and rejoicing. I'm sure it was that way for a lot of people this time around, as most of my friends seemed to opt for small gatherings of friends instead of big parties to usher in the next cycle.

New Years used to be so much simpler...