Auld Lang Syne

2012 has been an amazing year, and the ups have far outweighed the downs. I learnt how to Lindy Hop, we've been to Spain, I got an A* in my GCSE Spanish, I had a Charleston hen do, we got married, had a fabulous honeymoon in Italy, redecorated the living room, have been on some fantastic walks with our dog, Levi, and have finished it by adopting a lovely new dog called Jess. I have spent time with family and friends, made new friends, and danced. And danced. Oh, and danced some more.

As the world didn't come to an end on any of the numerous predicted world-ending dates, I think it's time to sit and have a think about what my New Year's Resolutions for 2013 are going to be to help it be (almost) as good.

A Complimentary Culture
In a time when people seem quick to complain about things, I'm going to make an effort to be quick to compliment. If a salesperson is particularly helpful, or a product I buy is particularly good, or an event I go to is particularly good, I'm going to be writing a very friendly letter.

Shop Local
When I first thought about this one, I thought about trying to avoid tax avoiders. Places like Starbucks and Ikea are pretty easy to find alternatives for, but when you think about trying to avoid Google, it starts getting harder. A friend pointed out that all these companies are doing is paying the least amount of tax that they are legally obliged to, and whilst I think that there is some truth in that, I also believe that there is something ethically wrong about it. The blame should, however, rest with the government for allowing the loopholes in the first place and, unfortunately, we definitely can't avoid them without moving somewhere with different (or worse) problems than the UK. Maybe if Scotland goes, the Rileys will go too...
Anyway, in the meantime, I decided that as we live in Sheffield, which is approaching some kind of foodie haven, with a bit of foresight and planning we can reduce what we spend in big supermarkets and make the most of local produce and local suppliers. I have even bought myself an old lady wheeled shopping trolley in preparation!  Our milk will be from Our Cow Molly, our meat from the local butcher, our eggs from my egg lady, and we will make use of Sheffield's craft and vintage fayres for presents, along with the Nichols Building and Sheffield Antiques Quarter. Any suggestions for other local suppliers will be gratefully received!

Debt Reduction
So, with a wedding and two fabulous holidays this year and previously a good while of living slightly above our means has led me to announce that 2013 will be the year to pay stuff off. We will only be buying things that we can afford to pay for, and I intend to have made a sizeable dent in our debt... the first aim is to get us out of Riley Recession and have two consecutive quarters where our debt has reduced instead of increased. If we can't afford to buy something, we don't buy it. Nothing is to go on credit cards.

The Normal Shit
Every single year I say "Lose Weight, Exercise More, Keep the House Tidy". These are standing resolutions and I'm making them again. Fortunately I've eaten a fucking shit load since the wedding, so am at my heaviest that I've been for a while, therefore losing weight should be easy (if that can't be called cheating!), I definitely want to get back to cycling to work again this year, and I have already signed up for the Lincoln 10k and the Sheffield Half Marathon so am dusting my running shoes off. We've also got a nice new living room that I'm DETERMINED to keep tidy and presentable, so maybe, just maybe, in a year's time, as I reflect over 2013, I'll be able to say that I actually managed these three!

Photography Challenge
We bought a Nikon d3100 earlier in the year, and I haven't had it off the auto settings yet, so I have signed up to 365 Project to kick me into learning a bit more about my camera. My username is MrsWickie (of course).

Now all that's left to do today is to reflect on the good and bad from 2012, to celebrate the coming in of 2013 and to look forward to what the new year will bring. I hope it is a lucky one for everyone, that people can appreciate the good stuff and can find a way to cope with the bad.

And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere !
and gie's a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll tak a right gude-willy waught,
for auld lang syne.