December 31: The End

Today is the last day of 2010. People all over the world will be counting down the hours, minutes, and seconds before their time zone flips to the new year. It's a time to start over. There is no rule that demands resolutions be made at the beginning of the calendar year, but January 1st has always been a nice solid, point in which goals and aspirations are declared. No more smoking. No more negativity. Healthier eating. More exercising and compassion toward others.

As millions of people begin planning for their New Year's resolutions, I am officially ending mine. 365 days ago, I made a promise (to myself more than anyone) that I would attempt to improve my writing by posting one entry to this blog every day for the duration of the year. As some of you might have discovered, I had dabbled with blogging before my project began. I enjoyed writing my thoughts and observations, but felt I had a lot of room for growth as a writer. Being a subscriber to the "Practice makes perfect" idea, I decided this was what I needed. 365 days. 365 posts.

There were times when my creative juices were flowing and I was extremely proud of the day's entry and then there were those nights that I literally sat and stared at the blinking, vertical cursor on the blank screen. On my creative nights I would read and re-read the article before posting to make sure my thoughts flowed, but for those other nights, sometimes I wouldn't even read through them once; I just wanted to be done with them.

As January turned to February turned to May turned to November, friends would tell me their thoughts about my posts and each mention of my work inspired me to continue. If it weren't for my readers, I don't know if I would have had the strength to make it the entire year. Many of you have left comments in response to a particular post that caught your attention and I'm truly thankful for each one.

The last thing I wanted this blog to be was a journal of my feelings and petty encounters I had with acquaintances. Occasionally the mood I was in while writing got the best of me and expressed itself within my writing, but I did the best I could to be as vague as possible and I tried to leave any names out of my posts. For those of you that I might have offended in anyway, please know that was never my intention.

Once talk of the holiday season began, friends started asking if I was going to continue my writing into the new year. Maybe. My daily writings will definitely end with today's post, but I may feel inclined to add a post in the future if the subject is intriguing enough. Instead of writing every day, I'm going back to the basics of resolutions. I will be combining a few of my past resolutions by going without soda or ice cream for the year and adding a daily dose of flossing and ab wheeling.

I will always remember 2010 for this project and the people that helped inspire me to fight until the end. Below, is a list of my most loyal readers and an individual thank you to each one. Their names are exactly as they appear in my list of followers on Blogger. For every one else, again, I thank you for all of your support and I wish you a very prosperous, healthy, and happy New Year.

Accebertink - I've always enjoyed sitting at my computer when your comments are emailed to me because I can expect three or four more in a row. Thank you.

Brian - Reading your daily Facebook posts inspired me to be funnier with my own writing and I thank you for that push.

Adam Brucker - Seeing that you joined my group of followers just days after you found me on Facebook was very rewarding. Thanks, Adam.

Darren - Always on the go and always sharing your stories of travel and adventure. Thank you, Darren for all of your tales.

Nicole Fraga - Other than my mom, I'm convinced you're the most loyal of my readers. I enjoyed reading your comments throughout the year. Thanks, Nicole.

Nicole Gasque - At one point in the year, I tried to call or text you to catch up and your response was that you felt like you were caught up by reading my blog. Hopefully now that it's over, I can hear about what you've been up to this past year!

Greg - Every so often a person will cross my path and laugh at everything I say or do. These people brighten my days and make me feel better about myself. You are one of those people, Greg. Thank you.

David Ireland - I haven't seen a post from you in a while. I want to read more of your thoughts!

Sara Jimerson-Giglio - One of the most caring and genuine people I know. 2010 was a rough one for you, but I know you will come out stronger and I hope 2011 will be your best. Thanks for everything, Sara.

Laura - You're at the edge of making a big step and I wish you all the luck in the world. I will miss your laughter and grammatical guidance.

Lindsay - The last I heard, you were in August of my blog. You still have a ways to go, but I'm glad that my writing will live on through the new year. You're the best, Lindsay!

Lizz - If it weren't for you, Lizz, I don't know if my mom would have ever known about this blog. Thanks for being one of my first readers.

Max - Almost every post this year that dealt with college memories was inspired by you. We had good times in college.

Megan Truett - I really think you should start writing. I've never read anything you've done, but I have a feeling you would be really good. Thanks for the support all year, Megan.

Molly McDevittCole - I don't know how much of this you actually read, but it was a real honor when you signed up to be a follower. Thanks, Molly!

Pat - Those college memories I mentioned for Max? You were right there with him! Thanks for the good times.

Adrian Pinon - I went into the restaurant and a mutual friend told me that you told her about my blog. I don't know if she ever read it, but I'm glad that they were good enough for you to recommend. Thanks for the shout-out, Adrian.

RJ - I have to be honest here. I don't know who you are, but I'm still extremely thankful for your readership. Thank you.

Steve - I really enjoyed reading the Three Muskets, so do me a favor and start writing again. You're much better and more entertaining than I am.

Verna - I didn't receive any comments from you, but I did receive a few thumbs-up likes on Facebook so I'm glad you found some of the posts enjoyable. Thank you for reading, Verna!

Kristen Wurtz - The latest person to join the group of followers. Thank you, Kristen for your support and I hope you're doing well.