our 8th new year...

7 years ago i spent my first new year's eve in zane's company. i had gone up to new hampshire to visit susan and celebrate her birthday and the new year. nikki was there too, and we all went into town to grab some pizza and catch up a bit. once we were back at susan's, she started hearing from various co-workers, friends and roomates. there was a big snowstorm and people were stranded in various airports, towns and childhood homes. we were preparing ourselves for a quiet, cold night. i took a bite of a piece of pizza. i heard the back door to the house open and some heavy footsteps kicking off the snow. in walked chad and zane.

my stomach flip-flopped and i didn't eat another bite of food all night.

in the end, there was a pretty good turn out for the back woods of new hampshire! it helped that there were only so many places where people could gather and party, it made it easy to find the group. we played board games, played darts, drank some holiday drinks and welcomed the new year. i talked to zane in the big kitchen and asked if he remembered meeting me in october. he said he remembered i had a boyfriend and i was all too happy to let him know that i didn't anymore. we followed each other around all night (or maybe it was me that did the following...) we laughed. we rocked at darts. i may or may not have gotten a new year's kiss ;)

some people crashed, some people hung out all night, some people braved the snowy roads to get home. in the morning, someone made a big breakfast. i offered to drive zane home when i was leaving and he accepted. i don't remember much from that car ride, but i do remember trying to work up the courage to ask for his number.

i had a feeling, but had no way of knowing, that that new year's eve was the start of the best new years to come...there have been amazing times, trying times, confusing times, blissful times and content times. the new years have brought a move, a marriage, another move, new jobs, a miscarriage, another move, renewed old jobs, a pregnancy, a baby, another move, another new job, another pregnancy, another baby, another new job...and lots of small things in between. all these new years have added more peace, joy and love to my life than i thought possible. i'm so excited to see what this next new year brings. (though i think i'll be just fine if it doesn't bring too many big surprises. i think we both need a year to unwind and reflect and enjoy the small things :)

so, happy new year all! wishing you the biggest and smallest wonderful things you can imagine.

(ps, i didn't get zane's number on that drive. but after thinking about him for almost a full week and hearing my co-worker say "just call him! you have nothing to lose. but you might have a lot to gain", i got his number and called him. and it was wonderful and he called me back.)