It feels like this year has flown by, but I have to say I'm not sad to see it go. In many ways, 2007 has been a difficult one. My health has suffered, and my spirit, at times, was very low. We did some amazing things this year - adopting out the Teenies and bringing Junie into our home was probably one of the best things we've done, ever - but for all those little moments of joy, there were far more little soul-crushing blows, things that ate away at my spirit and my strength, things that I'm eager to leave behind in 2008.

The New Year is going to bring many changes for us. We've been thinking, planning, working long and hard on our next step, and in a few months we should see things come to fruition. I've resisted change in the past, and suffered it when it was forced upon me, but I feel really ready for it this time. I'm eager for something new and hopefully better for us, and I'm anxious to see what our life is going to look like.

Among the gifts Mike bought for me this Christmas was the first set of Julia Child's "The French Chef." We watched the first couple of episodes over the weekend, and at one point, Mike said to me, "You know what's so great about her? She's fearless." And he's totally right. Watching those old episodes, thinking about what I read of Julia in "My Life in France" - she didn't sit back and wait for life to happen to her, she blazed forward and lived it.

I tend not to make resolutions anymore, but if there's one thing I want for myself for the coming year, it's that - to be fearless, to embrace change, to roll with the punches, to take charge of my life and my happiness and not hold back. Life's too short to be tentative. Life is for living and I want to do just that.

So I bid you farewell, 2007. I hold dear the memories of the good things you brought and remember the lessons learned, and I welcome the New Year with open arms.

Wishing you all much health and happiness.

10:05 a.m. I'm officially 36 years old.

Birthday wishes are pouring in from so many of you lovely people, and I promise I will get to properly thanking you all, but right now I need to rest. For my birthday this year not only am I in the midst of the worst pain flare I've ever experienced, but I also appear to be coming down with some sort of plague or monkeypox or something. Just in time for our long-awaited dinner at Blue Hill.

I'm taking things slow this morning, chilling at home for a bit before taking care of cat-sitting duties and then heading in to the office. If I make it that far.

I had a very surreal moment when walking to the train this morning. As I walked up the last block of Broadway approaching Myrtle Avenue, I saw a big pile of rubbish surrounding the remains of a broken black metal futon frame. Amid the rubbish was a bright pink fuzzy thing which I assumed was a discarded stuffed toy.

And then it moved. It turned it's fuzzy little face toward me as it continued sniffing around the pile of trash and then that little bright pink curly haired dog started romping right toward me.

For a good minute or two I was completely bewildered - I mean, this dog, this BRIGHT PINK dog, had no leash. And it was just frolicking about. On the street. In it's... pinkness.

And then a woman walked out of the little coffee shop. I made eye contact with her, sort of wordlessly questioning whether this dog belonged to her, and apparently it did. She muttered something in Spanish as she brushed past me, leading her little pink dog away.

I really wish I had gotten a photo.

That's what time the jackhammers at the construction site at the corner woke us up.

Yes, we called 311 to complain, but still.