If Wishes Were Horses

I love traditions. I come from a big family that's full of them, and I find them comforting. I got two new traditions for New Year's day this year that I'm excited to carry into the future. The first is southern: black-eyed peas on NYD for luck. This is so ingrained in my southern side of the family, who are in the military, that whenever they lived abroad my aunt packed a can of black-eyed peas, knowing you can't just run down to the grocery store in Hong Kong to pick one up. Considering she sometimes had to think of this almost a year ahead of time, while packing up two children and an entire household, that's a pretty serious commitment. The second is, apparently, Polish: you live the year as you began it. If so, I will spend it sleeping, vaguely hungover and being fed and loved by family and friends. There are worse ways, I'm telling you. Next year I'll make a point of having a more productive day, ALSO full of food and love.

I was unable to even think about Rwanda in the past few weeks, between travel, the holidays and The Wedding. But now that the last big event before the trip has passed, I'm nervous, excited and a little overwhelmed (I'm also exhausted - I would go to Africa at this point just for a full night of uninterrupted sleep). I explained my trip to and answered questions for 150 different people over the last five days, one at a time, and it's finally dawning on me we may actually be going. There's nothing between now and the 11th except packing, working, reviewing my french and, god willing, napping.

Good-bye 2009, you will not be missed. Hi 2010 - BRING IT.