Out Like A Lion...

[I]Touch me
Take me to that other place[/I]
[CENTER]
[COLOR=royalblue]I love the New Year. I believe it to be the purest and simply best holiday of the year. There's no commercialism ploy, no religious affiliation--everyone can celebrate, and because it's not a "major holiday", there's no expectation for anyone to celebrate in any specific way or to any certain degree.[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=royalblue]I also find it to be a sort of mental cleansing. At the begining of each year, I like to reflect on the past year, set goals and dreams for the new year, and prepare myself to forget the past and move onto a better, more productive future.[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=royalblue]2008 for me was a rough and tumble year. Some pretty hard things happened, but because my depression and anxiety have been drastically improving, I was able to deal with them in a much healthier way. It was a great weight off my shoulder to realize I was capable of handling these events on my own and with minimal hangover. They still hurt, and I still dipped into a depression, but it wasn't near as bad as the others, and I go over it a lot faster. I feel much more confident and certain with my abilities to cope and with myself as a person. I'm looking forward to seeing how much farther I can come along in the next year.[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=royalblue]I also realized this year just lucky I am. I discovered a new appreciation and love for my girlfriend, Roxy-Ann. She's stood by me this entire year and put up with so much crap most other people would have dumped me for on the spot--including my heartbreak over another person I love. I could not be luckier, and I could not ask for a better or more understanding woman to stand by my side. She's everything I've not only wanted, but that I've needed in a person. She makes me feel amazing, and she gives me faith that maybe I can actually maintain a good, healthy relationship. She's nothing like anyone I've ever fallen for, she's far from what comes to mind when I picture my dream girl, and she is never who I would have thought I'd end up loving, but she's the best thing that could have happened to me and, with each passing day, the more certain I become that I want to spend forever with her. I love her more than I can possibly say, and I could not thank her enough for saying yes to me. She deserves the world, and I want to be the one to give it to her. [/COLOR]
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[COLOR=royalblue]I'm looking forward to 2009; I'm especially looking forward to turning eighteen. I start my senior year next fall, and I couldn't be more excited or more nervous. I'm definitely not ready to go out on my own, and I'm scared to death I'm going to screw this all up, but I'm extremely eager to get out of my house and move on to achieve all the things I dreamed I'd do. It's going to be an insanely busy year, and I'm not sure if I'm ready to take it on, but damn it if I'm not going to dive in head-first.[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=royalblue]Here's to a roller coaster of a year, and another one yet to come.
God I love the New Year.[/COLOR][/CENTER]

[RIGHT][I]Teach me
I know I'm not a hopeless case[/I][/RIGHT]