Parting is such sweet sorrow, 2011...

2011 brought a lot of changes in the world and in my own small life.

I'm still married, that's not going to change.

I'm still cancer-free, that is something I am grateful for and hopeful that I don't have to face that again any time soon.

I'm still working for the same company, although there were some major changes in management this year. I no longer work for the Devil Wears Prada, and I actually found myself looking forward to going to the office (until recently, but that's another story entirely).

I bid farewell to my 30s, and in essence my youth at the same time.

I said good-bye to some friends, and welcomed some new ones to my life.

I've said adios to some negativity, and developing a more positive outlook on life.

Bin Laden is dead. Kim Jong Il is dead. The recession was allegedly dead, but those rumors were greatly exaggerated. We said farewell to celebrities, pop icons, and politicians. We welcomed some new additions to our family through marriages and births, and bid adieu to some not-so-awesome family members through divorce.

2011 brought a lot of changes. Some good, some bad. Some were happy, some were sad. It is bittersweet to say farewell to a year where I turned 40 - in another decade I will be turning 30 and hopefully in convincing fashion.

All in all, I look to 2012 with hope. I am not setting huge expectations for 365 days, but welcome it with open arms and look forward to the surprises the coming year will bring. No resolution, just a promise to continue to grow as a person.