It's over, I made it. Sorry to everyone for not writing in a while, the end of the semester brings holidays and then finals and then more holidays and, of course, everything that there is in between.
Last time I wrote was right before the weekend where I went to go see Pippin. With Wicked and the Lion King the only other Broadway shows I'd seen, I wasn't really sure of what to expect. Let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised. Pippin was magnificent and I highly recommend going to see it, just maybe don't take children under the age of 13 just because there's a bit of adult humor and things like that. There's more than that kind of humor, though, the entire show will make you laugh and maybe cry and just feel so many different, good, happy feels and also make you do a lot of "oohs" and "ahhs". That was also the weekend that Hunter's and my friend James McKeachie came to visit. It was so good to see someone from home, so so good. We went to go see Wicked (third time's a charm, eh?) and explored Times Square a little (meaning M&M world) and went to the movies and just had a blast. It was sad seeing him go, though.
Yay, reunion!
The week before Thanksgiving, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire came out and I dressed up like Katniss and it was amazing. Josh Hutcherson also happened to be hosting SNL that weekend, so guess what I did? I CAMPED OUT AND SLEPT IN THE STREET AND GOT TICKETS AND GOT TO GO TO SNL AND IT WAS AMAZING AND MY NEW DREAM IS TO WORK FOR THAT SHOW (jokes, sort of). Sorry, I'm just really excited thinking about it again. So yeah, Hunter and Addy and I camped out for SNL tickets and, while it was the absolute worst night of my life, it was totally worth it because I was in Studio 8 watching Saturday Night Live happen right in front of me (disclaimer: we went to the dress rehearsal and not the live show, which is actually better because you get to see more skits because they don't decide what exactly goes into the show until right before (quote from SNL mini documentary I saw on VH1 this past weekend: "We don't go on because it's ready, we go on because it's 11:30) and then you get to go home and watch it live and compare to what you saw and think, "Haha, I saw more than everyone else did").
^Before we tried to sleep, and then the morning after: 
Though it was short, Thanksgiving was a nice break before coming back and facing finals. I got to go to the Cowboys game with my parents and the Appletons, which was great because I missed them. Then down to San Jose for a quick quail hunt and then back to Fort Worth for Hunter and Kaitlyn's SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY WOOHOO! I have to toot my own horn for a sec, I managed to plan a dinner and ice skating and neither of them found out and I almost died of a panic attack getting them there but it all worked out and it was awesome and they were surprised. 
Bad pic, but yay surprise party!
Going back to New York was a little difficult, especially knowing that Christmas break was only 3 weeks away (2 for some). Hunter and I got to go see Eli Young Band in concert, which was weird but fun. Weird, because country music in NYC is an interesting concept. Almost everyone was in a plaid shirt of some variety and a lot of the men had on trucker ball caps on and I think I saw only one other pair of cowboy boots besides my own. Fun, because it's live music and even though EYB aren't my favorite, it sort of felt like home.
Coming back from Thanksgiving also meant that the Christmas season was official upon us in NYC. YAYYYYYY! Between attending the church's Christmas Concert, taking pictures in front of the tree at Rockefeller Center, participating in Elfies (sort of like Secret Santa) on our floor, baking up a Christmas Cookie storm, seeing the Christmas Spectacular featuring the Rockettes, and setting up a small tree that mom sent me, it started to feel like Christmas. Only a little though, something was still definitely missing. I think being away from family was a big part of it, and also not being in a fully decorated home with Christmas cards coming in the mail left and right.
Before I knew it, it was finals week. There was procrastination, cramming, feeling good about tests, doing terrible on a test, and (my favorite) taking a study break to go see John Mayer and Phillip Phillips in concert (which was absolutely amazing). I somehow survived it all, packed my bags, and headed home. And boy does it feel good to be home (actually, right now I'm in Aspen, Colorado but you get my point). Christmas was wonderful, as I was reunited with family and friends in wonderful Fort Worth, TX. On the 26, we headed up to Idaho to be reunited with several members from Mom's side of the family, which was awesome because I usually only see them once or twice a year. Then yesterday we came to Aspen and I'm finally getting to ski (it's been a year and I've been suffering major withdrawals).
And then there's today. New Years Eve, the last day of 2013. What a crazy year this has been. Honestly, this year has probably been one of my most trying, what with all the decisions and changes and adjustments. Who am I kidding, I'm still not adjusted. Next semester is going to be tough, what with Jessica (the best friend I've made at NYU) not being there and a super crazy schedule. But as I look back on my resolutions from this year (metaphorically, because I left the list in New York... oh wait, I found them on my computer), I'd like to think that I wasn't a complete failure. Sure, I messed up several times this year, but that's human nature, right? And as I go though my list ("1. Don't worry about the future." um, okay, next one. Yikes, okay there has to be one somewhere... There! "10. Journal more. This is a really big year! Write it down"), even though not all of them were fulfilled to the extent that I wanted them to be, I can honestly say that made an earnest attempt at each one and that I've improved, even if it was only little bit. Isn't that what's it all about, though? Every day making yourself a better person, and if you fail you try again tomorrow and you keep trying and you don't give up and then you get better and then you set a new goal and then you try and make that one? Maybe I'm wrong, but that's what I'm going to keep telling myself. One of my favorite Christmas presents came from my best friend, Alexa, and it was a poster that says something like, "Strive for Progress, not Perfection". Just thinking about it now brings tears to my eyes, it was honestly the perfect gift and exactly the message that I needed. So as I sit down tomorrow to write my resolutions for 2014 (I started this only this year (2013), actually writing them down, and I strongly recommend doing yourself), I am going to keep in mind that even small steps towards your goals can be considered successful. Because it's not about working hard for a short period of time and then reaching your goal and then saying, "Yes, I did it, I'm DONE!" because you should never be done. It's about setting goals and working on them all year and failing and maybe even giving up for a little while but then coming back to them and keeping at them until you gain a little ground. Progress, not perfection.
Happy New Year, everyone. I love you all.
Madilyn Clair