Follow Friday – Farewell 2012, Hello 2013 Edition Vol. 1

1 & 2. This year was a tough one for many people I care about. Not so much for me, fortunately, but I was concerned for other people. So I’m happy to kiss 2012 goodbye! Onward and upward!

3. I am hoping all my loved ones have the peace and happiness they deserve. On a more material note, I’m am visualizing my jewelry line being picked up by all the big stores!

Brandes’s blog and wares can both be found at www.wendybrandes.com. Her Twitter handle is @WendyBrandes.

Photo: Wendy Brandes Jewelry.

1. Tulen muistelemaan upeita hetkiä rakkaani ja ystävieni kanssa, niitä joita tulen vaalimaan ikuisesti. Muistan myös ensimmäiset rockabilly keikkani aina, ja ihmiset joita tapasin niiden aikana. Minulla on ollut hienoja hetkiä blogosfäärissä myös. Sain uuden opiskelupaikan ja opin ompelun taidon, sain uusia ystäviä..! Jokainen hetki paikallisessa irkkupubissa, irkkukeikat ja drinkit… Hienoa aikaa.

1. I will miss all the great memories with my darling and friends, the ones I’ll always cherish. I will also remember my very first rockabilly gigs and people I’ve met during them. I’ve had so many great moments in the blogosphere, too. I got a new studying place and learned how to sew, made new friends..! Every single moment in our local Irish pub, Irish gigs and drinks… great times.

2. Pahat muistot, pettymys rakkaudessa, masennus. Kevät ei ollut minulle helpointa aikaa — kunnes sitten tapasin nykyisen rakkaani. Ja hetki muutama viikko sitten, kun kuulin, että rakas paikallinen irkkupubimme on sulkenut ovensa *nyyh*. Se oli minulle paikka, johon pakenin ongelmiani ja pääsin rauhoittumaan. Löysin sieltä aina jonkun jolle puhua.

2. The bad memories, disappointment in love, depression. The spring was not the easiest time for me — until I met my sweetheart. And the moment few weeks ago when I heard that our local Irish pub has closed its doors *sob*. It used to be a place where I would run away from my problems and calm down; I always found someone to talk to.

3. Opin lisää ompelua, ja kun syksy saapuu, alan jo suunnitella minun opinnäytetyötäni, kääks! Olen todella innoissani siitä, vaikka tiedän sen olevan stressaavaa aikaa. Toivon myös lisää ihania hetkiä rakkaiden kanssa, keikkoja ja kaikkea hauskaa. Suurin keikka johon — toivottavasti — menen on toukokuussa Helsingissä. Brittiläiset rockabilly yhtyeet The Blue Cats ja Matchbox saapuvat esiintymään Suomeen, toivottavasti olen säästänyt tarpeeksi rahaa päästäkseni sinne!

Toivotan kaikille ihanaa joulua ja menestykseikästä UUTTA VUOTTA 2013!

3. I will learn more about sewing, and when autumn comes, I will already start planning about my thesis, yikes! I am already so excited about it, although I know it will be a stressful time. I also hope for more great moments with loved ones, gigs and all sorts of fun. The biggest gig I will — hopefully — go to is in May, in Helsinki. British rockabilly groups The Blue Cats and Matchbox are coming to perform in Finland, I hope I will have enough money to join!

Photo: Ladylike Delicacy.

1. Doomsday parties.

2. Doomsday theories.

3. Finishing up grad school and somehow securing a job that will pay me enough to live more like a normal person, and less like a grimy student. I’ll still probably have to eat ramen, but maybe it’ll be a nicer brand of ramen.

Martin’s blog (formerly La Belle Oiselle) can be found at www.juliatopaz.com. Her Twitter handle is @JuliaTopaz.

Photo: Julia Topaz.

1. I will miss the world ending — I mean how many times does one survive the Mayan apocalypso?

2. I won’t miss moving as much as I did this year.

3. 2013 is the year another grassroots movement gets co-opted by big corporations. 2013 will be the year of sink, or swim.

Bella’s blog can be found at www.thecitizenrosebud.com. Her Twitter handle is @citizenrosebudz.

Photo: The Citizen Rosebud.

1. I will miss the hype around the multiple “end of the world” dates, [the] “Ancient Aliens” obsession, and the last year of being 25 (according to Dwight from “The Office” and the movie “In Time,” you are at your prime at 25). I’d like to think that I will stay 25 forever. ;-)

2. I won’t miss having the worst cough I’ve had in my entire life, hearing some bad news from a person I trust, some hurtful conversations I’ve had with family, more permissive with wearing “blah” clothing, frying my hair too much with bleach when I had a Manic Panic phase (my hair came back months later better than ever!), and subsequentlly being compared to Katy Perry a few times because of my blue hair.

3. I see my attitude towards certain things changing, being more forgiving or just being more callous towards wrongdoing done to me. I see myself being more independent and less afraid of what my marriage will bring me, totally and completely more accepting of all kinds of preferences and opinions, without those things affecting my own. As for those around me, my crystal ball says as more and more people move towards feeling like they are being different and making a statement, they’ll find themselves in a world full of similar people.

Dahl’s blog can be found at www.alamodest.com. Her Twitter handle is @alaModest.

Photo: à la Modest.

1. At the end of the year, I always miss the holiday season. Not sure if I’ll miss anything specifically, but I’m ending the year with so much to be thankful for and lots of great memories.

2. I won’t miss the banter, commercials and non-stop coverage of the presidential campaign/election season.

3. What do I see in 2013? I see friends coming to visit for Derby, lots of travel (my wish list: home to Miami, fun times in Key West, a relaxing vacation in Mexico, my best friend’s bachelorette party in Austin, and possibly the Top Chef Cruise!) and putting a little work into my home.

Davis’s blog can be found at www.louwhatwear.com. Her Twitter handle is @LouWhatWear.

Photo: Lou What Wear.

1. 2012 will be a landmark year for me as I turned 30 last February, but other than that I am happy to see it end. I didn’t travel as much, and nothing spectacular happened either, hence I am glad to wave it Goodbye!

2. It was really an average year. Nothing spectacular or devastating happened, personally. However, I would definitely not miss the barbaric events around the world.

P.S. Also, I wouldn’t miss my old apartment (I recently moved into a new-spacious-one!).

3. I have a feeling the next year will be about new and exciting adventures and might also show some professional growth. I do not have any basis for my theory except that at the end of every year I get a feeling about the coming year, and so far I haven’t been wrong.

Tanvi’s blog can be found at www.tanvii.com. Her Twitter handle is @Tanvii.

Photo: The Fabulous Life of Not-So-Rich & Infamous.