Well, here we are, the last day of 2012. We made it one way or another, didn?t we? 
For old time?s sake, I just read my wrap-up posts for 2010 and 2011, they were pretty funny. 2010 I called my ?year of change? because that was the year when I decided to go vegan and, a few months later, I started following Dr. Fuhrman?s program. 2011 was a continuation of those changes and was when I really started to relish living the healthy, vegan lifestyle.
2012 was perhaps the year when I stopped considering myself a plant-based newbie and started feeling like I have something to give back. I had several pieces published on the Our Hen House blog including a piece in the debut of the new online magazine, ?How Cancer Grew My Activist Spirit.??Then, just a few days ago, Alan and I were interviewed on the Our Hen House podcast after Jasmin and Mariann showed up on our doorstep made a lovely visit which was surreal, a little scary, yet so much fun (listen here!).
I feel so fortunate to have several friendships that blossomed this year:
I don?t have photos of all my new friends, some of whom I only know in an online environment, but please know that each of you are dear to me and I look forward to getting to know you better.?I feel grateful that I also spent time with family members and friends who have been in my life for a long time but whose friendships and love I value deeply:
I think it?s telling that even though Carrie on Vegan is a food blog, when I think about the highlights from last year, it is the relationships and the interactions with people that I remember. So, to each and every one of you who reads my blog, whether you comment or not, please know how important you are to me and how much I appreciate the community we have created.
Speaking of community, another cool thing happened this year when my blogging buddies Shelby,?Gabby and I decided to start an online recipe link-up party called Healthy Vegan Fridays:
We?re up to 23 weeks now of this recipe exchange (find out how to join the fun here) and I just love the fact that this has been so well-received and that each week, there are a variety of healthful recipes that can inspire us. I hope that Healthy Vegan Fridays continues to grow in 2013 and I will continue to promote it on this blog.
Another very significant event that happened this year when I attended Dr. Fuhrman?s Health Getaway in Amelia Island, Florida, in August. You can read all of the posts here, but it was an incredible experience that furthered my interest in promoting a whole foods, plant-based diet for optimal health and disease-fighting capabilities.?Meeting Dr. Fuhrman was exciting, his message is life-changing:
Not a month had gone by since the Getaway in Florida when another signifiant life event occurred when I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer on September 24th, 2012. This was a totally unexpected, terrifying and trying situation that required my entire support system and every bit of inner strength to get through. Fortunately, I came through it okay and, on October 15th, I had surgery to remove my thyroid gland and the surrounding lymph nodes to remove the cancer. Here I am on the day I was released from the hospital:
You can read all of my posts related to that situation here, but I am so happy to say that I bounced back from that really quickly and, although I?m still adjusting to the thyroid replacement medication, I am feeling healthy overall.
Then, three weeks after going through all of that and after months and months of hard work, on November 7th, 2012,?I released my recipe app for iPhones and iPads, Vegan Delish. The app is essentially a digital cookbook with all kinds of cool interactive features that includes the best of the recipes found on this blog (you can read my posts about it here).
Vegan Delish was an immediate smash hit in iTunes, sweeping through the charts and grabbing a seat among the top food and drink apps. I just love that a vegan app can hold its own among the most popular of the non-vegan and non-healthy food apps because it tells me that there is interest in this type of eating and that the message is getting out there.
My hope for Vegan Delish in 2013 is that it continues to grow and be useful in peoples? lives; I am committed to keep adding recipes and making it even more useful and inspiring for users. I also hope that it is popular enough that it re-coups the financial investment I have made in it and actually becomes a source of revenue for me so I can continue running this blog ad-free and receive some financial compensation for my hard work. You can help me do this by downloading the app here, writing a review of it on iTunes and/or telling your friends about it! Thank you!!!
As we say goodbye to 2012 and welcome in a new year, I am already excited about upcoming events including finishing my MPH degree next fall (finally!!!), getting closer to finishing the coursework for my dietetics program, furthering my health and doing my best to remain cancer-free, working on my emotional eating habits and overall mental health, making more connections and more like-minded friends, doing a little traveling and connecting with each of you through this blog.
Although I definitely don?t measure this blog?s success solely by the quantity of readers, I think it?s pretty cool that December of 2012 showed the highest number of visits ever and that we now have nearly three times the readership as we did at the beginning of this year:
I absolutely love writing Carrie on Vegan, it is the activity that brings me the most satisfaction of anything else that I do, so my hope for my blog is that it continues to be that fulfilling for me and continues to inspire you to work on your health and make health-promoting meals for you and your loved ones.
Before I sign off for today, I just wanted to point out that the title for this post came from the quote that Jasmin began the Our Hen House podcast in which my interview was featured. The quote is by Goethe and it goes:??Whatever you believe you can do, begin it; boldness has genius, power and magic in it.??
I love that statement, it sums up perfectly my attitude for 2013 and beyond.?Happy New Year to each of you and my very best for health, happiness, boldness, power and magic for many years to come.
Source: http://www.carrieonvegan.com/2012/12/31/2012-wrap-up-post-finding-boldness-power-magic/
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