New years have not historically been something that leave me too excited, but 2013 was less than friendly to me on a number of levels. Hence, where normally I welcome the new year as a relatively symbolic marker of time, this year it's meant a good deal more than that to me. In addition to 2014 offering a much-desired "clean slate" (or, more accurately, an excuse for a fresh new perspective), I'll also be turning 30 in a mere week's time.

The combination of these two milestones, a new year and a significant birthday, has left me thinking a lot about what I really want out of life. While 2013 taught me a great deal about conflict, and how to handle it, it also made it apparent to me how much I can stew on things. I realized, far too late after the fact, that my desire for harmony can come at a considerable personal cost. I forgot what it was like to look forward to going to work, and I let the things that bother me overshadow the things that brought me joy. Since this new year, I have been focusing on reclaiming that joy. We're a mere five days into the new year, but I'm feeling optimistic.

I've not been one for resolutions in the past, and while this year is no exception, I did decide that my habit of always taking things a day at a time has lead me to not take chances when I can. I'm speaking specifically about traveling right now. For the last two weeks, I've been thinking about how I want to ring in my 30th year on this planet, and after considerable thought, I've decided I want it to be the first year I really start traveling and exploring the world around me. I have my sights set on New York, where I hope to go meet some of the Instagrammers who have lately been inspiring me. My partner also wants to take me for my first-ever show on Broadway. I'm very excited about all this possibility, and cannot wait to go see the world. Naturally, I want to photograph everything along the way.

This brings me, incidentally, to the photo above. We escaped to Flagstaff for a weekend in October, and ventured the extra way to one of those days in Sedona, where I promptly fell in love with the red rocks. I have always loved Native culture and history, and the sense of history in Sedona is palpable. Those rocks have seen a lot of history, and when you look at them long enough, you can almost feel the sense of time as it both stands still and reels onward.