December 31st, 2012: My fiancée brought out a decorated coffee container and said that throughout 2013, any time something awesome/good/memorable happened, I should write it down and put it in the jar. Then, on New Year’s Eve, we would open it up and read them all. I thought it was a great idea (not a new idea, but new to us), but didn't actually think we’d stick to it. I have a habit of not sticking to things. But I did, and so did she!

Last night the TV stayed off. We saw no footage of Times Square or fireworks at the Space Needle. Instead, we opened the jar, dumped the notes into a bowl, and took turns reading each entry out loud. 2013 was insanely memorable for us and the jar was filled to the brim. We spent the last hours of the year reading, laughing, and remembering what a great year we had.

Neither of us have very good memories, so about 1/3rd of them were followed by “ohhh yeah, I totally forgot about that!” Think about it— without looking at any kind of reference (Facebook, calendar, journal, etc.), do you remember something great that happened in January of 2013? I bet something good happened. Maybe big, maybe small, but worth remembering nonetheless.

So much can happen in a year, and so much can be forgotten. The Awesomesauce Jar holds all those moments and remembers them for you. It makes it impossible to end the year thinking “ugh, good riddance”. I highly recommend creating your own Awesomesauce Jar and trying it out this year. I promise it will make for a fantastic New Year’s Eve.