The stone's not rolling: Closing Time - One last call for alcohol so finish your whiskey or beer

Closing time - you don't have to go home but you can't stay here
I know who I want to take me home
I know who I want to take me home
I know who I want to take me home
Take me home

Sorry - love that song - got a bit carried away!

Well well well - 2013 draws to an end. What an amazing year!!!

Alas the end of 2013 also means the end of Stones & Birds and this little blogging adventure (I can hear the collective sigh of relief from here!)

Thank you everyone for sharing in my year - good and bad - fun and boring - amazing and just plain ridiculous...I've enjoyed sharing the year with you all very much!

I had so many ideas when I first started and haven't gotten to all of them yet but believe me when I tell you you'll be glad I didn't. Some things just shouldn't be shared on the internet Miranda! (You can insert either Kris' or Tones' voice here!)

Tones was a great advocate for 'censored' posts during the year and was responsible for a few things being culled before I hit the publish button. I still can't figure out why she wouldn't let me write about Gobby Road in my 'Date Night' blog? Guess I got to mention it after all hey Tones?

Kris was a very good sport when it came to letting me blog about him and us. I think he even enjoyed posing for all the photos I wanted to include. Seriously though - he deserves a lot of thanks this year - I've affectionately called it the 'year of Miranda' as we've been trying to change things at home a bit, and sometimes it feels like it's all about me. But hey - happy wife, happy life right? I might try get another year of Miranda in when I'm not having to study all the time. Hardly seems fair using up all my me time on study. I'm glad you all agree - I'll put it to him later!

And to those of you who inspired a post, or gave me an idea along the way, or allowed me to take a gazillion pics of a day out just in case I needed to blog it, thank you! Who am I kidding - I'll still take a gazillion pics of a day out! But don't worry - they'll mostly be of me! And you'll all still be inspiring me - I'll just save up the wittiness for texts, PM's and god forbid, face to face conversations if it bloody well has to come to that!

So I guess as the end of the year has arrived I should evaluate the blogs effectiveness, use some KPI's and industry standard data to decide if I made my mark on the big www.

Of the 56 entries I posted here are the top 5 as far as readers:

- http://norollingstone.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/the-one-i-never-thought-i-would-have.html
- http://norollingstone.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/lachlan-update.html
- http://norollingstone.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/selfies-you-know-you-love-them.html
- http://norollingstone.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/a-love-storywhen-molly-met-bruce.html
- http://norollingstone.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/finally-one-worth-reading.html

And here's a few that were personal faves of mine that didn't make the top 5. (Listed in order of readers)

- http://norollingstone.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/the-list-because-sharing-is-caring.html
- http://norollingstone.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/the-harvey-dam-goes-over.html
- http://norollingstone.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/giddy-up.html
- http://norollingstone.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/pie-off-may-best-man-win.html
- http://norollingstone.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/nights-out-its-hard-work-being-18.html

But the main goal of the blog was to give me an outlet other than alcohol to aide in stress relief and that horrible feeling of wanting to run away from my life. So did it work??? I think so - I've only had one hideously drunken experience during 2013 - but I was in another country so I'm letting myself off the hook. I've had a few biggish nights that probably dangled on the edge of going too far but I didn't feel enough regret to class them as a bad choice! Although the Boxing Day jury is still out...eeek!!

So where to from here though? I guess I'll start with a bottle or 4 of champagne and print hard copies of my 2013 stories to read over and over and remind myself that I once had it all!!! (Including an average weekly readership of about 117.3) And I guess it's OK to get excessively drunk again now seems no one is watching me?? (Winking Tones and Kris) And I guess...actually I'm out of guesses but couldn't resist typing I guess once more!

And the final good news from me for 2013....guess what...what happens on the internet....STAYS on the internet! So as long as you don't forget norollingstone.blogspot.com.au you can take me with you forever and be on your merry way!

2014 has big shoes to fill but I'm feeling confident... Happy New Year to you all!!

But I can't leave without photos - here's a pic from each month of this awesome year...