In looking ahead to the new year, I've also been looking back a little. I was thinking about all the things I did for the first time (or first time in along time) in 2012. Let's be honest, most of them are pretty insignificant, but that's okay.Firsts in 2012:Ran a mile (for the first time in over 10 years!) Drove most of the way across the country (towing a trailer)Ate an oyster (raw!)Had a helicopter flying lesson That last one was on New Year's Eve and I am still pretty excited about it. As part of family Christmas, my sister-in-law offered all the family members a very brief flying lesson in a Robinson R22 - a very small helicopter. I was a little nervous but I know that she is very experienced and very safe. We had ground school and then I (in my geekiness) read more about the history of helicopter development and the controls.I got to control the cyclic and the collective - two of the four controls on the helicopter - and fly about half of the mini-lesson…