themeless no. 20

hi, welcome back to crosstina. it's been a while, hasn't it? a lot has happened since we were last here, and two-plus months slipped through my fingers. i've been busy and life has been life—as in, all the good and bad and beautiful and terrible things that happen in life continue to happen. i've desperately wanted to post here, and i'm sure at some point in the past two months could have found the time, but i was also locked in a really negative head-space and have been very unkind to myself. to that end, this puzzle feels remarkable in that i even finished it. anything beyond that is icing on the cake!

i want to thank everyone who's shared their time/energy/eyeballs/laughter/creativity/passion with me this year. i had no idea what 2022 had in store, and was simply along for the ride. suffice to say, i love this ride. i'm enjoying the hell out of it. it is unpredictable and challenging and exciting and i feel very lucky to be on it. i couldn't have (and wouldn't have) done it if it weren't for every person who has done one of these goofy puzzles and enjoyed it. thank you, again, for everything.

that all being said! this is my official end-of-the-year puzzle— it is themeless, and only an 'end of the year' puzzle in that i have no plans on making another one in the next week. pet your dogs for me, tell the people you love that you love them, and celebrate your holidays in a way that makes you happy. see you next year!!

(thank you to alex for the test-solve— check out his latest doodad here!)

[FULLSCREEN | PDF | PUZ]