2012 - A Year In Review

Hello once again, beloved blog of mine.

The past couple of weeks have been kinda crazy with finals, Christmas, and the like, so I apologize for the lack of a post between my last one. However, I thought it traditional to make a post that summarizes the major events of the past year, so I can look back on the successes I've had and try to match them for 2013.

Idaho State University-Related Accomplishments

1. Led the ISU International Affairs Council to pull off the 2012 Frank Church Symposium on International Affairs: Democracy in a Changing World.
2. Got promoted at my current job to lab supervisor. I was particularly pleased with this one because I have less stress in my current position and I get paid more, with about the same amount of hours, so that's great. :)
3. Set my final schedule for ISU in preparation to graduate the following spring.

Family-Related Accomplishments

1. Gave my sister away at her wedding on Coronado Beach in San Diego, CA. I was so proud of her and happy to see her with such a great guy.
2. Absolved myself of guilt from the aftermath of the divorce my parents were still going through and established my independence from them.

Personal-Related Accomplishments

1. Celebrated my 21st birthday with my coworker Neisha and learned of the magical wonder that is alcohol. :)
2. Danced in my second dance concert (I was in three pieces!).
3. Got a blood test back that (thank god in heaven) came back negative.
4. Delved back into the world of theatre by working as an assistant stage manager at Westside Players in Pocatello for two productions: 24-Hour Theatre and For Better: A Comedy in the Digital Age. I was particularly pleased with this triumph, because it let me have a chance to work with one of my hobbies outside of the ISU umbrella and I made a lot of fantastic people that are still great friends now.
5. Started my new job as a computer lab supervisor.
6. Took a road trip to California to see my sister get married, visit the beach, and go back to the place of my dreams: SeaWorld, San Diego.
7. Said goodbye to a wonderful professor here at ISU who moved back east. I'm so glad I got a year to learn and study with her :)
8. Moved into a studio apartment to live on my own so I could focus more on building up myself and establishing my own personal life.
9. Made a really great friend Desirea who is also a poli sci major like me. She's such an amazing person and I'm grateful to have her here.
10. Made things right with Jacob, which was my main goal for that year.
11. Learned how to control my idea of a personal life and figured out what my boundaries and limitations are for relationships.
12. Messaged with Chris again after a year of silence.
13. Took and passed both my senior thesis class and a political philosophy class with A- and B+ grades respectively. I'll call that a win.
14. Made quite a few new friends through my job, like Michelle :)
15. Got to teach First Year Seminar again with Lauralee - that was one of my favorite things from this semester :)
16. Passed all of my classes and ended up with seven A's and one B+. The main win I had for this semester was passing all of my classes with my sanity in check and a smile on my face in public.
17. Learned the harsh reality of how to deal with people after an emotional conversation with my friend Marci.

All in all, I really think that this past year was much better for me than 2011. There were some definite trials and tribulations after dealing with the aftermath of Justin, but all in all I survived and I think I'm ultimately better for it. Here's to the next step in 2013, the year I graduate college!!!