My Year in Review: Top 11 of 2011

As 2011 comes to a close, it's only natural that one would reflect upon it.  For me, 2011 was a year of learning and experiencing.  As with any year there were some highs and some lows.  There were some days that I definitely knew I was in a place I didn't want to be.  And then there were some days when I knew I was right on track.  But in traversing the mountains of my life, I learned a lot.

I started the new year having just broken up with my college boyfriend.  Or rather, let me clarify, he had just broken up with me.  We both knew this was the best decision for us in the long run, but the timing was just the pits to be honest.  I was caught between the mixed emotions of graduating from A&M, the place I truly felt at home, and the frustration of doing so without a job lined up.  So navigating through a weird relationship turn with my boyfriend/best friend was not ideal.  On the job front, yeah, the economy sucked.  Yeah, I was applying for jobs that were all out of state.  And yeah, most of those jobs were in industries that are hard to get into.  But regardless of the excuses that could be made or the reality of our bottomed-out economy, the truth of the matter is I was stuck back at home, jobless, and honestly?  Kinda lonely.

Lucky for me, I have some pretty wonderful people in my life and a pretty stubborn personality.  I refused to give in to my less-than-ideal situation and threw myself into going to church, working out, and figuring out exactly what direction I wanted my life to take.  I got a part-time job to tide me over until I found exactly what I was looking for and I focused a lot on all the good that I did have: parents that let me shack up with them again (rent free!), friends that continued to encourage me, and a faithful God that (in hindsight) was allowing me to fall a bit so I would appreciate the climb when it started.

Looking back, I think the Big Guy knew I needed a few months' rest before I jumped into what is now my crazy life.  He needed a few months to lead me to a great church and get me hooked, to help me re-cement some relationships that had started to crumble, to allow me to research and interview and talk to people about all the wrong jobs in order to find the right one, and to give me time to stop, think, and move forward with a plan.  And thank goodness He did.

My 2011 has, in short, been awesome.  Here's a little peak into my top 11 favorite memories from this past year.

1. I landed my dream first job.

Thanks to a recommendation from a fellow Aggie and my year spent as a Fish Camp Director at A&M, I landed my very first big girl job as the Recruiting Assistant at The Boston Consulting Group.  Essentially, I facilitate the interview process for our consultants and plan events for both our office and our candidates.  Being that I love organization and socializing this is a perfect fit for me.  I even get to jet off every so often on a business trip (the picture above was taken on my first one).

2. I attended weddings.  Several.

I've been to three weddings this year; all of them vastly different, and all of them absolutely beautiful.  I adore weddings because they're happy, they're fun, they're about friends and family coming back together, and they more often than not involve free drinks.  My friends from college are getting engaged left and right (eek!) so it was nice to warm up to the wedding scene with a modest number of three this year.  By the time 2012 wraps up, I'll be a seasoned pro ;)

3. I floated the river.  Three times.

I blogged about all of them so feel free to read back on them here, here, and here.  As I've said before, floating the river is one of my absolute favorite things in the world.  Conveniently for me, I live within four hours of three awesome rivers.  As they always are, my trips this summer were filled with my best friends, good beer, lots of laughs, a few sunburns, and memories that will last a lifetime!

4. I moved into my first bachlorette pad.

On July 1st I moved into my very first, very own, pay-for-myself apartment downtown.  Well, actually it's in Uptown, which is even better for me.  I lucked into a pretty sweet deal making it moderately affordable and definitely doable considering my prime location (I'm a block away from my office!).  This was, and still is, one of the most accomplishing feelings - to look around and know that because of my hard work I pay for this shell of an abode, I pay for the furniture and decor to make it a home, and I pay for the bills that keep it livable.  There's still a lot of work to be done (as can be noted by my lack of curtains in the photo above) but I'm definitely trying to be patient as I wait to seek out the perfect pieces!

  

5. I went to my company retreat.

Every summer BCG hosts a retreat for the employees.  Although I absolutely adore my job and love planning events, it was nice to have a blow-out of a weekend that was planned for me!  You can read about the details here, but it was such a treat to spend an entire weekend in utter spoilment (who do I talk with to add 'spoilment' to the dictionary?!).

6. I had a reunion with my fellow Directors.

I'll try to skip around this Fish Camp subject as quickly as possible because, let's be honest, I could go on for days about this magnificent organization and the ways in which it touched my life.  The picture above was taken at one of the many Director reunions we had throughout the year.  These people (and the three not pictured) are the friends who morphed into my family.  They are the people I spent every single day with for a year, they are the people who know me at my very worst and my very best, they are the people I lived with for a month at camp, and they are the people who, above all else, will always hold the most special of places within my heart.  Being with them makes me happy :)

7. I visited my alma mater.

College Station will always feel like home to me.  I grew and learned so much while I was there in every way possible and I found some of my life-long friends along the way.  It must also be noted that football and, more specifically, tailgating is at the very top of my "favorite things" list.  So a weekend full of College Station, best friends, and tailgating definitely made the cut for my top moments of 2011.  Plus, it was my first time tailgating as an alum!

8. I ran my first race.

One of my personal life goals is to run a half marathon (maybe eventually a full marathon but I'm trying to remain realistic here).  I became one step closer to accomplishing this when I ran my first race (albeit only a 5k) in September.  After a little bit of a set-back and pause from training, I ran another 5k in December.  And as a little sneak peek into 2012, I'll go ahead and let you in on the exciting news: I'm signed up for a 10k in January, 15k in February, and my half in March!  In just a few short months (but lots of hard work!) I will have ::hopefully:: completed one of my life goals.  Go me.

9. I went to The State Fair of Texas.

Oh The State Fair.  Always a jolly good time.  Fried food, craft booths, the midway, shows...what's not to love?!  I mean, seriously!  How do people live in this great state and never experience the amazingness this extravaganza has to offer?  Obviously the State Fair is one of my favorite times of year.  I think this is largely because it really means so much more.  It means not only a killer of a day, but finally cooler weather, my birthday season, and the holidays peeping around the corner.

 10. I took my first 'real' vacation.

I 'use' real vacation to differentiate the few I took this year from those previously because honestly?  I travel a solid amount.  It's kinda a hobby of mine.  In college, my friends and I frequented Austin and spent many a weekend down in New Orleans.  We went to our bowl games and on camping trips, road trips to the coast and to each other's hometowns.  But 2011 was the first time I, all by myself, paid for an 'extravagant' vacation.  And by extravagant I mean we didn't include blow-up mattresses and lysol on our packing list...

 The first 'real' vacation I took was to Boston to visit my sister because she's cool and goes to Berklee.  We spent a few days in NYC after Thanksgiving before heading back to Beantown for the remainder of my trip.  The next 'real' vacation I took was a few weeks later to Orlando.  I'm a huge Harry Potter fan so the chance to go to the HP theme park was just too good to pass up.  And let's be honest, what person in their right mind can resist Disney World, too?!  Hopefully 2012 will hold many more trips!

 11. I hosted my first Christmas party.

I love hosting parties.  I think it might be a disease.  But I like to attribute it to the fact that my friends mean everything to me.  Now my family means the world to me so don't read me wrong, but friends are the people you choose to love and be around, so making an effort to come together and spend time with one another is uber important to me.  I had an absolute blast preparing for and hosting my first annual Christmas party and am excited for many more to come in the future!  I might even have the ones for 2012 and 2013 planned out...

So 2011 ended a lot differently than it started.  I have direction in my life, I have solid goals, I have a faith that is gaining strength every day, I have a job and a home to be proud of, and I have a year full of memories that I am ever so thankful for.  Oh, and the boyfriend that had just broken up with me?  Well, he's still one of my best friends.  We learned how to forge a friendship out of a broken relationship.  After all, aren't some of the best friends the ones that go to the tops of the mountains and the bottoms of the seas with you?  In other words, the ones that know you inside out; your good and your bad.  We might have been a mis-match on the romantic front, but I gained a hell of a friend out of it!

What a blessing of a year!  Cheers to a great 2011!