2008 in Review
A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a post from August 2007, in which I highlighted the key moments of the preceding 12-14 months. That inspired me to write another "year in review" since I've already written about my New Years trip to London, and the trip to Dublin for my 30th is still over a year away!
Thinking back, I was blessed to travel to some great places, both domestically and abroad. I also had a challenging year in several respects, mostly surrounding life's ups and downs that confronted my family and friends. As one of my grad school professors said, "Growth is a painful process," and with the good and the bad, 2008 was a year to remember.
1) I started a new role within the office in January to fill a vacancy that had remained throughout the fall 2007 semester. I hadn't anticipated the change, but it's been good to me.
2) On my birthday, friends joined me at the often misunderstood and mysterious Bamboo House for lunch, followed by wine tasting at Horton Vineyards.
3) I went to DC "on a school night" in January to see the Editors and was back at work by 8am the next day. In February I returned to DC for a Spice Girls concert but took the next day off.
4) Taking the Strong Interest Inventory (again) the year before reminded me to incorporate my Artistic interest into my life outside of work hours. So I took belly dance classes at the gym and then did work on my own every other day last summer. Continuing the dance theme, I've been to the Zumba class at my gym whenever it works out.
5) Nicole decided to return to Buffalo, and while I lost another great friend at work, I haven't lost a friend.
6) Instead of popping by Nicole's office throughout the day, I now pester Taurean in between appointments, projects, and presentations.
7) Grayson returned from Japan for a week and we got to hang out twice. Will returned from Japan for good.
8) I went to my high school reunion and felt awkward. Even though I made friends during those two years (moved back to Virginia right before my junior year), I couldn't figure out how to mingle amongst all the tight-knit groups that are still intact. I went with a few friends I'm still close to, and we all felt awkward and left early (except for one).
9) Conferences for work took me to San Francisco for the first time in April (and I got to see Dennis) and to Orlando in December (and I got to see my "brothers").
10) I jet-setted to London for a "long" weekend in April, just to attend a party and see my friends. Air Canada lost my bag, my friends clothed me all weekend, and I got the bag back a week later...and a $500 voucher in the mail a couple of months later.
11) Nicole and I spent two weeks together in Barcelona in May. We encountered our fair share of frustrations, and I couldn't fully appreciate the experience because of it. Looking back I like Barcelona a lot more now than I did then.
12) I flew from Barcelona to Istanbul solo and spent a week enjoying the city and making new friends.
13) Over the summer I did two big things I'm proud of -- 1) researched, drafted, and published a new section of our office's website (which subsequently led to an office-wide project to overhaul and update the entire thing -- badly needed!) and 2) performed in 8 skits for Vacation Bible School at church.
14) In the fall I started jogging outside with my dad and eventually made it up to 2 miles straight for the first time ever. This is HUGE for me. This contributed to finally shedding a few pounds, which I have no doubt started to add back on with post-holiday season weight.
15) Kev and Gemma visited my family over Thanksgiving week. It was great to host some of my Brits, and it was their first time to the states.
16) Although it was technically a non-speaking role, I memorized lines and performed in our church Christmas play as Mary. We had five performances in three days. It was one of the best things I've done at this church, since it helped me meet so many people I didn't know.
17) I used the $500 voucher from Air Canada towards a flight to London for New Years. They didn't lose my bag this time.
18) Sadly 3 of my friends my age lost a parent. I can't even imagine.
19) Each of my immediate family members encountered some really difficult situations last year, which I won't go into, but that's part of life, right?
As eventful as 2008 was, 2009 is already promising to deliver even more! I've been really active on the weekends and even after work (mostly fun!), and between the things I know that are coming down the pike and those that will no doubt surprise me along the way, I have a feeling 2009 is going to be a big one.
A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a post from August 2007, in which I highlighted the key moments of the preceding 12-14 months. That inspired me to write another "year in review" since I've already written about my New Years trip to London, and the trip to Dublin for my 30th is still over a year away!
Thinking back, I was blessed to travel to some great places, both domestically and abroad. I also had a challenging year in several respects, mostly surrounding life's ups and downs that confronted my family and friends. As one of my grad school professors said, "Growth is a painful process," and with the good and the bad, 2008 was a year to remember.
1) I started a new role within the office in January to fill a vacancy that had remained throughout the fall 2007 semester. I hadn't anticipated the change, but it's been good to me.
2) On my birthday, friends joined me at the often misunderstood and mysterious Bamboo House for lunch, followed by wine tasting at Horton Vineyards.
3) I went to DC "on a school night" in January to see the Editors and was back at work by 8am the next day. In February I returned to DC for a Spice Girls concert but took the next day off.
4) Taking the Strong Interest Inventory (again) the year before reminded me to incorporate my Artistic interest into my life outside of work hours. So I took belly dance classes at the gym and then did work on my own every other day last summer. Continuing the dance theme, I've been to the Zumba class at my gym whenever it works out.
5) Nicole decided to return to Buffalo, and while I lost another great friend at work, I haven't lost a friend.
6) Instead of popping by Nicole's office throughout the day, I now pester Taurean in between appointments, projects, and presentations.
7) Grayson returned from Japan for a week and we got to hang out twice. Will returned from Japan for good.
8) I went to my high school reunion and felt awkward. Even though I made friends during those two years (moved back to Virginia right before my junior year), I couldn't figure out how to mingle amongst all the tight-knit groups that are still intact. I went with a few friends I'm still close to, and we all felt awkward and left early (except for one).
9) Conferences for work took me to San Francisco for the first time in April (and I got to see Dennis) and to Orlando in December (and I got to see my "brothers").
10) I jet-setted to London for a "long" weekend in April, just to attend a party and see my friends. Air Canada lost my bag, my friends clothed me all weekend, and I got the bag back a week later...and a $500 voucher in the mail a couple of months later.
11) Nicole and I spent two weeks together in Barcelona in May. We encountered our fair share of frustrations, and I couldn't fully appreciate the experience because of it. Looking back I like Barcelona a lot more now than I did then.
12) I flew from Barcelona to Istanbul solo and spent a week enjoying the city and making new friends.
13) Over the summer I did two big things I'm proud of -- 1) researched, drafted, and published a new section of our office's website (which subsequently led to an office-wide project to overhaul and update the entire thing -- badly needed!) and 2) performed in 8 skits for Vacation Bible School at church.
14) In the fall I started jogging outside with my dad and eventually made it up to 2 miles straight for the first time ever. This is HUGE for me. This contributed to finally shedding a few pounds, which I have no doubt started to add back on with post-holiday season weight.
15) Kev and Gemma visited my family over Thanksgiving week. It was great to host some of my Brits, and it was their first time to the states.
16) Although it was technically a non-speaking role, I memorized lines and performed in our church Christmas play as Mary. We had five performances in three days. It was one of the best things I've done at this church, since it helped me meet so many people I didn't know.
17) I used the $500 voucher from Air Canada towards a flight to London for New Years. They didn't lose my bag this time.
18) Sadly 3 of my friends my age lost a parent. I can't even imagine.
19) Each of my immediate family members encountered some really difficult situations last year, which I won't go into, but that's part of life, right?
As eventful as 2008 was, 2009 is already promising to deliver even more! I've been really active on the weekends and even after work (mostly fun!), and between the things I know that are coming down the pike and those that will no doubt surprise me along the way, I have a feeling 2009 is going to be a big one.
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