Holy crap! It's 2012!
Just as I was settled in to 2011, it turned into 2012. Doesn't it always seem to go that way? But, that doesn't mean 2011 was not a good year for me. In fact, it really was a superb. Here are some highlights!
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| Milagra in our new apartment. |
· I moved into my first apartment. It's rather small, but I have my dog with me, I have one of my best friends as a roommate, and it is a fantastic location.
· I lost 33 lbs, and have maintained most of that.
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| Milagra and I with our new bikes. |
· I quit my job at Snowbird and started a receptionist job downtown at a legal firm. I love it!
· I've dated some dudes, I've dated some duds, but at the end of the year, I still knew who I was (which is more than I can say for the end of 2010).
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| Rock Climbing |
· I took up cycling, and it is one of the best decisions I have made in my life. Ever.
· I've gained a plethora of new friends and think they are great people to be associated with.
· I reconnected with some very good friends, only to find out we still get along just as well as before.
· I took up rock climbing, and went canyoneering.
· I've made it 4 months with no internet or cabled TV (just DVDs) in my new apartment.
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| Canyoneering |
· I've been growing my hair out, and it's now the longest it has been since I was about 8 years old.
· I went to Portland/Corvallis, Philadelphia, Colorado Springs, and New York City for the first time, along with attending my first Boise Pride Festival.
· I read a lot more books than ever before, and utilized my library card very well.
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| Daisy and I in Philadelphia. |
It's been a great year. I am a completely different person than I was a year ago, and I love it. I think it is important to realize that happiness is a decision. I don't understand how people can live their lives being okay with unhappiness. I used to, and I got sick of it. I think the major lesson I learned in 2011 is that it's not worth it to dwell on pain.
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| At the Boise Pride Festival |
This doesn't necessarily mean that you shouldn't be upset or hurt, but I feel it is important to learn to not let it eat away at you.
There's a time and a place for everything. For example, If you are sitting alone at your apartment when someone hurts you, read a book or go for a walk. Call a friend to grab a bite to eat, or watch a movie. Don't stew. Also, friendships can help you through anything. Learning this has changed my life.
I wonder how the next year will go for me. I've come up with some resolutions that I'd like to accomplish:
· Lose 15 lbs. As I stated before, I maintained MOST of my weight loss. I never officially reached my goal weight, though, so I'd like to do that.
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| Ginny's Dog Food Portions M-S |
· Get Ginny down to a healthy weight. She has always been a little chunky, but since I moved into my apartment, Ginny has put on some weight. Two days ago, we started going to the dog park. Next, I portioned out all of her meals for the next week with Beneful Healthy Weight dog food (with 3 meals portioned out per day), so starting today, she is on a diet. I think she has the easy part! I get to portion out her meals every single week!
· Socialize Ginny. She's never really been around other dogs very much, so my goal is to help her be comfortable around unknown dogs. Usually she has to warm up to them.
· Save up money for Graduate School (undisclosed amount for this year), or buy a new saxophone.
· Ride my bike to work 75% of the time. This might take me a little time to get started, since I’ve never commuted much on my bike (and it is freeeeezing outside), but I love the idea of this. It means I would ride to work approximately 16 days out of 20 work days a month. This also helps with my next goal…
· Don't fill up my gas tank more than once every 3–4 weeks. I hate buying gas. So, my goal is to avoid it.
· Volunteer at the Bicycle Collective regularly.
And last, but definitely not least (on the contrary; it is my very favorite goal):
· Building a new bike from the frame up. I never really knew much about bikes, and I’d really like to learn, so my goal is to build a bike from the frame up. My plan is to make a single speed road bike with a flip flop hub so that I can also use it as a fixie, if I so desire.
This year is looking to be a good one. It’ll be a year focused on bettering my life, and bettering my dog’s life. It’ll be an adventure, that’s for sure!
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| Portland. |
