Relying on the Man

Last week I got a call from my sister in law, Jenny (brother's wife) who was asking for advice on molding her resume to be sent in for a job she is not even remotely qualified for, but that she thought would be fun. (side note:  I love her outlook on life.  So refreshing!)

My brother and Jenny both work for a large regional bank that recently merged with another bank.  And much like any medium to large company, they lay people off whenever the numbers tell them to.   Well, the numbers told them to lay-off 200 employees in Q3.  Both Aaron and Jenny were spared in this massacre, but as anyone would be in their situation, they are a little leery of their future with the company.  

I talked to Jenny again this morning and she was telling me that she was warned that her job class could be eliminated.  Well, they are doing what companies do when they know they want to lay someone off:  they start coming up with reasons to fire people so they don't have to pay severance or unemployment claims.  

This nauseates me.  Not because of what the company is doing, but that the livelihood of my favorite relatives are being threatened because they are reliant on a faceless monster of a company for their entire income.  

My husband and I went through this past summer dealing with something similar.  I was losing my contract job with a mega-company in August and his mega-company decided it would be fun to play yo-yo with him, his job assignment and my mental well-being.   I was absolutely blown away by how much anxiety can be placed on us by those faceless monsters.   They literally control our lives, whether we want to admit or accept it is irrelevant.   

Well my attempt at gaining control over my future is moving along.  Slowly, but surely.

If you want to check out my website, please do so!

  Austin Professional Organizer

Let It Shine

Tonight is the last night I will go to bed with the intention of getting up and going to work the next day.

Tomorrow is my last day as a gainfully employed member of society. 

Tomorrow is the day I take my Light from under a cubicle and LET IT FUCKING SHINE.

I was apparently not so great at my job.  This bothered me greatly for most of the spring leading into summer.  It bothers me a little bit still, I won't lie.

But had I been good at scheduling interviews for mostly inconsiderate, non-communicative software engineers with an insane sense of entitlement, I'd have a job there on Monday.  But thank God, my lucky stars, the universe, karma, Dharma and Greg that I was apparently not that good at it.  Because on Monday, I try my hand at doing whatever I want to do.  

This is great for a lot of reasons, but here are the two that matter:

1.  I was tired of busting my ass trying to get someone else to recognize my worth and failing.

2.  Now I call the shots.  I give all the important projects to me.  I get all the promotions.  I get all the raises.   I am called into all the important meetings and am asked my opinion about the big important crap.  When I give advice, change is implemented immediately based on what I think.  Here's why:  

The only person to whom I have to prove my worth IS ME.

So thank you, PayPal for giving me back my worth.  I'm going to take much better care of it than you or any other company ever could.

Hide it under a bush, OH NO!  

I'm gonna let it shine!

Hide it under a bush, OH NO!

I'm gonna let it shine!

Hide it under a bush, OH NO!

I'm gonna let it shine,

Let it Shine

Let it SHINE

LET IT SHINE!!

Paranoia Strikes Deep - Realizing Your Worth

The other night I had a dream that I stabbed some unknown person.  This unknown person (in my dream) was a manager at my "work".  It was not really a manager, nor was it really my work, but that's how it was in my dream.

I woke up very disturbed at not just the content, but it was incredibly graphic dream as well and I was in a panic the whole time.  Because I stabbed someone.  Good time to panic.  It was not just like I stabbed him out of anger, but it was premeditated to the point of doing research to find out the exact place to put the knife to ensure he would die and a plan to cover it up afterward.

Yeah, that messed me up for the whole day and now going back to it in my mind I am really disturbed.

I decided to check online to see what it could mean and was not shocked to see this:

To dream that you stab someone indicates your fear of betrayal and your untrusting nature.


And the fact that it was a faceless person at my place of employment:  Perfect sense.


See, two weeks from yesterday, I will no longer be employed with PayPal.  Actually, I won't be employed anywhere.  This isn't news to me, as I've known for months that my contract was going to end, but I had recently found out that several of my co-workers were getting permanent positions.  And I am the only one who has been there that long without being converted to permanent.  


Now, my boss and my co-workers just love to tell me what a great job I do and how amazing I am.  As a naturally cynical person, I'm leery of these kind of compliments anyway, but in the present circumstances, I call full blown bull shit.


This has created an immense amount of paranoia.  I have a voice inside me telling me that all these people are lying, two-faced schmucks and I should avoid conversing with them at all costs. 


To say the least...my mental health is not doing well.  Like at all.  My self esteem has gone into the toilet, I can see the stress in my face and feel it in my muscles.   No one that I work with is a lying, two-faced schmuck.  Not at all.   They are all actually amazing people that I am really going to miss working with.  But I have this looming, angry, bitter fat girl somewhere in me saying that those bitches are sabotaging my every move and more importantly that I am a complete waste of space and have never done anything worthwhile ever in my life and my boss recognizes that and therefore doesn't want a crazy worthless sack of poo on her team of permanent employees.


As you can read in my last blog post, I am trying very hard to love myself and be gentler and more compassionate with myself.  And the whole stabbing-sack-of-poo-paranoia bit just doesn't fit in quite like I'd hoped.  


I've spent a lot of time this week just trying to love on me.  (yes, you can go ahead and get your masturbation jokes out of your system now).  I'm making it a point to recognize that bitchy fat girl voice as my "inner critic" so that I know that I need to stop listening to her.  I spend time listening for what I call my "sacred self".  Others call this the still, small voice or inner wisdom.  

One major moment happened yesterday while I was mulling over past jobs and how they ended.  I was thinking about how I never really felt like I was worth much of anything to any of my employers.  I started to try and comfort myself by thinking that it was time that I took responsibility for appreciating my worth instead of expecting it from others...especially from employers.  Then I heard it.  That still, small voice that said, "honey, you are worth far more than you realize."

This was the first time I heard my sacred self talking to me without me sitting in a quiet room and waiting to hear from her.  That is huge.  HUGE, people.













Huge.

Project: Jewelry Corner

We just moved into our new apartment a couple weeks ago.  We went from a 2300 sqft house to a 700 sqft apartment.  I love it!  I feel so much more at home in a cozy space. :)

In the house I had a closet larger than one of the spare bedrooms, so I had plenty of room to let my jewelry run rampant and be displayed anyway I wanted.  Well, most of the display options there were too large for this place.  Which is awesome because I got to come up with a new one!

Here is the before picture.  The bedroom door is just to the left of this picture.  Obviously covering the breaker box without blocking it was a priority.  I just found this area to be perfect for a "girly corner" since it is on "my" side of the bedroom. :)

During. After a couple hours of shopping for what I had in mind, I came across other things I liked better. :) 

Cork Board from Michael's: $14. Shelf from Target (half of a 2 pk): $15 (or $7.50 for just the one  The other will be claimed by my "office space"). Curtain Rod: Already had. Gold paper clips from Office Max (you'll see em later): $2. Total Cost: $23.50.

Finished! 

Well, I still want to get a hanging pendant lamp for light and to put a small mirror somewhere.  

Probably will put the mirror on the back of the door.

I couldn't find the right thing to use for hooks to hold my necklaces.  Most of the curtain rod or towel holder solutions on Pinterest used S Hooks or shower curtain rings.  I though those were both too big for my tiny curtain rod and too expensive. I had given up, was in the office supply aisle of Target, I saw paper clips and I had an epiphany! So off to Office Max I went in search of pretty paper clips. Gold? Yes Please!!

You can see the paperclips here. Which were not as easy to bend to my will as I would've liked.

Something that always makes me smile: This is the box my engagement ring came in. When Daniel and I were first dating we had played the game Battleship a few times. 

On one of our early dates he gave me one of the red markers with a note that said, 

"You're always a Hit with me." Awwww. 

I managed to hold onto that for going on 10 years and 7 moves.

Cork board from Michael's. I had planned on doing a frame with cork inside, but couldn't find what I wanted for less than a fortune. This worked out perfect. This holds all my french hoop earrings with plenty of room for more.  What I like is that it has a plush backing on it so my earrings are nice and stuck in there without hitting wall.

Sorry for the terrible lighting! This is the dress I wore on NYE this year in NOLA. It's a little big for me now and covers the breaker box well without blocking it entirely in case we need to get there.  Also included is the white and gold feather boa I bought at Jackson Square and the Tiny Top Hat headband I wore.  I want to find a way to get my pink sequin shoes on display here too.  

The shelf holding my stud earrings and all two of my bracelets.

 Here I am standing at the door to my bedroom as it's closed. When it's open this whole corner is blocked. So the girlyness does not overwhelm the room which happens to occupy a man 1/2 the time.

Let me know what you think!  Also tell me about any other projects you've worked on. :)

I know there aren't many projects on this blog, but I have lots to work on!  So check back and I might have something new soon!

Gentleness

This post might very well go directly against many of your beliefs.  Please understand that while I respect your beliefs and would never try to convince you that they are wrong, I may not share your same views.  The views expressed in this blog are my own, and therefore are right for me.  Thank you for your understanding.

I was raised in a very Christian home.  

Christians, or at least Evangelical, Pentecostal (what have you) Christians believe that in their lives the priorities go like this:

1.  God

2.  Others

3. Yourself

And when I say that yourself is third, I mean yourself is not really to ever be considered.  It's all about living your life for God and serving others.  And in doing those two, you should be happy with your life.  

This has just occurred to me today, June 26, 2012 that this order is in exact contradiction to where I want and need my life to be right now.   

First off, if you don't already know, I am agnostic.  I believe in a higher power, I just don't believe that we have the capacity for comprehending what all that entails.  Therefore I will not devote my life to one person's or one group's idea of what that higher power is.

So right there, putting God first doesn't work for me.  I don't know what God is, and I surely don't know what is required of me to put him/her/it first.  

I have always considered myself to be incredibly selfish and self absorbed.  The past few years(since realizing I am agnostic) I have prided myself on the fact.  I rarely put others first anymore.  This goes back to having "servanthood" preached at me while being treated like dirt by those doing the preaching.  Doing things for others made me miserable because the individuals I was trying to serve were not worthy of such respect. I would say it took me a while to get over that, but I am not entirely sure I am over it yet.  

Recently I have surrounded myself with people who talk a lot of about self love.  And today, it hit me hard that I have no idea what that means.

Selfishness and Self Love I don't believe have anything to do with one another.  Or at least, they are not the same thing.  I don't do selfish things out of love for myself.  I don't know why I do them exactly, but that is something for me to reflect on.

So today I decide that my goal is to learn more about Self Love and to figure out how to do just that.  Because no matter what I do, I can't truly love anyone else until I learn to love myself.  I am seeing this as a long term goal that will probably never actually be finished.  But I deserve to find out.  

I have not once in my life really considered loving myself or making that a priority.  I think it began with the Christian order of priorities and then when I let myself drop the first one, my priorities have been all over the place.  No plans have been made to prioritize my spiritual life.  After dealing with so much order and strict requirements in the Christian Institution, I really needed to allow myself some freedom.  

But now is the time to get realigned.  I am adjusting to a lot of physical changes in my life.  I have a new apartment to adjust to.  A new car.  A new schedule that my husband is on with work.  I am soon going to be adjusting to a new career.  I love changes and right now, amidst all the chaos seems like the perfect time to figure out a new way to think about, act toward and treat myself.  

My goal this week is to simply become aware of my emotions. To live consciously.  

Something my nutritionist posted on her Facebook wall a long time ago and I just found it today:

Discipline is a crucial part of the path but it arises out of a compassionate need to prevent future suffering, not a hostile crusade, to correct, punish or improve oneself. Always be gentle on yourself.

Gentleness is never something that I have applied toward myself.  Gentle is probably the last thing I think of when I think about myself.  

These are the words I want to focus on:  Compassion, Gentle

I love that even though Carly posted that on her business FB wall almost a year ago, it never occurred to me to look at her wall before today.  How anyone can claim that there are not higher powers at work within us is beyond me.  I am going to accept this gentle encouragement today as my push to the new Heather.  

My lunch yesterday came with a fortune cookie.  I opened it up, thought it was not that great and left it on my desk.  I typically throw my fortunes away, but for some reason I didn't this time.  I came into the office today, saw it and immediately felt like I had been spoken to.  

Then I brought it home and let Eva munch on it for a while.  Because that's what she loves to do.

Hello Strange Blog Under My Name

You thought I forgot about you, didn't you?

Well I did for a while.

Life is hectic in a good way right now and I love it.

Lots of questions and concerns are just hanging around unanswered and amazingly...I am not stressing out about it.  How refreshing.

Reasons Why...

Reason why Heather should never make small talk:

H = Heather , O = other person

H:  "Hey Other Person!"
O: "Hey Heather.  Nice hair cut."
H: "Thanks! How was your weekend?"
O: "Good.  My wife and the boys were out of town so I..."(this is where I stopped listening)
H: "Oh fun.  You know it seems like your wife and kids go out of town a lot.  They must not like you too much. Haha." (this is the sentence that should not have been said, but since I didn't listen to the last half of his sentence, I had nothing else to say.  Listening is important, kids).
O: "(polite chuckle) Well my mother in law has been ill so my wife goes to look after her on the weekends a lot."
H: "Well that's not nearly as funny."
O: "Yeah....no."
H: "..."
O: "Okay, have a good evening."
H "You too."

I will never small talk with that person again.  I am such an ass.

Reason why I am looking forward to March:

I am on a pop culture fast during February.  This is my fourth year doing it and I enjoy it.  Except today I heard Billy Joel in the cafeteria at work and I think my mouth actually salivated.  Because I really love Billy Joel.  Like a lot.  More than can be considered normal, I'm sure.

Also looking forward to March because March is Mile Month!!  Hooray for exhaust, exhaustion and excess ridiculousness with some of my favorite people!

Reason why I shouldn't be allowed to create my own meals:

For dinner I had Sour Cream and Onion Potato chips, dried cranberries and a beer.  Jeezaloo, that sounds even worse when I put it in writing.

Reason why I love my cats:

For Christmas, I received two blankets.  One was a beautiful, ivory, faux fur number with satin lining.  The other is a hilarious, hand-made fleece blanket with goofy little gnomes all over it (Thank you Mallory!).  Eva, who is oh so beautiful and prim and proper now lives on the ivory blanket.  Triumph who is goofy and ridiculous, now lives on the gnome blanket.  They somehow know what blanket fits their style.  How does that even happen?

Reason why I have a blog:

To post useless things like this. :)

The Satin Hanger Challenge: Accepted

If you read my last post you will have a better understanding of this post.  But in short: I'm getting rid of a bunch of clothes and want to get better ones that I'll actually wear.

Now that you are all caught up, here is my latest ridiculous challenge I have set up for myself that I am so excited about:  The Satin Hanger Challenge.  Oh it's a goodun...

When I was a teenager and hated clothes as much as I do now and cared much less about looking nice, one of my fashion frenzied, luxury loving aunts gave me a set of 12 satin, padded clothes hangers.  I'm sure 15 year old Heather was thrilled and I am sure my face made that fact evident.  You see, I have these two aunts who are quite comical to describe, not as comical to be around.  They are twins.  In their 70's.  Neither has ever been married or had kids.  They are not identical, but look very similar.  They could not be more opposites.  That's what is hilarious.  One is a true Gates: overbearing, bossy, annoying, crass and high strung.  The other (presumably true Rachels?): quiet, mousy, compliant and laid back.

That was quite a useless tangent...

Anywho, so I was sitting there on Christmas with these ridiculously nice hangers, assuming they'd be destroyed, lost or stolen within a year.  My overbearing aunt tells me, "Oh honey, those hangers are worth their weight in GOLD!"  She said that about everything.  Little did cranky-miss-hates-these-women know that nearly 15 years later she'd not only still have all 12 hangers, that she'd be blogging about them! (She might also find me very annoying and decide that blogging was something I had made up and not something she'd ever concern herself with.  What a skeptic).

Well, here I am, ya stupid brat with these damn hangers.  ALL OF THEM.   And just tonight I came to the realization that my loud, know-it-all aunt was absolutely right.  Because these hangers just became a part of my minimalism challenge.

I'll get to it here, I promise.  I have gone through my closet three times in as many days to clear out clothes.  I have read every blog written in English on minimalism and how that relates to wardrobe and I made my plan that works just for me.  The Satin Hanger Challenge.

I have 12 of these.  I counted just now and I have 65 items hanging up.  I have no intention of getting my wardrobe down to 12 items.  That's not realistic for me, at least not now.   So I am going to invest in more of these hangers.  I haven't come up with a number yet, but I plan to.  But I intend to have my entire wardrobe hanging on a fancy satin hanger.

The reason behind this idea is simple.  All the minimalist bloggers have different methods and ideas for how the minimalize, but the root of all of their ideas is this:  Only own what you love.  And you know what is hanging on those 12 hangers?  The clothes I love the most.  They get the fancy hangers because I love them.  So if I am going to get my wardrobe down to only things I love, then they all deserve the fancy hangers.  Make sense?  Of course it does.

I went on eBay to try and find some hangers to buy (or to put on my two week purchase list) and you know what?  I didn't find any fancy enough.  They all had this ugly plastic hook instead of the pretty gold one like mine have.  So, I am going to keep looking.  Because my new wardrobe deserves the best.

Oh, and Daniel if you are reading this, we can do the same with yours but with the fancy wooden hangers.  Let me know what you think.

So tell me kids, what do you think of this plan?  It's not worked out perfectly just yet, it still needs some tweaking, but I really think it will work for me.

Now if I can just get the issue of knowing how to shop for this presumed new wardrobe figured out, I'd be pretty well set.

Fashion and Minimalism

I have recently become kind of obsessed with the idea of minimalism.

I have always hated clothes.

So the idea of getting my wardrobe down to only a few quality, wearable items sounds like the best thing to ever happen to me.

There are few minimalist fashionistas out there kind enough to blog about the topic for me to read.  They all say to get quality items that fit you well and work for your body and lifestyle.  Great idea!  But I have a problem...I have not been able to dress myself properly my entire life.  So how is finding stuff that fits me properly going to somehow magically become a skill that I have?  It's not.

I went through my clothes tonight and separated out all the items that I actually wear because I like them, from the ones I wear because they are there and the clothes I like are dirty.  I noticed that about 90% of the ones left that I like are clothes that someone else picked out for me.   So you see my dilemma.  I cannot dress myself.  Plan and simple.

Off the top of my head I can think of quite of few of my friends who have style that I envy.  I also have quite a few friends who have gotten the minimalist/every-item-I-own-goes-with-everything-I own fashion down to a science and I envy them as well.

I need help.  Seriously.  I have many talents, but dressing well is not one of them, nor is buying quality clothes.  I tend to buy poor quality stuff that usually doesn't fit great and I wear it for the sake of not wearing the same thing all the time.  But I KNOW there are girls out there who manage a small wardrobe who look amazing every day and don't look like they wear the same thing all the time.  I need those girls to help me.

Okay, it's midnight and I took a Vicodin 2 hours ago (fell down the stairs yesterday) so I really need to be sleeping.

If you are one of those girls, please reach out to me.  I will worship you and buy you presents.

Time of Your Life

One decade ago, I bought a one way plane ticket on Vanguard airlines from AUS to MCI for $65.  I was 19.  I had recently purchased and was wearing the warmest coat I could find and was carrying my white Stetson hat.  I didn't want the folks in KC to forget that I was a Texan.

 If you can do simple math you will remember that this was just months after 9/11 and security was pretty tight.  I had only flown a few times before this so I wasn't exactly steeped in TSA protocol or airport procedures.  My two checked bags and one carry on were packed as tight as I could get them.  I was, after all, moving taking all my possessions with me on this flight save a few items (mostly shoes and the last two LOTR books [more math will tell you that LOTR Fellowship had come out recently and I had become obsessed {not much has changed in that respect}]).  I was "randomly selected" to have my bags searched.   For what they were searching, I couldn't tell you.  Bombs I presumed.  None were found, of course, but this was learned after all my jam-packed belongings were spread about all over creation (aka the table at the airport).  After my things were shoved back into my bulging carry-on bag and given back to me, I took a seat in the boarding area.  They had just recently implemented the rule (law?) that only ticketed passengers were allowed beyond security so I'd already said goodbye to my parents and they were on their way back to SA.

As I sat down feeling violated and lonely, I started to cry.  Probably having more to do with the loneliness than the violation.  This was not the first time I'd left home, but I think I knew then that it was the last time I'd leave home.  I was right.

There was not much else that I was right about, sitting there staring out the window of the airport, straining to see if I could see my mom's Corolla as they left the airport parking lot.  I had this plan, a dream, if you will about what was going to go down in KCMO.  I think moving there was about the only thing I had planned that actually occurred.

The day I got there was in early February (the first I believe) and KC was coming off one of the worst ice storms in its history.  When I arrived, I was shocked at how dead everything was.  Not sure why since I had lived in Southern MO for a year before this and had seen what real winter looks like.  I guess I had forgotten.

But this year was especially grim because so many tree limbs had broken off from the weight of the ice and there were piles of dead branches alongside the road in front of houses and businesses.  The atmosphere matched my mood.  Dreary.

I wanted to be excited, but other than just doing something different, I had little to look forward to.  For one, it was friggin cold.  I had no car, no job and barely a place to live.  My first order of business was to find a job.  Second, find a car.  Third, find a long term place to live.

I can't say I ever really found much of a legitimate job the entire 4 years I lived there.  But I eventually got work, then a car very shortly after and then a few months later, a place to live.  The job lasted only a month or two.  The car lasted 7 short months (may that green Ford Ranger "Brother Joe" RIP), but the place to live lasted nearly 3 years right up until I went on my honeymoon.

But I'm skipping ahead here.  See, those few months before I found a place to live I played a constant game of yo-yoing with myself.  I shared an apartment with my best friend and her brand new husband.  Newlyweds.  Yuck.  Oh and I forgot to mention the other tenant....their Great Dane puppy Caesar.  With whom I shared a room.  Along with all the storage items of the couple I lived with.  All my items were stored in milk crates which I kept by the day bed I slept on.  Every night, without fail, Caesar would wake up having to go outside and pee.  He would whine plenty loud enough for me to hear, but somehow never loud enough for his owners to hear.  So I'd have to take him down three flights of stairs into the snow for him to pee.  Then  back upstairs where inevitably, said owner would be standing there sleepily saying, "oh you didn't have to do that."  Actually, I did.

Every night that happened.  Among other annoyances of dealing with a poorly trained horse-sized dog.  But there were other things going on each night during those two months.  I had trouble finding a job, finding a car I could afford, making friends but most importantly figuring out just why in the hell I was there.  And for those two months around 3AM when I was trying to get back to sleep after Caesar's potty break, I would lay there feeling dejected and told myself that tomorrow, I was going to call my parents and ask them to buy me a one way ticket back home.   I was out of money, no one liked me, my job was a joke and that dumb dog just pooped in his cage...again.

But you know what?  I never did call my parents and ask for that plane ticket.  I never bought one myself either.  I think deep down I knew I was supposed to be there, freezing my ass off, I just couldn't see why.  It would be years before I figured out why that's where I needed to be.  It was of course for completely different reasons that I had thought and I am so glad.  What I had planned was so lame in comparison to what happened.

It's pretty normal for your 20's to be the time of most change in your life.  Mine was no different.  I am drastically different now than that girl crying at the airport 10 years ago.  And I like who I am now, but 10 years from now, when I am 39 I hope I am drastically different then than I am now.  I hope I can look back and think about how much I've learned and grown and changed.


But I hope I never get too old to cry at the airport when life sticks another fork in the road.

Tradition Can Wait

The last two years on New Year's Eve I wrote notes on Facebook.  One was incredibly sad, one was incredibly angry.  Well, I am doing things different this time.  First off, I have a blog now to ramble on, second this will not be sad or angry and most importantly, this is written after New Year's Eve because I was off enjoying my New Year's Eve this time around instead of sitting around stewing over what a horrible year it had been.

Because it was a GREAT year.  I wrote a cheesy little list at the beginning of 2011.  Not a resolution really, but a list of all the things I was NOT going to be this year.  I made it a point to stop focusing on all the shit that was thrown around during 2009 and 2010.  I decided I was due to have a great year.  And you know what?  I nailed it.

Nothing amazing happened this year.  Not any one thing anyway.
In January I formulated a plan to pay off our student loan debt and in 12 months I have gotten half way through.  This was no small (or cheap) feat, let me tell you.
I decided I was done with hating my job and found a new one in early February.  It's not a perfect job, but it beats the hell out of the ridiculous place I was working for the 4 years prior.
After a random co-worker inquired about the Miss Sweeties entry on my LinkedIn profile, I decided to revive it.  I am now running a very small chocolate business on the side.  Mostly for my own entertainment.
I got to meet my niece for the first time in April and got to join in celebrating her first birthday in December.
I told Daniel early on that I was tired of saying I wanted to go on more trips and actually wanted to go on some.  So we did.  :)
Daniel and I spent our anniversary weekend at the Hyatt Lost Pines.
I got to go to Missouri to see Daniel's family in April and July.
We had our first Texas Mile at the new track in May.  My first time dealing with animal carcasses blowing past me with 40 MPH winds.  HA!
I got to see one of the only 4th of July firework displays in the Austin area in my car on the side of I-35 on my way back from Missouri.  
I took a trip with Daniel and one of my oldest friends Jay to Vegas in August.  Granted, I was sick as a dog the whole time and ended up with a severe ear infection because of it, but it was worth it.
In September I drove over to MS to hang out with my brother, sister in law and niece.  It was the most ironic trip weather wise I've ever taken.  I had to cancel my plans to visit Natchez because of flooding in MS and LA and that same day I drove through Bastrop on my way home and, as I'm sure many of you remember, got stuck in the traffic of the wildfire evacuees.
Later in September I joined Daniel in Florida while he was there for training and I got to see the Atlantic for the first time from the US.  While there we took an airboat tour through the Everglades looking for gators.
Early in November I took Daniel along to California while I was there for training.  I got to see the Pacific for the first time ever (and successfully visited all three American coasts within 2 months) and we enjoyed the Bay Area so much we are ready to go back again.
Later in November after a mildly hectic mini kitchen remodel we had Daniel's parents over for Thanksgiving weekend and enjoyed the company of more family plus soon to be even more family.
Christmas was a fun and simple day spent with friends that treat me like family.
For New Year's weekend, Daniel and I got a hotel high above Canal Street, over looking the Mississippi River in New Orleans.  We got to enjoy more time with my brother and his wife and then rang in the New Year in Jackson Square.  It was the perfect end to such a great year.


I can honestly say it was the best year I've ever had.  I made a few decisions to change the way I see things and to change the things that I had control over.   Amazing what a little perspective will do for ya.

2012 is already shaping up to be another crazy adventure filled year and I am stoked to see what it brings me.

I know I am a couple days late for my end of year recap, and I am glad I am.  Life's too short to always have time for tradition. ;)

Happy New Year!!!

PS ~ I have for the last 5 or so years joked that I had a new year's resolution to learn the meaning behind the song "Loser" by Beck.  I finally got around to looking it up on Wikipedia this year. ;)