The cool thing to do in bloggy land is review the year. You know me, I always like to hop on what is cool! But seriously, way before I blogged I used to write down my highlights from the year and a couple of lowlights. It is absolutely amazing to look back at everything that has happened in just a year. Whenever I look back and review the year I realize how incredibly blessed I am, how good God is, and much joy is in my life.
What I did: Became a woman, publicly declared my hatred toward pinterest, was accused of being a witch, and felt guilty for not having babies yet.
What I saw: My good friend, Akasha. She lived in Pittsburgh but spent extended time in Utah in January. So great to catch up!
What I wrote: "I am so grateful for family, for strong bonds that connect us even after death, and for a loving God who has given us knowledge of the afterlife. So grateful for the big things." January 26, 2012, The Big Things
What I learned: Don't paint walls lime green. When you get tired of lime green walls, don't paint them royal blue. Keep it simple.
What I did: Celebrated our first married Valentine's Day, stole underwear from a mannequin at Victoria's Secret, was nostalgic for teaching, realized I am filthy rich, and chopped off my long brown hair.
What I saw: A student start his essay on women's rights with "We all know women are crazy."
What I wrote: "I came to a stark realization this afternoon. A realization that I have had time and time again. I am not poor. Not in any sense of the word. I am wealthy beyond reason, beyond imagination. Everytime I've learned this lesson in the past it was because I was visiting a third world country. Today I didn't have to travel so far, only open the door of my coat closet. And the lesson was just as powerful." February 22, 2012
What I learned: Having short hair is always better than having long hair. Always.
What I did: Celebrated one year of marriage with Hubs in Las Vegas, waited patiently for Spring to arrive, got riled up about sex education in Utah, sponsored my first ever blog (Living in Yellow), went to my first blogging meet up, and turned into my mom.
What I saw: A pantless student. It wasn't pretty.
What I wrote: (About marriage advice) "You're not always right. It was a weird day when I realized that I believed something 100% and Hubs believed something else 100% and neither of us were right or wrong, we just believed differently. The ever present urge to insist that you are right about a certain subject is poison to a marriage. POISON, I TELL YOU!" March 11, 2011 (How to not kill each other the first year)
What I learned: Sluffing work for a couple of days to enjoy some alone time with Hubs is always a good idea.
What I did: Spring Breaked Sans Hubs with my sister in Monterey, felt bad for my students when they lost elections, tried to figure out my feelings about God and gays, started accepting sponsorship on my blog, and watched the Jazz make it to the playoffs!
What I saw: John Steinbeck's house. An English teacher's wildest dream!
What I wrote: "Tennis is more fun than I have thought my previous 25 years. Thanks to a patient brother, Reed, and a few quick tips, I felt a lot more confident with a racket in my hand. Here's a tip I'll share with you because I'm that kind of gal: You can't just hit it as hard as you feel like. It's not baseball." April 7, 2012
What I learned: I miss my Hubs too much when I leave for 5 days. No more vay-cays without him.
What I did: Camped in Moab with Hubs and his friends, played a lot of volleyball, thought school would never end, spent a week without Hubs while he went to Cali, had long serious debates about how I liked my hair best, and got in lots of discussions about breastfeeding!
What I saw: My preggers friend, Amy in a swimsuit. Twas glorious.
What I wrote: "There is no limit to the breastfeeding bananza down south. Women in Argentina feed their children whenever their children want it. There's no routine, no schedule. It's like a water fountain. The kid runs up for a quick drink, and then runs off to continue his playtime, like it ain't no thang. And you can forget blankets or waiting rooms or trying in any way to be modest. It is absolutely unheard of, just whip that thing out!" May 10, 2012
What I learned: When you teach high school for a living, May is the longest, cruelest month of the year.
What I did: got mad at other bloggers for not inviting me to a get together that Jef Holm was at, went to St. George with Hubs and friends and got royally sunburned, watched my husband become a man, officially started the worst job ever, went fishing, celebrated turning 26 and decided on my top five favorite books ever. Oh. And I got in big big big big trouble for this post on handicapped parking.
What I saw: A man fall down a rock and hang upside down while rock climbing. It was so very terrifying!
What I wrote: "I would just offer this one piece to advice to anyone who leaves a comment on any blog/facebook/ media outlet: Don't say anything on the internet that you wouldn't say to someone face to face. Be gentle with your criticism. You can state your opinion without being blatantly rude. Behind every blog there is a real person. And words can hurt." June 15, 2012
What I learned: If you write anything that other people disagree with, get ready for some serious backlash!
What I did: celebrated Hubs 24th birthday, took a bunch of kids rafting in a thunderstorm, officially quit the worst job ever, cried out happiness when Jef Holm won bachelorette, wrote my most popular post ever about Mormons, took tennis lessons, and wrote the most profound post ever on how to catch a husband.
What I saw: NOT Jef Holms. Still mad at bloggy friends.
What I wrote: "I knew I wanted to stay married forever and ever after an argument when he came into the bedroom and said, "I know we're upset. But you have to make me one promise. No matter what, we never ever ever entertain the idea of divorce." And I said, "I promise." July 15, 2012
What I learned: I am not cut out for manual labor. No more painting summer jobs for me!
What I did: Tried to pretend like I would never have to go back to school, spent lots of time at the water park, got kicked out of an apartment 24 hours before we were supposed to move in, crashed my mom's basement, got in trouble by the blog world for admitting I don't always put shopping carts back, endured stress city, started school again.
What I saw: My best friend became a mom and named the baby after me!!! Crazy stuff.
What I wrote: "This morning involved a humble call to my mom. When I originally told her about the apartment debacle she immediately offered up her basement. "You can always stay here until you find a place!" And so I asked, "Mom? Can Greg and I stay with you until we find an apartment?" To which she replied, "Of course you can. I already have the basement ready for you. I can be over to help you move at 3:00." To which I was overwhelmed at her goodness." August 8, 2012
What I learned: Sometimes God has our lives figured out much better than we do and we just need to let Him take over.
What I did: sympathized with my students who have it rough, went to Hubs' zombie movie premiere, wrote my favorite post ever about Risky Writing, figured out a way to trick Hubs into letting me have uber short hair, went to my bestie's wedding in New Mexico, decided to stay living with my mom for the next year, and sat down and wrote out a few key things that I believe in.
What I saw: One of my favorite college roomies tie the knot. Oh, and Hubs in eyeliner. Oh la la!
What I wrote: "You have to be willing to lose followers in order to really produce original, thought provoking writing. You can't be afraid of the internet trolls, the mean commenters, the people who are going to disagree with everything you say. You just have to realize that those people aren't who you're writing for and let them go find a nice blog where weekend recaps and Oh, so Pinteresting posts abound." September 26, 2012
What I learned: As much as I love summer and freedom and no schedules, it feels oh so good to get back to work. I guess I like my job? Oh and my girlfriends are so important to me- always worth the effort to get together for a girls weekend!
What I did: Decided October is my favorite month of the year, cruised Mexico with my family, dressed up like the wicked witch of the west for Halloween, mourned the break up of Jef and Emily, hit 1000 followers on the blog and celebrated with Hubs' first ever guest post, and compared Blogging to High School.
What I saw: A hurricane while on a cruise ship. All at once the most terrifying and fantastic experience of my life.
What I wrote: "I get real sick of hearing my 16 year old students go on and on about how fabulous their boyfriends are. I also get sick of bloggers talking about how great their husbands are. Before you all jump all over me I will say that I have also been guilty of doing this. Heck, I love Hubs as much as the next woman loves her husband. I guess what starts to bother me is when I feel like bloggers are being competitive in their love for their husbands, almost as if they are saying, "I love my husband more than you love your husband." Can we all just admit that yes, our husbands are great, but they can also be real stinkers sometimes!" October 2, 2012
What I learned: I am now too old for roller coasters. BOO!
What I did: I tried once again to figure out my feelings about God and gays, celebrated Thanksgiving with games movies and more games, thought a lot about arguments in marriage, marked the three year anniversary of my dad's death, gave out lots and lots of advice to other bloggers, and did my first what we did in class post.
What I saw: A huge spike in blog readership. Praise the heavens!
What I wrote: "Funniest moment: An Italian exchange student was trying to tell us that he thought the book was very mild compared to what he had been required to read in Italy. He said that they had been required to read a book where a nun has sexual relations with a man. Only because of his accent we all thought he said the nun had sexual relations with a nun. Oh, how we laughed." November 12, 2012
What I learned: If you work hard enough smart enough long enough at something you will see results.
What I did: had my annual Christmas break down, spent lots of time with friends and family, played games all night Christmas Eve, got my own dot com, tried to figure out if I am a feminist, thought about how much I hated being engaged, and tried to make sense of one man killing a bunch of little kids.
What I saw: Lots of Christmas trees, Christmas lights, and cute little gingerbread men. Also lots of snow and a much colder winter than years past.
What I wrote: "I don't know what the answers are, but I do know that the Lord is over all. I know they He will "repay" that which He has "taken away." I believe in justice and I believe in mercy. I believe in hope and love and charity and kindness- even in the midst of such tragedy. I believe in a day when tears are past." December 17, 2012
What I learned: God is good, life is rich, and we are all so so so blessed. We live in complete abundance.
HAPPY NEW YEARS!
May 2013 be every bit as awesome as 2012!
January
What I did: Became a woman, publicly declared my hatred toward pinterest, was accused of being a witch, and felt guilty for not having babies yet.
What I saw: My good friend, Akasha. She lived in Pittsburgh but spent extended time in Utah in January. So great to catch up!
What I wrote: "I am so grateful for family, for strong bonds that connect us even after death, and for a loving God who has given us knowledge of the afterlife. So grateful for the big things." January 26, 2012, The Big Things
What I learned: Don't paint walls lime green. When you get tired of lime green walls, don't paint them royal blue. Keep it simple.
FEBRUARY
What I did: Celebrated our first married Valentine's Day, stole underwear from a mannequin at Victoria's Secret, was nostalgic for teaching, realized I am filthy rich, and chopped off my long brown hair.
What I saw: A student start his essay on women's rights with "We all know women are crazy."
What I wrote: "I came to a stark realization this afternoon. A realization that I have had time and time again. I am not poor. Not in any sense of the word. I am wealthy beyond reason, beyond imagination. Everytime I've learned this lesson in the past it was because I was visiting a third world country. Today I didn't have to travel so far, only open the door of my coat closet. And the lesson was just as powerful." February 22, 2012
What I learned: Having short hair is always better than having long hair. Always.
MARCH
What I did: Celebrated one year of marriage with Hubs in Las Vegas, waited patiently for Spring to arrive, got riled up about sex education in Utah, sponsored my first ever blog (Living in Yellow), went to my first blogging meet up, and turned into my mom.
What I saw: A pantless student. It wasn't pretty.
What I wrote: (About marriage advice) "You're not always right. It was a weird day when I realized that I believed something 100% and Hubs believed something else 100% and neither of us were right or wrong, we just believed differently. The ever present urge to insist that you are right about a certain subject is poison to a marriage. POISON, I TELL YOU!" March 11, 2011 (How to not kill each other the first year)
What I learned: Sluffing work for a couple of days to enjoy some alone time with Hubs is always a good idea.
APRIL
What I did: Spring Breaked Sans Hubs with my sister in Monterey, felt bad for my students when they lost elections, tried to figure out my feelings about God and gays, started accepting sponsorship on my blog, and watched the Jazz make it to the playoffs!
What I saw: John Steinbeck's house. An English teacher's wildest dream!
What I wrote: "Tennis is more fun than I have thought my previous 25 years. Thanks to a patient brother, Reed, and a few quick tips, I felt a lot more confident with a racket in my hand. Here's a tip I'll share with you because I'm that kind of gal: You can't just hit it as hard as you feel like. It's not baseball." April 7, 2012
What I learned: I miss my Hubs too much when I leave for 5 days. No more vay-cays without him.
MAY
What I did: Camped in Moab with Hubs and his friends, played a lot of volleyball, thought school would never end, spent a week without Hubs while he went to Cali, had long serious debates about how I liked my hair best, and got in lots of discussions about breastfeeding!
What I saw: My preggers friend, Amy in a swimsuit. Twas glorious.
What I wrote: "There is no limit to the breastfeeding bananza down south. Women in Argentina feed their children whenever their children want it. There's no routine, no schedule. It's like a water fountain. The kid runs up for a quick drink, and then runs off to continue his playtime, like it ain't no thang. And you can forget blankets or waiting rooms or trying in any way to be modest. It is absolutely unheard of, just whip that thing out!" May 10, 2012
What I learned: When you teach high school for a living, May is the longest, cruelest month of the year.
JUNE
What I did: got mad at other bloggers for not inviting me to a get together that Jef Holm was at, went to St. George with Hubs and friends and got royally sunburned, watched my husband become a man, officially started the worst job ever, went fishing, celebrated turning 26 and decided on my top five favorite books ever. Oh. And I got in big big big big trouble for this post on handicapped parking.
What I saw: A man fall down a rock and hang upside down while rock climbing. It was so very terrifying!
What I wrote: "I would just offer this one piece to advice to anyone who leaves a comment on any blog/facebook/ media outlet: Don't say anything on the internet that you wouldn't say to someone face to face. Be gentle with your criticism. You can state your opinion without being blatantly rude. Behind every blog there is a real person. And words can hurt." June 15, 2012
What I learned: If you write anything that other people disagree with, get ready for some serious backlash!
JULY
What I did: celebrated Hubs 24th birthday, took a bunch of kids rafting in a thunderstorm, officially quit the worst job ever, cried out happiness when Jef Holm won bachelorette, wrote my most popular post ever about Mormons, took tennis lessons, and wrote the most profound post ever on how to catch a husband.
What I saw: NOT Jef Holms. Still mad at bloggy friends.
What I wrote: "I knew I wanted to stay married forever and ever after an argument when he came into the bedroom and said, "I know we're upset. But you have to make me one promise. No matter what, we never ever ever entertain the idea of divorce." And I said, "I promise." July 15, 2012
What I learned: I am not cut out for manual labor. No more painting summer jobs for me!
AUGUST
What I did: Tried to pretend like I would never have to go back to school, spent lots of time at the water park, got kicked out of an apartment 24 hours before we were supposed to move in, crashed my mom's basement, got in trouble by the blog world for admitting I don't always put shopping carts back, endured stress city, started school again.
What I saw: My best friend became a mom and named the baby after me!!! Crazy stuff.
What I wrote: "This morning involved a humble call to my mom. When I originally told her about the apartment debacle she immediately offered up her basement. "You can always stay here until you find a place!" And so I asked, "Mom? Can Greg and I stay with you until we find an apartment?" To which she replied, "Of course you can. I already have the basement ready for you. I can be over to help you move at 3:00." To which I was overwhelmed at her goodness." August 8, 2012
What I learned: Sometimes God has our lives figured out much better than we do and we just need to let Him take over.
SEPTEMBER
What I did: sympathized with my students who have it rough, went to Hubs' zombie movie premiere, wrote my favorite post ever about Risky Writing, figured out a way to trick Hubs into letting me have uber short hair, went to my bestie's wedding in New Mexico, decided to stay living with my mom for the next year, and sat down and wrote out a few key things that I believe in.
What I saw: One of my favorite college roomies tie the knot. Oh, and Hubs in eyeliner. Oh la la!
What I wrote: "You have to be willing to lose followers in order to really produce original, thought provoking writing. You can't be afraid of the internet trolls, the mean commenters, the people who are going to disagree with everything you say. You just have to realize that those people aren't who you're writing for and let them go find a nice blog where weekend recaps and Oh, so Pinteresting posts abound." September 26, 2012
What I learned: As much as I love summer and freedom and no schedules, it feels oh so good to get back to work. I guess I like my job? Oh and my girlfriends are so important to me- always worth the effort to get together for a girls weekend!
OCTOBER
What I did: Decided October is my favorite month of the year, cruised Mexico with my family, dressed up like the wicked witch of the west for Halloween, mourned the break up of Jef and Emily, hit 1000 followers on the blog and celebrated with Hubs' first ever guest post, and compared Blogging to High School.
What I saw: A hurricane while on a cruise ship. All at once the most terrifying and fantastic experience of my life.
What I wrote: "I get real sick of hearing my 16 year old students go on and on about how fabulous their boyfriends are. I also get sick of bloggers talking about how great their husbands are. Before you all jump all over me I will say that I have also been guilty of doing this. Heck, I love Hubs as much as the next woman loves her husband. I guess what starts to bother me is when I feel like bloggers are being competitive in their love for their husbands, almost as if they are saying, "I love my husband more than you love your husband." Can we all just admit that yes, our husbands are great, but they can also be real stinkers sometimes!" October 2, 2012
What I learned: I am now too old for roller coasters. BOO!
NOVEMBER
What I did: I tried once again to figure out my feelings about God and gays, celebrated Thanksgiving with games movies and more games, thought a lot about arguments in marriage, marked the three year anniversary of my dad's death, gave out lots and lots of advice to other bloggers, and did my first what we did in class post.
What I saw: A huge spike in blog readership. Praise the heavens!
What I wrote: "Funniest moment: An Italian exchange student was trying to tell us that he thought the book was very mild compared to what he had been required to read in Italy. He said that they had been required to read a book where a nun has sexual relations with a man. Only because of his accent we all thought he said the nun had sexual relations with a nun. Oh, how we laughed." November 12, 2012
What I learned: If you work hard enough smart enough long enough at something you will see results.
DECEMBER
What I did: had my annual Christmas break down, spent lots of time with friends and family, played games all night Christmas Eve, got my own dot com, tried to figure out if I am a feminist, thought about how much I hated being engaged, and tried to make sense of one man killing a bunch of little kids.
What I saw: Lots of Christmas trees, Christmas lights, and cute little gingerbread men. Also lots of snow and a much colder winter than years past.
What I wrote: "I don't know what the answers are, but I do know that the Lord is over all. I know they He will "repay" that which He has "taken away." I believe in justice and I believe in mercy. I believe in hope and love and charity and kindness- even in the midst of such tragedy. I believe in a day when tears are past." December 17, 2012
What I learned: God is good, life is rich, and we are all so so so blessed. We live in complete abundance.
HAPPY NEW YEARS!
May 2013 be every bit as awesome as 2012!