I'm almost done reading my TIME magazine that looks back over the past year and for that matter the past decade. What I've come to realize is that the 2000's have been like any other decade, lots of bad shit and lots of good shit too. As for my own life, well, there has been a lot of bad shit and a lot of good shit, but I won't get into that now. Now it is time to reflect on the year past, 2009.
2009 started off with a bang. Ok, maybe not a bang, but it was awesome. For New Year's Eve I went out with Carrie Hennesey, Joe Su, and Karen Wallin to Moose Country and we danced the night away with a bunch of strangers, drank cheap champagne at midnight and had a great time. We then proceeded to go back to Carrie's apartment and watch Get Smart. I think I may have been the only one who ended up watching the whole thing. It was a great night.
I did not make any resolutions, but I did decide on a few things I wanted to accomplish or try out in 2009. The first was to work on paying down more of my bad debt that had accrued in 2008. The second was to move closer to the seminary, and the third was to go on a date with someone I actually liked.
As for my first thing on the list, I have been diligently paying down my credit cards, which will still take me a little longer to finish paying off and I have finished paying off my car, which means the money that was going towards my car loan every month can now go to paying credit cards...yeah...
In May, Karen Wallin, Jen Kuntz, and I moved into a piece of shit house in N.E. Minneapolis, which is about 10 to 15 minutes away from the seminary. It's closer than St. Louis Park, but for all the craptacularness this house affords, it might have been a wiser decision to stay where we were or to find something else. Live and learn right?!
And as for the third thing on the list, the one about dating someone I actually like...well you all know what happened with that. I fell in love, am engaged and am getting married September 4, 2010. Who would have thought?! Sure as hell not me, but God had other plans. Thank you God! and AMEN!!! And of course I can't forget: Thank you Jason! You rock my socks off hun!
Okay, aside from setting some, for lack of a better word, "goals" for myself in 2009, there were some rocking awesome times with awesome people that I will never forget. Breaking someone's bed in the dorms of Bockman Hall at Luther Seminary because too many people piled on for a photo op; baseball games, live band karaoke, rock band parties, game nights, trips to MIA and malts afterwards, camping at Lake Itasca State Park; traveling to Maryland and Williamsburg, VA to visit friends and family, visiting Jason in Valpo, Indiana, a wonderful few days in Madison, WI, etc....the great times go on and on.
2009 was also very bittersweet, having to say many good-byes to dear beloved friends, some who will be returning from internship this fall, some who have gone onto new and exciting adventures, many of whom I may never see again. This is a sad prospect; I have never been good at good-byes. But thank God for facebook so I can be updated occasionally on how they are doing and what they are up to in their lives. I love you and miss you all terribly.
Academically, 2009 has been interesting, frustrating and until the last few weeks of the year an utter disappointment. The spring semester was mostly a waste. I did have an independent study on the Islamic Perspective of the Crusades in the Holy Land, which was pretty awesome. Other than that, it was lame. This fall was a complete and utter fucking waste of time and I at one point decided to drop out because no one was willing to help me or gave a damn about helping me out of the crappy situation I found myself in after Dr. Charles got sick at the end of 2008. And so, after almost a full year of bullshit from the seminary, a light appeared at the end of the crap filled tunnel. That light would be the awesome Dr. Granquist. He actually listened to what I was saying and is willing to come up with an actual solution with me to my problem, and if not a solution, at least I have someone to talk to who is willing to listen to me that has some influence to change the situation. Again, Thanks God!
One thing I wish I did more of this past year would have been to spend some more time with my family. Ok, let me rephrase; my parents and my brother. Sadly, much of my family is spread out all over the country so we only see each other on special occasions; for example, my upcoming wedding to the most wonderfully amazing man in the world, Jason Pollington. This year I want to spend more time with them because after May 2011 who knows where we'll be.
So for this year I have given myself "goals" again, some which I will complete happily, others which will be left over from 2009, and others, which I will try to complete but may not and I won't beat myself up about.
Goals:
1) Finish paying off bad debt, or almost all bad debt
2) Plan wedding with Jason and Get married
3) Spend more time with family in the area
4) Be better about staying in touch with family and friends
5) Be more adventurous, don't say never
6) Find solutions to my academic predicament including passing German exam before Fall semester 2010
There are many more things that I will add to the list but these are ones that I will do happily (see number 2, 3, 4 and 6) and some I will try my best to do (see 1 and 5).
So here's to a Happy and Productive New Year! In the words of Forrest Gump, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your going to get." I don't know what 2010 is going to be like; it's only just started. I am looking forward to it though and all that comes with the beginning of a new year. Fresh starts, a new perspective on life, marrying the love of my life, friends, family, good times, hard times, everything. Just Living Life and having new and crazy adventures.
So Stay Tuned...
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