2010 in a nutshell and hopes for 2011

At the beginning of last year, I made some goals for myself that I wanted to work on throughout the year.  Some were goals that had deadlines, others were goals that I need to continuously do and work on.  Here is the list:

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

I have completed goals 1, 2, 6 and have improved on 3, 4, and 5.  Still working on 3, 4, and 5 though.  These are goals I always have and will always have. 

This year I have decided to do something different.  I'm not going to make goals for myself.  There are too many transitions taking place this year to have any set goals.  (If you want to see a list of goals I set for myself over the next few years though, check out my DayZero Project to do list on facebook.  Wait, I deleted it for now because the DayZero website isn't working, but if/when it comes online again, I will repost it on facebook and you can look at it.)  The fact is, I have no idea where Jason and I will be living in a year from now and it is freaking me out.  I am trying to keep my cool about it, but so many people want to know where we are going to be after graduation.  My answer continues to be, "Don't have a clue.  I'll get back to you when I find out." 

As for 2010, it was truly one emotional roller coaster of a year.  At the beginning of the year, I was planning on quitting school and finding another part-time job to go along with the one I already have.  I picked up more hours at the office I work at in anticipation of this happening.  And it didn't.  Instead I got myself a new advisor, took an independent study that would become part of a chapter of my thesis, and am now on my way to graduating in May 2011. 

I got married to the most wonderful man in the world, Jason Pollington on September 4, 2010.  Many of our friends and family were able to come and we missed those who were unable to make it.  I could feel you all there with us that day and it was awesome.  I have never been more exhausted in my life though.

A few days after our wedding, Jason started his fall semester classes at the sem. and I went back to work and continued working on my thesis proposal.  The next few months were a blur.  Work and thesis took up most of my brain energy.  I could be sitting in a room surrounded by family or friends and I would be thinking about what I wanted to write next for my thesis, or something I wanted to change in my thesis, or frustrated because I couldn't find some particular information that I really wanted to include in my thesis.  See, I was consumed with my thesis. 

The year went by in a blur.  Many movie adventures, a date with So You Think You Can Dance, and several short trips around the midwest happened in 2010.  2010 was my first Thanksgiving and Christmas being married (obviously) and it was great.  We spent Thankgiving with my parents and brother and we had an early Christmas with them the weekend before we took left for Montana to spend Christmas with Jason's parents and his brother and family.  It was a short trip and I had so much fun spending time with Jason's family.  Jason's sister and her family were unable to make it and we missed them a lot.  I'm hoping that soon we will get out to New Hampshire to visit my sister, Mike and the kids.  That would be awesome. 

Towards the end of the year, I received news from my parents that my cousin Eyleen was dignosed with stage 3 breast cancer.  After I talked to mom, I had a bit of a break down which Jason got me through and then made the decision to do something I've wanted to do for a long time.  This year, 2011, I am going to walk in the Susan G. Kolmen 3 Day Breast Cancer Walk in honor of my cousin.  I love you Eyleen!  You are an inspiration!

Other parts of the year were rough as well.  Jason was in Valparaiso Indiana until the middle of August and I saw him once a month.  He was my own personal cheerleader in July when I ran the 5K at Lumberjack Days in Stillwater.  It was nice to have him there.

I think the best part of the year was our wedding.  It was so good to see everyone enjoying themselves and I got to marry my best friend and love.

Okay, so I know that I said at the beginning that I wasn't going to make any solid goals for myself this year, but seriously, this is me we're talking about.  I am far too goal oriented not to make a few goals.  So here's the list for 2011:

1) Walk the 3 Day Breast Cancer Walk, wherever I happen to be living after graduation
2)  Finish my thesis and graduate in May of this year
3)  Travel and visit family and friends around the country (as money permits)
4)  Work on DayZero list if I can ever get to it again.

I'm sure there are more, but for now, these will suffice.
I truly wonder what 2011 will bring.  For one thing, there will be another move in the future.  Oh joy, how I love moving.  There will be excitement and adventure, stress and frustration.  It will be another year, like every other year, but new things will happen, both large and small, and I am excited to see what happenings will be.