That's About It

Before I get into any nostalgia, I must share something I think is pretty cool. Yesterday we received a couple of packages of stuff for the wedding, and I was super excited about one of them:

Yes, they’re campaign buttons.  Yes, they’re cheesy.  Yes, they’re for the wedding.  Yes, I love them.  We’re going to have them at the party for people to wear if they so choose.  I sure as heck will be.

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So, it’s New Year’s Eve (and I’m enjoying Christmas music on Pandora while I still can!). This time of year brings with it the usual reflection on the year that has past.  I decided to see what I wrote last year…

2008 was also a continuation of what started last year.  All those things that older people told you when you were younger… about how things would change in your 20s (friends, values, relationships, life) are coming true, almost to the letter!

I’m looking forward to more of that.  Things I scoffed at in my teens make a little more sense, even if I don’t have a good idea of what this big picture is.

I have tried to go into each year with some sort of expectation.

I’m not going to do that for 2009.  The past few years have shown me that many things rarely work out in the way you expect, and you can hardly imagine where you’re going to end up.  I think I’d much rather just go along for the ride.

I have to say I was right on the money when I said things rarely work out how you expect them to.  Perfect example?  I went onto say in my 2008 wrap up how one thing I could be certain of is that, by this time, Patrick and I would be husband and wife. Whoops!  (See you in four months!)

2009 has been… an interesting year, to say the least.  Sometimes I don’t know where to start.  I finally took the “Big Jump” and went back to school.  I’m now a college sophomore with a 3.6 GPA, majoring in Political Science and Journalism. (Better late than never!)  Patrick also went back to school, too!  We expanded our brood with Clover, who has turned out to be a wacky little midget.  We moved into a gorgeous apartment in Northwest DC; this move also signaled our graduation from “English Basement in DC” hell to first floor natural light wonderfulness.

It wasn’t all daisies and rainbows, though.  There were deaths in the family, on both sides.  My mother and I had… well, The Falling Out; the one that I knew was coming, no matter how much I hoped it wouldn’t.  It ended with my mother unceremoniously disposing of my wedding dress, and I haven’t spoken to her since.  We realized that the end of the year was just too packed, and while it was a sad decision at the time, we moved the wedding to May 2010.

Overall, though, it’s been a good year.

At first I didn’t know how I was going to qualify this year, and then this morning I saw something.  Someone on Twitter added me t0 two of their lists.  The first list was called “Loves Life”, and the other was “happy-happy-happy”.

And you know what?  They’re right.  Even though there have been some downers this year, I love my life and I am very happy.  In all honesty, I consider myself to be very lucky.  I share my life with my absolute best friend.  I live in a city I love and am very blessed to call my home… even though I thought I was going to escape to New England earlier this year; I think we both learned our lesson on that one.

Even though the economy failed with flare, I survived layoffs at work, and have made a home for myself here; I don’t feel like I’ve settled.  Even though I waffled for awhile, I realized I can actually grow here.  I’m kind of proud that I have been able to navigate what some have dubbed “the Quarter-Life Crisis” with minimal upheaval; I’m holding my own, and I’ve somehow managed to find a good path for myself.  Now I just need to put my nose to the grindstone and move forward.

We’ve started putting down roots here.  I’ve met some amazing new people. I’ve gotten to know some of my current friends a lot better, and rekindled some unexpected old connections.   I’ve watched great friends marry wonderful people.  Patrick and I took our first vacation together.

While 2008 was an amazing whirlwind in which I finally started to learn who I was, 2009 was just tops, heh.  It’s the first year in a long time where I feel settled and at home.  Yes, we moved apartments, but I didn’t uproot myself.  I’m happy.  Everything is as it should be. While I was heartbroken over a few things, I have to say that when I look back on this year, what I remember the most is laughing with friends over a glass of wine, a pint of beer, or whatever happened to be handy.

2008 was a year where we got all of the pieces together that would make a beautiful whole, but I think 2009 was the year in which everything started to fit and gel together to show us what that big picture is.

Honestly, I can’t wait to see what this year brings me.  This year was filled with surprises and so much happiness, I can’t even begin to think about what might surprise me this year.  This is especially true since we already have some Big Things happening.  We’re finally tying the knot, but not before we move to Old Town Alexandria, Virgina.  We’ll probably be buying what Patrick lovingly dubbed “the family car”.  We’re going to cycle out some old furniture, and really turn our new place into a home.  Patrick will inch closer to his early 2011 graduation date, while I claw my way toward my junior year of college.  We will NOT, however, be buying any more dogs, heh.

I have some things I hope to accomplish this year, but I’ll reiterate what I said last year: I’m just excited to see what 2010 has in store for me.

Happy New Year!