Ahh yes, it’s that time of year: {insert something about this year being better (or shittier) than the last}. 2015 was admittedly pretty brutal at times, but overall I had a phenomenal year. Here is 2015 broken down by semester, since that’s how my life has been segmented the past three years.
Spring 2015
- Joined a marching band (first time since high school) and marched in four Mardi Gras parades. P.S. I’m doing it again in 2016.
- Took a scriptwriting class that really flexed my writing muscles. Fiction writing scares me, but scriptwriting helped me find a way to do it on my own terms.
- Won a departamental award for my work at Driftwood, also received wonderful, heartfelt emails from faculty in regards to the complete overhaul we did to the print and online editions.
- Publish-o-rama. Three pieces I wrote in my creative nonfiction writing classes were published in various literary magazines and websites.
Summer 2015
- Ireland. I went to Ireland to study for a month. You can read all about my experience here. I made so many friends and had so many incredible experiences. I felt so enriched after the program was done.
- I went to Havasupai for the fourth time in August. I didn’t blog about it (left my camera on a bus in Ireland), but I shared plenty of cell phone shots on my Instagram.
Fall 2015
- Cut my hair above shoulder length for the first time in years.
- Went wedding dress shopping with my sister in Houston over fall break. I eloped when I got married, and the one thing I regret was not wearing a wedding dress. I’m glad my sister included me in on her experience.
- Saw Hamish Bowles on Halloween night in the French Quarter and he complimented our Halloween costumes later on social media. Yes, THAT Hamish Bowles.
- A photo I took in Dublin was a finalist in UNO’s Study Abroad photo competition. I didn’t place, but the other finalist’s work was so good that I felt honored just to have made it that far.
- My 1999 Honda CRV got an upgrade thanks to Brent Houzenga. I’ve always wanted an art car and now we (he also painted my husband’s) have two. Half my neighbors think we’re cool, the other half think we are weird. They’re probably both right.
- I replaced (and upgraded) the camera I left behind in Ireland.
- Visited my brother in Louisville for Thanksgiving. We’re trying to make it a yearly tradition. My brother cooks professionally, so this is not a problem.
- I secured a six month fellowship in my field, so I will finally be getting paid to write full-time. Mission accomplished (see below).
- Read some of the embarrassing things I wrote in high school at Lost Love Letters, which was a fun and surprisingly cathartic experience.
- Oh yea, I graduated last week! Y’ALL. I can not express the joy and satisfaction I felt (okay I can– I’m a writer– but I’m being lazy right now) when I walked across that stage. I received two bachelor’s degrees from UNO and at 35 years old it feels so good that I finally got the damn thing(s). Being an adult student certainly had its challenging moments (balancing a marriage and hours of math homework is not for the timid), but the sleepless nights and sacrifices made were worth it; I feel more confident knowing that I finally completed college. I utterly enjoyed going back to school as an adult; I honestly think finishing in my 20s would have been a waste. I was dealing with too much to focus. My dad died when I was 21, then my grandma died a year later. I also needed to figure out who I was before I could give a shit about schoolwork. I’m proud of what I did, and I think my dad and maw maw would be too.
2016 goals
I’ll go with 36 goals since I’m turning 36. I’m also copying off my friend Missy, since I like how she compiled her list last year.
- Take the GRE and apply to grad school for the fall 2017 semester
- Travel abroad at least once
- Visit the Grand Canyon (Okay I’m cheating with this one; my sister is getting married there in June.)
- Learn Spanish
- Cook more
- Spend less money on inexpensive meals (see #5)
- Get tattooed
- Edit my wardrobe so it’s more cohesive
- Take a sewing class
- Take more photography classes
- Launch a zine (Technically cheating because I’ve already started this, but I want to make it quarterly.)
- Spend more time with my friends
- Spend more time with my grandparents
- Maintain a weekly cleaning schedule
- Lose 20 pounds aka fit back into the Billy Reid jeans I bought when I was at my thinnest (and most confident self) six years ago.
- Start saving money to put towards a new car
- Put a serious dent in my student loans
- Read and watch everything on my “to read/to watch” list
- Spend less time on social media
- Blog once a week
- Audition for the volunteer orchestra
- Reestablish weekly date nights with my husband
- Visit four new museums
- Cook for Christmas this year
- Paint the bedroom and downstairs bathroom
- Take more day trips
- Go to the beach
- See more movies in a movie theater
- Watch more plays
- Write everyday (I’m kind of cheating because my new job will require this.)
- Go out dancing more
- Buy another camera lens
- Plan my 100 mile hike for late 2016/early 2017
- Bike to work (almost) everyday
- Love myself more
- Remember to floss