The year gone by

My calendars are out of pages to turn.
I'm ready for a new one -- calendar and year.

But before I can move on, I think it's important to look back.
Let's see what I did and experienced in the past twelve months.


In 2012 ...

... I traveled to Arizona to watch my Rangers at Spring Training for the first time ever.  It was amazing to see the facilities and be thisclose to the players.  I also enjoyed talking with other avid baseball fans (some Rangers, some not) as we all shared our excitement for the coming season.  It was great hanging out with good friends too. Julie and Kathleen took me hiking! I got to see Jen and Mayra (my Angels friends) for a little while.  And I got to watch some Rangers baseball with my friend, Lacy, who I met through LiveJournal almost ten years ago. Oh, and the great Nolan Ryan said "hi" to us too. Can't beat that!

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... I evicted a few people from my life.  Not because I didn't care about them but because they made it clear they didn't care about me.  This was really tough for me.  I'm not good at letting people go.  It usually only happens after I've gotten really hurt.  And I guess that's how it happened in these cases as well. Apparently that's the only way I learn who's good and who's bad.  So much for good instincts, right?  Someday I'll learn that not everyone's intentions are as good as mine.  And some people actually take joy in hurting others. I suppose these evictions were a blessing though, because they made room for a bunch of new people I encountered in the months that followed.

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... I met some friends from Twitter in real life.  I traveled to DFW for Opening Weekend and got to meet up with Laura, Rachel, Lyn, Monica, Tonya, Ashley, Mel, Briana, Rachel, Lisa ... and more!! Laura and Rachel have quickly become two of my closest friends.  They've put up with some rambling texts/emails, supported my writing and made me feel loved in times when I really needed it.  I'm so glad the Rangers and the Internets brought us together.

 

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... I visited two new ballparks. While visiting Bruna and Shay in Maryland, I took in a Nationals/Phillies game at Nationals Park and a Rangers/Orioles game at Camden Yard.  Each stadium had its own atmosphere and personality, and I enjoyed them just the same.  I would love to go back for a game at either place.  By the way, that brings my total to 10 of the 30 active ballparks.

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... I attended the weddings of two college friends.  One of my roommates, Jenny, was married in June in Omaha.  I had a great time reuniting with some of our other roommates for the weekend. In August, Ann was married at Lake Okoboji. I hadn't seen her or our other friend Amy in almost ten years. The reunion was long overdue.

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... I made a new awesome friend. I've enjoyed getting to know Courtney, thanks to Jamie, who has been in my life longer than anyone (except for my parents and brother).  She really is Jamie's personality doppelganger, which is probably why I was drawn to her so easily.  I feel like I've known her longer than a few months and I look forward to future adventures and bad decisions with her.

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... I started talking to a boy who told me I was beautiful. He's the first person who's ever used that word with me. We were introduced through Twitter, progressed to e-mail, text and then phone calls. We talk almost every day. He's one of the most thoughtful people I've ever known, and we have a connection that I never thought I'd have with anyone. Sadly (at least for me), nothing will ever come of it. He lives in a different time zone, and I'm pretty sure we'll never even meet in real life.  I guess you could say it's my own personal version of "Catfish" (except I'm pretty sure he is who he says he is).  But, honestly, it's fine. I'm fine with it.  He's shown me a bit of what I deserve and has definitely set the bar high for any guy I meet in the future. More than that, his friendship has been just what I needed these past few months. If that's my consolation prize, I'll take it. I have no regrets about letting him into my life.

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... I tried online dating again.  It was a moderate success.  I went out with a handful of guys, had repeat dates and even got my first kiss out of the deal.  Yeah, my first ever.  It was nice and okay, but not worthy of its own bullet point, so whatever.  Anyhow, I have no regrets about my online dating escapades -- I met some great guys and learned a lot about myself and dating in the process.

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... I published my third novel.  "Riffs of Regret" started in November 2011 as a National Novel Writing Month project.  I finished writing it in May, edited it over the summer and finally saw it in print on Sept. 24. It hasn't made me rich or anything, but I'm very proud of it.

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... I did the Color Run.  I'd seen pictures and videos from the event and knew I wanted to do it.  My dad drove me to the race, and I ran by myself.  I have no regrets ... except that I wish I'd gotten more color on me. I had a blast anyway! I've made great strides (no pun intended ... well, maybe) in my running. I'm really excited to do more races in 2013.

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... I lost my job.  For the second time in my professional life, I found myself unemployed.  It never gets easier.  I actually handled it pretty well for two months. There were lots of positions I was excited about, and I even got interviews for a few of them.  Three to be exact. I struck out. The last rejection came little more than a week before Christmas. Whomp, whomp.  Now it sucks. Searching for a job sucks.  Daytime TV sucks.  Trying to stay upbeat while you feel pretty worthless sucks.  Being unemployed sucks.   I still think this will end up being a blessing in a disguise, but right now I just feel like my life is on hold. I pray this stretch ends soon because I'm getting bored and losing confidence with each passing week.

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... I went to 11 concerts. I know, I know.  That's a pretty low number for me.  Does it help that four of those were Tim Stop? No?  Oh well.  The other musicians I saw were Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers, Austin Charles, Tyrone Wells, Joe Brooks, Rachel Platten, Madi Diaz, Miranda Lambert, Pistol Annies, RaeLynn, Tony Lucca, Gabe Dixon, Eric Hutchinson and Jessie Payo.

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... I lost 18 lbs.  I actually was down about 25 at one point, but I've lost a little of my motivation in the past few months and I slid back a little.  But I still have time to stop that momentum and get back on track. I'm about 12 pounds from my initial weight-loss goal and 17 pounds from my adjusted weight-loss goal.  I am determined to get there this year.

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As you can see, my 2012 was a mixed bag of highs and lows.
I learned a lot about myself and the world around me. 

I'm anxious to see what 2013 has in store.
I'm sure there will be more setbacks, but I'm confident there will be better days too.