July was full of summery goodness. We had my grandmother’s 80th birthday party and I spent Fourth of July with Mark and his friends. Most importantly, I let go of yet another troublesome part in my life: my friendship issues with Lyndsay. I stopped relying on her to be my utmost best friend and expecting things from her that I knew she wouldn’t deliver. Surprisingly, it’s done nothing but help our relationship because the heartache of unmet expectations was the root of the problem.
August and September blended together into an end-of-summer celebration, with a Labor Day block party, Mark’s white coat ceremony, and lots of baking. I attended my second-ever "real" concert, a free weekend-long series that was held in a nearby park and featured OK Go, Train, and Robert Randolph and the Family Band.
In October, I got to meet Billy Bell (my favorite member of the So You Think You Can Dance Season 7 cast) and dressed up as Katy Perry for a small audience of trick-or-treaters from our neighborhood. Oh, and one of my closest friends, Natalie, got engaged!
November was pretty quiet until the end of the month, when I went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I with Natalie. It was epic. A week later I celebrated Thanksgiving with my family, started a new movie-watching tradition with Lynds, and went to an engagement party for Natalie where I was asked to be a bridesmaid! It was also at this party that I started talking to a certain someone, something that I was admittedly unsure of at first, but has proven to be quite worthwhile.
December flew by despite being chock full of goodness. There were dinner “dates” and candy-making, baking cupcakes and volunteering at Pictures with Santa Paws, mall trips, cinnamon apples, family drama, and lots of trips to Starbucks. I had to say goodbye to my great-uncle Ned and my dance teacher’s mother, Rose, both of which hurt my heart greatly. In a final life-changing moment of the year, I fessed up (both to you guys and myself) that I had anxiety and needed to do something about it. The holidays were splendid, we had a killer blizzard and nearly three feet of unexpected snow, and wouldn’t you know, giving my number to my BFFs brother turned out to be one of the best decisions I made this year.
Looking back, I'd say I had a pretty decent year. Not one of my best, but certainly better than 2009. This year, for me, was about letting go. It was about making choices that weren't always so easy to make, but that were best for me in the long run. It was a transition from the not-so-wonderful 2009 into what will hopefully be a fabulous 2011. I have good feelings about this upcoming year.
Here's wishing all of you a wonderful New Year! Enjoy today's festivities, whether it's a cozy celebration at home with a few people, a raucous party, or a crazy night out. See you in 2011!
