10 Big Things That Happened in 2010

I was just looking at the list of things that happened in 2009 (you can see it here).  This past year hasn't been nearly as eventful as last year, but it has certainly had its ups and downs.  Let's take a look, shall we?

1. Second year of college- I made it through an entire year!  They say that one in four freshmen drop out of college.  I've beaten the statistic.
2. I continued working at Dairy Queen- It's a great place to work.  I almost wish we were open all-year round so I could work there over Christmas break.
3. I've met more awesome people while at college- Who knew?
4. I met my awesome boyfriend- They say it sneaks up when you're least expecting it.  I most certainly not looking when we met.
5. I took on some really challenging classes and came out on top- There were some times I didn't think I would make it, but I pulled off a B average and a B+ in my first 400-level class.
6. I started the process of getting an apartment for next fall- Me and a couple of friends.  We're going to have an awesome place next year!
7. I got my ears pierced again- I've been thinking about it for a while, and I finally got a second set of ear piercings with my roommate (she got her cartilage pierced at the same time).
8. I cleared two bags-worth of stuff out of my room at home- and gave away more stuff.  I'm such a pack rat.  I'm still trying to let things go that I don't really need.
9. I discovered my love for tea- And I have taken steps to provide myself with tasty options to drink.  I do have to credit my mom and the person mention in #4 for giving me a lot of it for Christmas.
10. I started running over the summer- By August, I could run a mile nonstop.  I've lost it after sitting on my butt for the last couple of months, but I've learned that I can do it.

I've learned a lot over the course of the last year.  But, this is all behind me with another promising year ahead.  I'm not really one to make New Years' Resolutions, but here are some goals that I would like to set for 2011:

1. Go to the gym three days a week
2. Read more
3. Work on accessory and jewelry designs
4. Edit and submit a short story to be published
5. Write and draw more in general
6. Write at least one blog post per week

Usually, my resolutions go out the window in a matter of days, but these are things that mean a lot to me.  Hopefully, I can make them last longer . . . I hope everyone had an awesome New Years!

5K

For those of you who don't know, I started training to run a 5K at the beginning of the summer.  I know some people who might be surprised at this since, in high school, I was very anti-running when the running applied to me.  I've never had a problem with other people running (I have several friends who ran both cross-country and track in high school).  It was just the concept of me running that I abhorred.

So what caused the change?  There were several factors.  Part of my motivation was simply to get into shape.  Another was to see just how far i can go.  I may have played soccer and been on the swim team and been in the colorguard in the high school marching band, but I've never been the person who goes outside just to run around.

But I digress.  I feel like it was my cousin who got my butt in gear (or "get my butt moving" as a certain someone's parent would say . . .).  At the beginning of the summer, my cousin invited me to a facebook group.  She was trying to get a group together to do the Tough Mudder race this fall.  As I looked at the website, I couldn't help thinking about how much fun it looked.  The only problem was my lack of physical fitness.  So, I started looking up training programs for running a 5K.  And it's history.

I still can't run for too long, but I can run for a mile without stopping.  Or I can run for a half hour, broken down into six-minute intervals.  It's not much, but it's definitely a start.

Another Year Come and Gone

Wow, so it's 2010 already.  I can't believe it.  Another year of my life come and gone.  I must say, though, it was good while it lasted.  There were a lot of big changes in my life, but it was all for the better, I think.  Here are just some major things that happened during 2009 . . .

1. AP Comparative Government came to an end, which can be considered a good and a bad thing.  Good for our relative sanity (wait . . . were we ever sane to begin with . . .?) Unfortunately, this also brought about the end of the amazing Russia group.  We had so many inside jokes from the back of that classroom . . .
2. AP English Class--the best class ever. Period.  We had some crazy fun times in that class . . .
3. I got my first job- Dairy Queen for the win! Yep, that's right people, be jealous.
4. Prom- yeah, yeah, you can say that prom is overrated, but it was really fun.
5. Graduation- it rained the whole week before, but it was sunny and perfect graduation day.  Of course, I missed the cap-throwing because I couldn't get the thing off my head (darn bobby pins) and the tassel off fast enough, but whatever.  I made it through high school with honors and a green cord that I got to wear with my cap and gown.
6. The constant stream of grad parties- yep, I saw everyone at least once every weekend for the next couple of weeks.  Good times, good times . . .
7. Senior Week- since my friends and I were way too disorganized too cool to go to the beach or something of that nature for our senior week, we had a "staycation" of sorts where we camped out at a different person's house every night and did awesome things like a murder mystery party, mall scavenger hunt, and bowling.  Best senior week ever, I must say.
8. College!- it's been good and bad; there's been drama, tears, way too much stress to even think about . . . but it was good.  This fall, I learned that I can make it on my own.  It's such a different eperience compared to high school.  I've met a lot of awesome people, and . . . a few really weird ones.

So, those were the highlights of my 2009.  And, yes, I'm aware that I'm posting this way after new year's day, but I had to think about the things I should put in the list.  Moving on, just a few new year's resolutions that I want to push myself with this year.

1. I want to be healthier-as in eating right, exercising, etc.
2. I want to focus on my art and writing more.  I feel like the only art that I've done recently has been for a class assignment in one form or another.  I want to do it for me this year.

I don't think they're huge in the whole realm of things, but they're things that I need to work on.  I let myself waste a lot of time (mostly on facebook, unfortunately) and hopefully working on those two resolutions will cut down on that. 

I wish everyone a belated happy new year's!