Recap: 2011

It was a busy year.

Here are some things that happened:

January

Started a Masters in TESOL  program. Hated it. Juggled two online classes with a 2 hour commute, working full time, and teaching 4 dance classes in the evenings. Was beyond stressed and miserable. On the plus side, there was a crap-ton of snow all winter. The office kept closing. It was wonderful.

February

Apparently nothing exciting happened that I can remember. More snow. Super busy.

March

Pippi came to live with us. I was nervous since I'd never had a pet before, and worried I wouldn't like it. As evidenced by this blog, I'm more obsessed with our little kitty than ever before. She is hilarious and the cutest thing ever.

April

In the midst of The Semester from Hell, we went to the Bahamas. We ate and read and sunned and swam. As we sat on our balcony watching the sun set I decided I was stopping the Masters program as soon as the semester ended, even though it meant big obstacles for career growth at work.

May - July

Post-trip I had four-months worth of mysterious, infuriating red bumps that kept appearing on my body. I spent way too much time in dermatologists' offices. It drove me totally crazy. Then it suddenly went away. (Note: Beware of hotel towels)

After months of a different kind of misery, my MA classes ended. I got A's. I left the program.
Jared continued to love me in spite of all that nonsense.

August

Drove to Pittsburgh to visit some good college friends. We both felt vaguely motion sick the entire weekend. Talked and talked and ate and ate. We literally have not stopped talking about Mad Mex since. 

Then spent a week in LBI at the gorgeous beach house of our generous family friends. We ate apple fritters the size of our heads. Jared gorged himself on gummy worms. Everyone yelled at me while I read Game of Thrones: Book 3 cover to cover and refused to interact with anyone until I'd finished it.
At the end of the month, Hurricane Irene swept in - that nasty wench.

September

Celebrated the wedding of good friends. Reduced my hours at work and became a consultant instead of full-time employee so I had more time to teach dance/Zumba classes and less time imprisoned in my cubicle. It was a pretty awesome change.

October

Our first wedding anniversary. One year! It flew by, and yet also seemed like we've been married and living together forever. It happily coincided with a friend's wedding down in Charleston, so we had a long weekend full of she-crab soup and pralines, a beautiful loft hotel room, and one of the best meals of my entire life. All capped off with a surprise fall snow storm.

November

Took the Amtrak train up to Rochester for a Rutgers girls reunion. Highly recommend train travel. Lots more eating. Lots of giggling. Lots of baby bump rubbing for our very first pregnant friend.

December

After 2 months of seriously obsessive NYC apartment hunting, we found one. I told work we were moving, and they agreed to let me work from home. I'm making progress on potential new career plans. 

Things are happening. And I'm really really excited for 2012.