Tuesday, January 1, 2013

a 2012 recap

Wow. 2012 was a pretty crazy year--some bad, a lot of good, and filled to the brim with ch-ch-ch-changes.  Looking back, I'm amazed at how quickly it flew by, and how much was packed into it.  Here's a snapshot of my 2012.



January: January was the month that our save-the-dates went out! Most of the first half of this year was consumed in wedding planning. Some days I loved it, some days I hated it, but if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. I (with the help of some amazing family members) pulled together a completely DIY wedding, and I was so proud of how it turned out. Our photographer told us that it was the most well-put-together wedding he had ever shot, and when we saw him months later, he mentioned that his wife said our wedding was her favorite he's ever done. I was blown away by that, because as much as I loved how everything had come together, I was still a little self-conscious of my work. I guess those months of planning and hard work (and tears + frustration) were worth it.




February: February I received this little guy in the mail. I technically graduated in December, but it just didn't feel real until I had diploma in-hand. I have never felt like I deserved something so much in my life! My thesis had been a nightmare--my advisor had called in a statistician at one point, because my results were so wonky (<----that's the scientific term), and there were times I just knew I wasn't going to graduate. It took me an extra year, but now I can tack a couple extra letters after my name, if I'm feeling sassy. I did a literal happy dance when this finally came. 

Photo by Ben Pearson

March: What a crazy month! A few years ago, my friend Don was in the midst of working on turning a book he had written into a movie. The funding fell through, and the movie was put on hold indefinitely until two fans from Nashville approached the director about putting the project on Kickstarter and crowd-funding it. Thankfully he and Don agreed, because Blue Like Jazz (the movie) lives! Of course I contributed some money, so I get to call myself an associate producer! The movie screened around the country before it released, and Tyler + I drove up to St. Louis to see it. Don + company were there, so we got to catch up with him and meet some new faces.


 Also in March, I had my first of two bridal showers! Because I'm obsessed with all things England, my amazing bridesmaids had the idea to make it an English tea-party. It was SO much fun. Tea, scones, tons of delicious goodies, and lots of friends and family. It's definitely one of my favorite memories from the last year.


STILL in March, my brother and Kathy got married! They actually had a ceremony later in the year, but for financial reasons, decided to go ahead and make it official. I got my first sister! :) So happy to have her in the family. 

Photo by Brandon Williams, Inspired Media, LCC

In April, my friend Sarah and I took a trip to Portland, Oregon for the red-carpet premiere of Blue Like Jazz. Because of my contribution, I had an invite for myself and a friend, and I couldn't have thought of anyone I would have rather gone with than Sarah. We had SUCH a blast! It was hard not to get caught up in all the excitement, and I got to see a ton of friends I had made on my first trip to Portland. (Being a huge LOST fan, it was awesome to get to hang out with Tania Raymonde and also to meet Jason Marsden, who played in a ton of my favorite childhood shows--I didn't get starstuck at all, but I did geek out a little.)

 Probably my favorite night of the entire trip, was after a screening at Reed College, where much of the movie takes place. It ended with a huge group of us  just hanging out at a bar downtown, laughing, telling stories and talking about BLJ, its message, faith, and life. By the end of the night, there were just four of us left, still laughing and talking, and we ended up dancing down the middle of 1st, just because we could. Sarah and I definitely made some new friends, and we still keep in touch. That seems to happen every time I visit my favorite US city.

(Sarah and I also spent a few days exploring the city and the Columbia River Gorge, which is my favorite place in the states by far. The whole trip was incredible.)

Photo by Colby Moore, Colby Moore Photography

May: In a word, insanity. A week after I got back from Portland, I moved across the state and started a new job. AND I was in last minute wedding-planning-panic mode. Nothing like taking on several major life events at once, huh?  I had to learn to let things go, let what I had done be good enough (I'm a bit of a perfectionist), and just breathe. Everything came together in the end, and we got our engagement pictures done. (Okay, technically, we got them taken at the very end of April, but we got them back in May. Besides, I don't have many pictures of me looking frazzled and sleepless surrounded by piles of wedding junk.)

Photo by Colby Moore, Colby Moore Photography

 June: What a beautiful month. Everything I had worked on for months came together on the 3rd. The weather held out, my aunts + mom executed everything perfectly, and I became a "mrs" to the most loving, admirable, kind, affirming man I know. That whole day just flew by, but I have such incredible memories, amazing pictures, and videos that I still watch on a weekly basis. So grateful for this day.



July/Aug: Tyler and I pretty much became hermits for a couple months. We went out on dates and things, but we really enjoyed just hanging out around the apartment together (when we actually had days off at the same time) and watching TV, or hanging up pictures and making this place feel like ours. I think it was really healthy to have some time for ourselves, apart from the stress of planning the wedding, to just get used to being married and having this other person around all the time. I'm glad we're starting to get out and do our own things again more, but I wouldn't have traded those two months for anything. 




September: In September, my brother and Kathy had their wedding ceremony back in our hometown. It was beautiful, and so very them. They even wore converse that had "Cosby" embroidered on them! It was amazing to celebrate their love with them, surrounded by so many friends and family. 


 October: October contains my birthday, but the whole month was a little off for me. My grandfather became increasingly ill, and passed away on Halloween. I miss him more than I could ever say. I'm so grateful, though, that he isn't suffering or struggling to breathe anymore. A few weeks before he died, I went back home to spend some time with him, and I have such great memories of that day. So often, though, I wish I could hear his affirmations or silly jokes again.



 November: November is a hard month for me. My dad passed away on Thanksgiving of 2011, and I did not handle Thanksgiving well this year. At all. If I remember correctly, I spent the day in my pajamas, under a comforter, on the couch. I was super anti-social, grouchy, and weepy (sorry, Tyler!). I know it will get easier, but yikes. No bueno.

I managed to distract myself at the beginning of the month with the election. I don't get very wrapped up in politics, but I do have opinions, and I do vote. I'm not shy about who I vote for, and I'm happy to talk about it and give my reasons if someone wants to know.  I don't let politics divide my friendships, though, and I don't discuss it much with people who have strongly opposing views to mine. I know I'm not going to change any minds that are already made up, and I'm not going to put that stress on a relationship. Tyler and I got up early to be at the polls when they opened, and then watched the results come in that night. It was kinda special that we got to vote together in a major election during our first year of being married.




December: Christmas, Christmas, Christmas! Everything about this month was wrapped around getting ready for Christmas, and enjoying the season together + with friends + with family. It was a beautiful month, and a perfect way to close out 2012. I'm infinitely thankful for this life, and the people I share it with.

Hope you all have lots of moments you look back fondly on for the past year, and here's to making more in 2013.

No comments :

Post a Comment

Thanks for stopping by and saying hi! Be sure to check the notification box to see any replies. :)

Blog Design by Get Polished