Goodbye 2011...

I don’t think that I have ever really been nostalgic about years before. I am not sure if I will be about 2011. All these years have just felt like “my life”. Don’t get me wrong. There are memories that I am nostalgic about, but not a year. If I were to be nostalgic about any year I think that it might be 2011. Not that I did very much in terms of exciting events, but I do regaurd this year as sort of a growing period. At the begining of the year I started this blog, I moved away from all I have ever known, got a crappy job that turned into the best job I have ever had, started school at a major university, started a handmade business, and married off my best friend. I have had to go through some awfull struggles that have really humbled me. It has been a struggle to be so far from my family. It has been a struggle trying to figure out how to support myself financially. It has been a struggle trying to feed myself (seriously… I hate cooking). It has been a struggle dealing with the winter. It has been a struggle being social. So many struggles…

But I can’t complain. These struggles have taught me so much. They have made me so much more stronger, wiser, relatable, creative, grateful, spiritual, healthier, learned, inspired…I won’t long for the days of 2011 but I will always remember them.

Lately I have anxiously been awaiting the future. I have a feeling that this next year will be what I have been waiting for. My future plans dance around in my mind daily. I am excited. Finishing my basics & starting my career path. Moving to Provo in the fall. Spending a month and a half in Texas. Preparing to study abroad in Europe. Taking photography and sewing classes. Truly living a college life. Actually pulling the billions of ideas out of my brain and doing them.

2011 Flasback in Photographs:

In January.

Move to Utah in February. 

80’s Party.

Color festival. March I believe.

Camera for my birthday. In May.

Engagement of Courtney. In May.

Visiting home. In June.

The birthday of Courtney and the 4th of July.

Concerts in the park. July.

Lake day. We won the sand castle contest. August.

The wedding. August.

Dad in Utah. August.

The places I love to eat & the person I like eating at those places with.

Balloon Fiesta. October.

Dwight and Phylis. Halloween.

Zombie on Halloween.

Craft booth. December.

Temple lights. December.

Christmas in Texas.

Me today. 

Carli

Round Up Resolution.

This morning I woke up, got ready for work, dragged myself to the car, and slumped down into the drivers seat. This is the usual for a Tuesday morning. I didn’t turn on music, I didn’t even attempt touching the radio. The radio just upsets me in the morning because no one ever plays anything remotely good. Plus you have to listen to those obnoxious radio people be annoying. This morning was not bad. It just usually takes me an hour or two to get over my morning grumpies. As I am driving I was startled by this realization. The summer is almost over! I start school in roughly two weeks! I then thought about the many things that I planned on accomplishing this summer that did not get accomplished. Where did all the time go? At the beginning of the summer I wrote a little list on a little yellow piece of paper and shoved it into my desk at work. Today I brought it out and was surprised to find that I only accomplished one thing on the list. Getting my oil changed. Really?! That’s was the best I could do? I decided that my method of task recording was to blame. How was I supposed to actually get something done if I just left my little list deep in a drawer and forgot about it. So this is what I am going to do…. Here is my Round Up Resolution (meaning the things I am going to accomplish to round up the year of 2011):

1. Buy a record player and convince my parents to give me their large collection of records.

2. Give food to a homeless person. They are everywhere in Salt Lake!

3. Start making music again.

4. Finish the many craft projects that I have started.

5. Replace my windshield on my car.

6. Take a yoga class just to try it.

7. Build my collection of winter clothing.

8. Start cooking more often.

9. Work harder on the Etsy shop.

10. Be better at being myself.

11. Save more money.

12. Travel more often.

13. Get another raise at work.

14. Win something cool.

15. Become an extreme couponer. Have you seen that show on TLC? I am addicted.

16. Stop unintentionally giving people dirty looks. The key word is unintentionally.

At this moment this is all I can think of… My hope with this is that at the end of this year I will be able to cross every one of these things off my list.

Carli