Year in Review

2013 ended up being a pretty great year for me. I wanted to do one of those year in review memes to commemorate it, but I've only been able to find one and I don't really like the questions on it. So instead I'll just do a quick review of all the awesome things that happened in this past year.

In January I started a new job that I love completely. The commute is shorter, which means I have more time at home. I'm focused on a single project instead of juggling 4-5 at a time. And I actually work in the same building as my coworkers which has made it much easier to foster relationships and stay up to date and visible within the company. Switching was absolutely the right move.

But before I started that job, I took two weeks off from work and spent the days reading, watching TV, cleaning, and playing with Kina. At the end of this, Kevin's entire family came to Virginia to see his cousin perform at the Kennedy Center, and we hosted a large dinner for everyone. I only got a little stressed during this, and hosting large dinners started to become more exciting than stressful.

In March I committed to training for a 5K that my company was hosting in May. I didn't end up finishing that 5K for a few reasons, but I did run it. And running in general became something I'm a little more comfortable with. I still can't go out and run for a mile or two (or three or four), but I can do intervals for 20-25 minutes. Maybe someday I'll stop injuring myself and be able to stick to a training plan long enough to make more progress.

In April our friend Chev came to visit GW and we had mini college reunion. Chev ultimately decided to go graduate school in Boston, but the weekend was still pretty epic. And we haven't given up hope that she'll move to DC.

In May we went to our actual college reunion where Kevin proposed and I said yes. We've been planning the wedding in spurts ever since and are looking forward to making everything officially legal next year.

In July Jen came and stayed with us for a week while she looked for an apartment and a job in DC. She moved here shortly thereafter. A couple of weeks later, Zach and Sarah followed suit, and now we have all sorts of friends in DC. This has probably been very bad for our livers, but it's been excellent for our social calendars.

In the midst of all this we flew out to California for Ben and Autumn's epic wedding weekend. It's almost refreshing to know that our own wedding will never live up to theirs because it takes some of the pressure off. We also used the trip to visit Danielle and Eric, see their new house, and meet their dogs. Well, the one we hadn't met yet.

In September my mom flew out for a weekend and we went wedding dress shopping. It didn't take me too long to hone in on one I liked; Kevin's mom was impressed with my decisiveness. Even though the trip was short, we had fun visiting

October was an incredibly full month. We threw a dinner party to celebrate Sarah's completion of her PhD and Zach's birthday. My brother came to visit and we all went to the Renaissance Festival. Then we threw the annual Halloweiner, during which 13 people ended up sleeping at our house. Next year we need to get more beer and less meat, though.

In November I tore a ligament in my knee, because no year can actually be perfect. I went through physical therapy and it ended up healing fairly quickly. The saddest part was that I had to stop going to the gym for a while, but I was able to postpone my personal training sessions until after I healed. It shouldn't be too hard to get back on track in January.

My dad, brother, and cousin all came to stay with us for Thanksgiving. We spent the days playing games, cooking, eating, drinking, and hanging out. Then Kevin and I flew out to Colorado to spend Christmas with my family there.

We closed out the year, as has become tradition, at a party hosted by Zach and Sarah. I'm looking forward to even more awesome things happening next year.