2009 In Review...

 I'm celebrating the conclusion of an old year and the start of the new one by taking full advantage of once again having a working laptop and being able to write my every thought for the world (aka, myself and maybe one or two random people) to read.  Copying the fabulous syle of my friend Emily, I'm going to do summary and reflection of each area.

Career: I definitely made progress in this area, as 2009 saw the year I got the first real job, and had a few crappy ones.  I got hired by an agency in February, but lasted only two days there because I couldn't deal with the amount of unethical practices I saw there.  So...it was back to waiting tables with a masters degree...how much fun that was!  I took two long-term sub teaching jobs in the spring, and then ended up quitting waiting tables and I spent one whole month enjoying life and actually not working anywhere...then it was back to bartending, at a new restaurant that opened up in Clifton, which was the only restaurant I have ever worked in that I actually enjoyed...and one week after starting there, I got an offer for a *real* job doing pretty much exactly what I wanted to go to grad school for, working as a therapist in a mental health clinic and in a local high school...full time hours, and only 4 days a week, free license supervision, and I like everyone I work with...the job is a bit stressful at times, but at the end of the day I am really lucky to be doing what I'm doing..and to have a good job in the middle of a bad recession.

Health: No cancer this year, so that was a positive! Did have some other health issues, a few surgeries and tons of tests done, but by the end of the year, I was mostly feeling back to normal (albeit way too out of shape for my comfort).  Hopefully, no further surgeries on the horizon in 2010, but we'll see. One surgery I was supposed to have ended up being postponed, so no sinus-fixing nose job in my near future, which is ok with me because I was pretty scared about that one...despite the fact I want to get a cosmetic nose job someday.  Yeah, I know, I don't make sense...but I'm awesome 

Housing: Ugh. This is one area in 2009 that I am not happy with...not going to go into detail, but living out in the suburbs is really not fun, and my goal is to move into the city (either DC or Alexandria) by my 25th birthday. Really though, I suppose its not as bad as I expected moving back home would be, seeing as I spend a good deal of time staying with the boyfriend in the city. 


Friends:  Moving from Richmond back to NoVa at the very beginning of the year made me pretty lonely at first...but I was really fortunate to meet alot of great new people and connect with some old high school and college friends who were also doing the whole adjustment to homelife post-school completion transition with me.  I like to think we are all pretty awesome...if not sketchy..or shady Aremenians.  This was only a one-wedding year for me, with being a bridesmaid in Ashley's wedding in September, but another friend from Hollins, Jen, got engaged to a great guy and I'm excited about being a bridesmaid in her wedding in May of this year. 

Family:   2009 saw a new addition with the birth of my cousin's baby Ethan, the adorable first male grandchild/greatgrandchild in our family...and of course, no matter what, we all agree that he looks more like Beth than Mike.  On my dad's side of the family, my grandmother sadly passed away August 2 at age 89.5. 

Relationships: Ha.  Where to begin with this one? Started off the year engaged, that clearly didn't end well...had some really bad dates, some okay ones, and dated a few losers...but this summer met a great guy who I've somehow not gotten bored with yet...and who might (if this is possible?) be a bigger nerd than I am.

Travel:  Not as much as I'd like to see happen in 2010...I made a few visits to Richmond, some beach trips (yay for champagne on the 4th of July with friends...I think I feel a new tradition coming on?), a trip to Williamsburg with the boyfriend where we discovered the budget-friendly awesomeness that is the Williamsburg Winery, got stuck in some colonial stocks, and generally drank during the day...also took a roadtrip to Tennessee to see my favorite dominatrix, Ashley Wilson, get hitched in a gorgeous ceremony. 

Misc:  Fitness! I signed up to run a half marathon in November but wasn't able to complete it...I think the most frustrating thing for me in 2009 was having undiagnosed health problems that contributed to me feeling kind of crappy most of the time and not being able to work out and participate in fitness like I used to.  I also was working so much in low paying jobs while looking for a real one I kind of lost track of my ability to eat super healthy as I had been previously, but towards the end of the year as I got into a new routine I got back to it more.  

Organization!  I think I probably cleaned out my closet multiple, multiple times this year and in the process of moving and adjusting from a one-bedroom apartment to one bedroom, I cleaned out, simplified, and got rid of tons of stuff I didn't need. Definitely still a work in progress, but progress nonetheless.  



Oddly I feel so much more accomplished after writing this than I felt on New Years Day when it hit me that it was actually 2010...then again, I think maybe that had more to do with having a ridiculous hangover than with self-reflection and insight and all those other fun therapy words.