jan 1, 2012

Well, 2012 has finally arrived. This is a year of beginnings for me and I could not be MORE excited!

In store for 2012:
1. April 25 - I finally turn 21 (I just want to go downtown and socialize, is that too much to ask for?)
2. May 11 - I graduate from Virginia Tech. I wasn't sure how I would feel saying these words, until about this past November, and I knew I was ready for something bigger, something better. Virginia Tech has been amazing, and the experiences I've had, education I've received, and people I met have certainly changed my life -- but I cannot even say how ready I am to graduate and go to grad school this fall.
3. August - I move out of this state to attend grad school. Now, that's a scary thought. Out of the bubble of VA to (as of right now) an unknown location in the United States. This is what I am most excited for -- to start a new chapter. Moving to a state where I will most likely know no one (or very minimal people at that) and I have to start over. I love starting over. This is what moving around every two years of my life has prepared me for -- the thrill of the unknown. Bring it on.


So, with these three significant events in 2012, I decided I would make five new years resolutions that I know I can accomplish and keep.

1. With every negative thought, think two positives. I was very guilty of this in 2011, and honestly so I had all the reason to be with several significant events that influenced my life, but I don't want to be stuck in a rut of negatives this year.
2. Embrace the unknown. I am a planner, type A to a tee, and not scared to admit it. On a typical Monday night you can find me arriving at the Empo around 9 p.m. (after finishing meetings at 8:30 p.m.), sitting down to my Erin Condren life planner to see what the night ahead will bring as far as: emails, papers, group projects, assignments, more emails, lists to be made, etc. I want to plan every facet of my life within my power. Now, I don't think there is necessarily anything wrong with this, I just know that I need to change the amount of planning I think I can do. I can't plan what is going to happen tomorrow, or next week, or even two hours from now. But what I can do is prepare -- prepare for what is in store and embrace the obstacles that come my way, so that is what I will do.
3. Put Him before me. This summer I lost one of the most influential people in my life, and since then my faith has changed -- for the better. I want to continue this uphill climb in 2012.
4. Blog/Read/Write/Journal/Remember more. I have always been fascinated by time capsules. When I was in kindergarten my class made time capsules and were told that when we were graduating high school, we could come back to our kindergarten school and be given permission to dig up our capsule. I like to remember my experiences, so writing/journaling, etc. will give me a new time capsule that I can look back on years from now.
5. Open my heart. To life, friends, love, sorrow, fear, denial, excitement -- to everything. Not only let myself open my heart, but also let my heart BE open to what is to come this year, because it really is going to change my life.

And with that, I hope your January 1, 2012 has set the tone for the experiences that are to come this year -- happy new year!