2011: A Year in Review

So... I'm going to be totally cliche (cuz that's how I roll) and post a list of some highlights from 2011. I wish I had my old journals so I could remember more things, but my memory (and old Facebook statuses) will have to do.

• Lots of classes and learning... and still maintaining about a 3.7 GPA in grad school (definitely not as good as undergrad, but that's okay... radical acceptance)
• Falling in love with my crockpot
• Seeing many friends leave on missions and many friends come back
• Practicing speaking up for myself when dealing with a roommate not following BYU standards and a landlord that wasn't doing anything about it (and who later was a jerk about returning my deposit)
• Losing 20 pounds
• Giving up desserts and chocolate for 85 days (and surviving!)
• Doing an internship at the Utah State Hospital in the Girls Youth unit
• Going on the first date I've been asked on in over two years (I'd been on other dates, but I always asked or it was a blind date)
• Flour fights and mocktails
• Memorial Day shopping at the Park City outlets
• Wandering around Salt Lake with friends
• Delta for Fourth of July
• Summer of concerts: Nik Day, Earthfest, Mat Kearney/Owl City, The Decemberists, Josh Groban
• Tucanos (three times!)
• Getting a full-tuition scholarship for my second year of grad school
• Sleepover with people in cohort and sleepover with people in the ward
• Realizing it is possible for a guy to like me as more than a friend
• Realizing how much I appreciate physical touch when I care about someone... yay cuddling!
• Stargazing
• Sunday dinners, ward prayers, and game nights
• Wedding receptions of several friends
• Sundance full-moon ski lift
• Farmer's market
• New York with Sara
• Hawaii with my family
• Playing in the rain
• Moving into an apartment with three girls that I knew previously-- a new experience for me
• Getting several massages
• Several different church callings... FHE "Mom," ward prayer co-chair, and Sunday School teacher
• Staying up way too late with roommates
• Plant marble fights
• Working at LDS Family Services and actually sometimes feeling like a legit therapist
• Presenting my Master's Research Project at a national conference in Orlando (also going to Universal Studios and Harry Potter World while there)
• Thanksgiving in Vegas
• Christmas in southern California
• Squeekers hitting 240,000 miles and still going strong

There were also some low lights, but there's no real need to include those. Trying to focus on the positives here. 2011 really was a good year overall. But I'm going to try to make 2012 even better!