Highlights of 2012

I know the year’s not quite over, but I’m bored and want to do this post now.  Hopefully I’ll actually have something to do on New Year’s Eve that would render me unable to write this at the correct time, but let’s not all get our hopes up.

The year 2012 has definitely been interesting to say the least.  It was filled with concerts, homework, French, and lots of papers to right.  Since I was in school the whole year (whereas last year it was only the last half of which), this year has been quite a bit more stressful.  When I made my “Highlights of 2011” post last time, it was filled with stuff about re-taking the ACTs, applying to schools, and getting accepted to Truman.  I’m totally over the joy of being accepted; now I just want to survive. :P

So what are some highlights?

• Saw my favorite band of all time, Evanescence, on April 25 in St. Louis, MO
• I went with my good friend Alicia to St. Louis on a Wednesday afternoon during our freshman year after we had finished up all our classes for the day.  We arrived in time to line up outside The Pageant and had the most awesome of times.  We spent the night at her place not far from the venue and arrived back in Kirksville in time for me to go to work and attend my two classes of the day.

• Saw my other favorite band of all time, Megadeth, on May 15 in Indianapolis, IN
• This happened not long after I finished my freshman year.  Though Megadeth was coming to St. Louis, it would be for a festival, whereas Kat and I wanted to see them in a concert (hopefully indoor) setting.  We lucked out when we found that one of their only solo concerts of the tour (meaning without Rob Zombie) would be approximately five hours away from us.  The kicker?  Their opening act was Lacuna Coil, a band Kat and I both love to bits.  The show was incredible.

• Finally got my driver’s license
• Hallelujah!  Would have gotten it sooner, but school keeps one busy.

• Became a peer tutor for beginning French students
• It’s definitely an experience.  It makes one question their desire to be a teacher at all, but hey, I’m still going for it.

• Lived in my own apartment for the first time over the summer
• Again: definitely an experience.

• Turned the big 21!
• WOO!  WOO!  WOO! WOOOOOO!!!  Since Lauren, Kat, and I all turned twenty-one around the same time (eleven days apart for the three of us; the two of them are one day apart), we spent a weekend in St. Louis.  It was awesome!

• Saw the Broadway production The Lion King
• Oh my holy goodness, it was amazing.  It was the main attraction of our birthday weekend.

• Began planning to spend five weeks in Québec next summer
• I CAN’T WAIT.

• Won NaNoWriMo “officially” for the first time
• Yeeeah, I did it.  I’m excited.  Not that the novel will actually ever see the light of day.

• Survived the 12/21/12 apocalypse
• Like any of us were actually worried.

So what does 2013 have in store?  The main thing would probably be that Lauren and I are intending to study abroad in Québec City, Québec at the University of Laval for five weeks in July and early August.  Words cannot express how excited I am.  I’ll be going just to study French, which is pretty much a dream come true.  Generally, people are surprised when they learn where I plan to study abroad.  Most French majors and minors at Truman study in France.  Some of the less common destinations (yet still more common than my choice) are Belgium and Switzerland.  I suppose a lot of people don’t really consider just hopping the U.S. border to the country north of us to be “study abroad.”  One would think that since I’ve actually been to Québec and have never been to France, that I would take myself across the pond to Europe.  But nope.  France was never even an option for me.  Sure, I’d love to visit, but Québec is the only place I want to go.  Unfortunately, it’s only for five weeks.  The programs in France can last a whole semester or year, but the longest we can be in Québec (at least in the south and not far up north) is five weeks during the summer.  But I’ll take what I can get.

It's not all been fun, though.  On August 7, 2012 my uncle lost his short battle to cancer.  It was the first time I've lost someone close to me, and I was living my worst fear: to lose a loved one.  I'm glad my mom, aunt, and sister were able to fly out to California for his memorial.  I'm very thankful for my mom and aunt's cousin who paid for them to go out there.  I wish I could have gone, but that's okay.  Sometimes it surprises me how much it still hurts when I think about my uncle, how much I regret taking my relationship with him for granted.  But I'm glad I started talking to him more in recent years since we left California.  And no matter what my religious beliefs are, I'm comforted by the thought that I will see him again someday.

There have been some amazing ups and some terrible lows.  Here's hoping 2013 is full of awesome ups and no lows.