Yearly Review.

My Year in Review:

January, February, March:  Sadly, these three months run together for me. I can't really think of anything that sticks out or was significant during these three months.    In January I started working in the art room at the Boys and Girls Club, while continuing my position with Kidstop in the mornings.

April:  I celebrated having been employed with the Boys and Girls Club for a year, while at the same time, I began my employment with Opportunity Enterprise, working at a group home.

May: I can't remember anything of significance happening in May.

June:  June almost seemed to be a turning point for me this past year. I spent the first 5 months of 2011 grossly uninvolved in my own life.  How sad is that?   In June, I quit my position with Kidstop to work full time for OE, and to continue with my position in the art room.  I took a road trip by myself to visit my friend Stephanie and her Husband Chris in Alabama. It was a time that was refreshing and the beginning of a journey toward spiritual renewal.  After I came back from Alabama, I made the decision to move out of my parents house and into an apartment with my cousin Rebecca. The actual move took place during the last week of June. Also, during June, I found myself infected with MRSA, the flesh eating bacteria.

July: I had officially moved in with Rebecca and the electricity got shut off. I had spent some money getting the water back on, because I refused to live without both, but we were never in a place where we were able to get the electricity back on.  During this time Rebecca started staying with Mikey, and I felt very alone living the way I was living. Shortly after the electricity was shut off, the gas got shut off too. Taking cold showers was very "character building." 
In addition to this I found myself, a week after I moved out of my parents house, unable to use them as a fall back if things didn't work out as they recieved a letter in the mail claiming property taxes had not been paid on the property. The long and short of it, my parents would end up getting evicted.   At this time I was also working nearly 70 hours a week between my two jobs.

August: In August I applied to transfer to a new department at OE so I could keep my position in the art room, and was passed over for the position, so I put my two weeks notice in.   The day after I put my two weeks notice in, I recieved a phone call offering me a different position in the same department.   After speaking with my boss at the Boys and Girls Club, we decided that I would stay with the Boys and Girls Club on a subbing basis, and that I would indeed leave my position in the art room.
Rebecca and I also recieved an eviction notice from our landlord.

September:  Rebecca and I moved out of our apartment, and spent the next month living with our aunt Terry.   I started the new position at OE on September 6.

October:  In October, Rebecca, Jamie, and I moved into our new trailer together.  I also got my kittens, Bella and Esme.  Shortly after moving in, sewage started backing into my room from the hot water heater. Big Mess, not fun.  I also got Victoria a job at OE, working with me.

November:  In November, I celebrated my 26th birthday. This was the only birthday that has ever really bothered me. It made me realize that much of the last year of my life was spent going through the motions.  Growing older never bothers me so much as when I feel like I'm not doing anything with my life.

December:  I revisted my 100 pounds in 1 year plan and developed a strategy beginning.... today!  That would take me back on the journey to permanent weight loss.    I also found out that instead of doing personal care, I will be spending some time taking on a line for an unknown period of time. 


Concluding thoughts:

I really honestly don't remember much of this year. It all kind of centered around work, and that is highly accurate. Work has pretty much been my life for the past.... if not year, then at least for the past 6 months.  I don't know what I expected out of 2011. It really wasn't a great year for me.  I want to make 2012 better. 

One of the ways I've decided to do that, was that instead of going out with some friends to the bar, I started thinking, the way I start my new year is going to have a lot to do with how my year goes this year, and watching others drink and have what they think is a good time... well, it just wasn't on my to do list. 

Instead I spent the evening cleaning up my room so that I would have a clean room to start the year with, and then I spent some time doing some spiritual clean up, and I prayed in the New Year. It seemed so fitting.  I've had a lot of spiritual darkness this year, and while I had times when I was succumbing to it, I have also had moments when I was fighting against the darkness.  This year, I am not going to let the darkness overcome my soul. I have so many things I could say about my spiritual journey, but there is a desire in me to let sleeping dogs lie for the time being and focus on what is coming rather than what is past.   I had no idea what 2011 would bring me, and I have no idea where things will go with 2012. 

In addition to starting my year with Prayer, I have also started the Daniel Fast (in response to a challenge from another church I went to last Wednesday).   It is basically a fruit and vegetable  and water partial fast.  I can tell you my prayer life has increased dramatically just today because I had to pray for strength not to succumb to the foods at the coffee bar at Life Bridge that don't align with the Daniel Fast, and then during the Builders meeting, I had a hard time with my stomach growling while half the food still sat out, and then ofcourse, the smell of Jeni's pizza.... Temptation.  I honestly didnt think I would be able to make it through, but somehow I did. I stuck to the fast.  And then today when I came back to my trailer, Jamie had made buiscuits and gravy and it smelled amazing. But somehow I managed to avoid sampling.  And then, the other temptations were to dip my carrots in the dressing or dip. Didn't do that either.    Am I proud of myself?   No.   I'm humbled by the extent of my passion for food.  Only 20 days left. God help me.