100 things I was grateful for having done in 2011
1. Continued my college education at Seattle University - as difficult as it was (and still is), I will forever be grateful for my education.
2. Gone to Boston in March.
3. Rekindled an old relationship with an old family member in Boston.
4. Kept my relationships with my best friends from high school strong - Bre, Claryn, Jana, Margaret, Alicia, and Haley, I love you guys.
5. Spent the summer working in Yellowstone National Park - as difficult as it was at times, it was an experience worth having.
6. Decided to continue learning French as a second language.
7. Changed my major from History to French, and dropped History to a minor (because I just couldn't give it up).
8. Stuck with choir - as time consuming as it is, I can't imagine my life without singing, and without the Seattle University Chorale and Women's Chorale.
9. Gone to the University of Oregon/Stanford football game in Palo Alto with my dad in November - him and I don't have the strongest relationship, we don't talk as much or do as many things together as I would like, so this was nice, just spending some time him and me.
10. Had my first real relationship with a member of the opposite sex.
11. Auditioned for my first solo in choir.
12. Sang my first solo in choir.
13. Worked for an organization that helps disadvantaged pre-school kids, aka. discovered how much I actually adore small children. By the way, I still work for this organization, it's amazing.
14. Became an auntie (sort of) to the cutest baby boy in the world in December.
15. Visited the Salem Witch Museum in Salem, MA - I had always dreamed of going there ever since I was a little girl (Hocus Pocus is one of my favorite movies, okay?), and it was just as cool as I'd imagined.
16. Gone on road trips in Yellowstone with some friends from work over the summer.
17. Gone on a disastrous road trip to Salt Lake City with said friends from work over the summer - to sum it up, we had car problems, lodging problems, transportation problems, sickness problems, towing problems, just everything problems. But in the end we realized that we did all we could to hold it together and get back home alright; we worked together to make sure everything and everyone was alright. It was an unforgettable experience, I guess you could say.
18. Pulled my first-ever college all-nighter and survived (probably because my friend and I baked brownies at 4AM). I have actually pulled a grand total of two now.
19. Figured out who my real friends are at Seattle University, and realized that I am more than perfectly okay with the results.
20. Decided on a study abroad program for the 2012-2013 school year.
21. Began the application for the Seattle University French-In-France (in Grenoble, FR) study abroad program, for the 2012-2013 school year.
22. Saw the last Harry Potter movie in theatres. Twice.
23. Discovered that my all time favorite book The Perks of Being a Wallflower is being made into a movie, with basically all of my favorite actors in it.
24. Read the novel Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult - if you haven't read it, seriously READ IT. It's so powerful and meaningful and beautiful and pretty much anything ending in -ful.
25. Experienced my first severe thunderstorm (in the middle of the night) while living in Wyoming (Yellowstone) over the summer - it was dark, loud, rainy, and extremely windy, aka. I was convinced I was going to die.
26. Experienced living with someone who took extreme pleasure in destroying my self-esteem through emotional attacks with my mental health intact.
27. Ate bison meat for the first time - as adorable as I think they are, their meat is to die for.
28. Went to a school dance with some of the greatest people ever and actually felt like I looked pretty for the first time in a long time.
29. Saw (and met) the cast of MTV's The Buried Life when they came and spoke at my school in October.
30. Tasted Huckleberry-flavored wine for the first time - delicious.
31. Made homemade Christmas presents for my friends.
32. Gone to a Seattle Mariners baseball game in April.
33. Gotten an actual tan over the summer - who would have thought that living 8,000 feet closer to the sun would help a naturally pale-as-a-ghost person get a tan? It actually lasted until November.
34. Gone on a weekend retreat to Vachon Island, WA with the Seattle University Chapel choir in February - this little choir I sing with on Sunday mornings at Mass is one of the greatest ever; greatest liturgical music, greatest people, greatest times.
35. Kept strong relationships with my extended family - I love them more than they will ever know.
36. Gone on late night walks with good friends from school - it clears the mind.
37. Gone on walks with my dog, Addie - it may seem simple, but I enjoy all the time I get to spend with my pets (I have a cat too, Sadie).
38. Started listening to Mumford & Sons' music religiously - it's so meaningful and amazing.
39. Started wearing dresses more often - I don't know, for some reason they give me a minuscule boost of confidence.
40. Planned a summer 2012 Disneyland trip with my wonderful roommate Arielle - we are determined to make it happen.
41. Gotten my hair cut in layers for the first time in my life. Me likey.
42. Spent a lot of quality time with my old voice coach (from high school) over winter break - she is one of my favorite people ever.
43. Continued learning German as a third language - it is very unique and therefore disgustingly hard, but I am determined.
44. Flown on an airplane all by myself (no parents, no travel group, no nothing) for the first time when I went to Boston in March.
45. Turned 19 [and thus completely legal in the Canadian province of British Columbia]. Yay?
46. Decided not to come back home and transfer to the University of Oregon for the remainder of college. As much as I love Eugene, it's probably better that I moved on to Seattle.
47. Started looking at Graduate schools/programs for French.
48. Started making a list of Grad. schools I'm most interested in - the list so far: Boston College, Brown, NYU, UCLA, USC.
49. Dropped a jean size.
50. Developed a proper vibrato in my singing voice.
51. Survived taking a class where the professor did not like me and I did not like him - needless to say it was a long quarter.
52. Gained a mentor in my Fall Quarter 2011 French professor - Holly, I like you, and it's nice to know you care.
53. Drove all the way from Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming to Eugene, Oregon and did not die of boredom or tumbleweed poisoning.
54. Made baby blankets for two of the greatest babies ever.
55. Wore a two-piece swimsuit over the summer and didn't feel completely self-conscious.
56. Saw Don Quichotte (the French version of Don Quixote) by the Seattle Opera in February.
57. Swam underneath a waterfall (Moose Falls) in Yellowstone over the summer - so scary.
58. Visited some old teachers from my high school in May.
59. Gone to my first ever costume party with some coworkers in Yellowstone.
60. Let loose my alter ego for said party and dressed a little more provocatively than I normally do - okay, just kidding, my friend made me. But still, it took guts on my part.
61. Lived with three of my good friends, Arielle, Lauren and Katie, during school.
62. Saw the movie 50/50 in theaters - so powerful; no movie has ever made me laugh and cry so hard.
63. Watched a little boy from work finally write his name for the first time - I have never been so proud.
64. Continued the tradition of frosting Christmas sugar cookies with my best friends from high school.
65. Had Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice marathons with one of my best friends - we're notorious for those.
66. Been taught some Spanish by one of my little three-year-olds at work - she's smarter than me.
67. Made friends from other countries besides the United States - thank you Yellowstone.
68. Discovered Fanfiction - don't judge.
69. Been so addicted to Fanfiction that I read two 30-40 chapter stories in one day.
70. Began documenting my dreams, or what I can remember of them at least.
71. Discovered Kelly Clarkson's newest album "Stronger" - she is one my all time favorite singers/songwriters.
72. Gone on a camping trip to the Oregon coast with Bre, Margaret and Jana last summer - such a memorable trip.
73. Managed to not get a "C" on my college transcript - we'll see how that ends up next year.
74. Visited Astoria, OR for the first time with my mom in August - they filmed The Goonies there, by the way.
75. Visited Rockport, MA in March - they filmed The Proposal there, by the way.
76. Done a choral recording with the Seattle University Choirs that lasted until 1AM [for the Lenten Prayer concert music] - who would have thought that the building we hold that concert in wouldn't be compatible with recordings, so we would have to do the concert essentially twice, once for the actual thing, once to make a recording. It was amazing, however. SU Choirs rock.
77. Gone to Quadstock '11 in May with some of my best friends - a concert held each year by Seattle University, where a handful of groups perform.
78. Cooked an actual dinner without burning or ruining anything - and it actually tasted good.
79. Received "A's" on five out of the seven assigned papers for my Fall Quarter history class.
80. Picked out the 2011 Christmas tree with my mom.
81. Gone Christmas caroling with my Eugene church family.
82. Bought a pair of TOMS - with every pair bought, another pair is donated to a child in a third-world country.
83. Visited Jackson Hole, Wyoming for the first time and attempted to stalk Harrison Ford.
84. Experienced snow while at the coast - Massachusetts, you are special.
85. Had coffee with my favorite teacher from high school.
86. Gone to my high school's Christmas choir concert and reminisced.
87. Given up desserts for Lent and succeeded.
88. Been able to study in the University of Washington Suzzallo library on a regular basis, even though I don't go to the University of Washington - have you seen their library? It's basically Hogwarts.
89. Taken my roommate Lauren home with me to Eugene for a weekend in May - we had too much fun on the train ride down.
90. Hiked the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone over the summer.
91. Had my grandparents visit me at school in Seattle.
92. Made Christmas ornaments for my cousin's then-unborn son over Thanksgiving break, aka. family craft night.
93. Sang the Soprano I descant for O' Come All Ye Faithful at this years' SU Choirs Christmas concert in December - anyone who knows me knows I am a natural Alto; Soprano takes work.
94. Picked out a design for my first tattoo - I plan on getting it on my right foot next spring.
95. Saved up enough money to go back to Boston in March of 2012.
96. Learned [the hard way] that procrastination is not the key to success.
97. Learned to really appreciate what I have.
98. Understood more what it meant to love with one's whole heart.
99. Learned to more often think of others before myself.
100. Learned to let go of all the negative things in my life.
Well, there you have it. Happy 2012 everyone!
~Erin
