I decided to dedicate December’s top list to a review of the year (I also apologize for not writing November’s list – that was a very busy month for me). This will be a chronological list.
January – A New Car!
At the beginning of 2017, my friend joined the Air Force and gave me her car. Then, in August, I was in an accident and lost the car (I was unharmed, but unfortunately, the car’s damage was too expensive to fix). I had to start my first semester at Cal State San Marcos without my own transportation. I was lucky in being able to take the local Sprinter train, but that meant that I couldn’t have a job, especially since I was working as an independently contracted pet sitter who needed a car to drive to different homes. I was also lucky in having Mark who drove 40 minutes to my house to pick me up to spend the weekends with him. Then, in January, I was about to start a new semester, and I didn’t want to go through another 6 months without a car. God worked His ways because the day before the semester started, I had a new car! I bought it from friends at church at a great price, and it set the stage for more top moments of the year.
February – My First Actual Job!
I started my first ever part-time, regularly paid job at Frazier Farms Market on Valentines Day. The process went through so quickly, which was a relief because I had experienced many applications, interviews, and rejection emails beforehand. I even had a friend who also worked there to help my transition. This job has given me tons of learning experiences, like how to deal with difficult people, the importance of communication, and the capacity for people to be lazy and gross.
August – The Start of My Senior Year of Undergrad!
I have been going to college for 6 years straight. I graduated high school in 2012 and spent 5 years at community college. I changed my major during my second year, which meant that I needed an extra year to complete my requirements. I could have transferred to a university in a timely manner, but I enjoyed my community college so much that I was afraid to leave. I also received free tuition, so I was enjoying taking all the classes that I wanted without having to pay for them. It wasn’t until I met Mark that I realized that I should be working on transferring so that I can enter the workforce like a normal adult. Soon, I will be starting my final semester as an undergraduate, and it’s been a LONG TIME COMING!
October – I Got Engaged!
You regular readers here would have most likely already read our engagement story, so I won’t re-explain it here. But since it was written by Mark, you don’t know my side of it. Early on in our relationship, we were both pretty decided on how our future would look – we would get married, eventually. So, as we spent more time dating, it wasn’t a question of IF, but WHEN we would get married. At some point during the year, Mark had mentioned that he wanted to wait to get engaged until I was done with school, which would be May of 2019. Although I was a little sad that I would have to wait a long time just to be engaged, I understood his logic behind it, which was that he didn’t want me to be distracted from finishing my last semesters with the stress of wedding planning. Now, you can understand my surprise when he popped out a ring on our 2-year-anniversary.
Objectively, this may seem like a short list, but these were the most important moments of my year and are ones that have made the most impact on my life. I’m excited for what 2019 may bring, but I know some of the things that will be happening, like our wedding and my graduation.
Happy New Year, everybody!