Changing Tides: 2011 Annual Review

I know I posted this to facebook already, but in case you missed my note here it is. Enjoy!

January:

[-] Spending New Year’s Eve/Day eating dinner from a gas station and sitting in the hotel room.

[+] Katy Perry collection

[+/-] Chargers v. Broncos game in Denver. We won, but there was that fan that kicked me in the knee and who was a complete jerk.

[+] Richard bringing me lunches before class

[-] My attempt at taking BME 437 with an awful teacher

February:

[+] GB won the superbowl.

[+] Approved to student teach in California

[+] Big night with SAI

[+] Making homemade bread with Richard

[+] Getting into a baking war, throwing sugar and flour (:

[+] Wrote a drum cadence for class which resulted in an A (:

[-] Getting really sick

[+] New Plain White Ts album

[+/-] New phone…in the long run I hate it.

[+] New MITs, including my second little, Sam (:

March:

[-] Lame competency exam

[+] Strombolli’s date with Richard (where we went on our first date)

[+] New recipe: Avocado stuffed chicken

[+] Lunch with my mom for her birthday

[+/-] Seaport Village with Richard, but he got sick so we had to leave early

[+] Zoo with Richard for the first time in years!

[+] Walking around Balboa Park

[+] Friendship Garden

[+] Finding a whole sand dollar from Coronado (:

[-] The jerk who almost made me crash because his lights weren’t on and he drove across the street to get to the movie theater. So close to hitting him.

[-] My car got stuck at the bottom of my apartment complex

[+/-] Trying to learn how to play drumset

[+] Dropping my BME 437 class so I could take it over the summer with a different teacher

[+] Signed up for my last semester at NAU

April:

[-] Got sick

[+] Monopoly with Nicole

[+] Wrote a percussion ensemble piece (which was…ok)

[+] One year anniversary with Richard

[-] My ortho told me I had two more visits for my braces…only after telling me I could get them off on the next visit.

[+] Sweetwater approved me for student teaching in their district.

[+] Bought HP7:P1

[+] Movie date to go see Rio

[+] Staples fixed my computer!

[+] Super weird Arranging project that I wrote whatever and aced (the one with the paint cans)

[-] Stupid stupid stupid Project 3 (the 45 lesson plans from hell). Did it in 9 hours…straight.

[+/-] My final college concert…very bittersweet.

May:

[+] Initiation went great, and yay for the new members, including my little Sam!

[+] Richard premiered one of his compositions

[+] Got snow for my last finals week at NAU

[+] Richard bought me bundle monster plates (nail stamping plates)

[+] Nicole graduated!

[+] Officially became a super senior.

[+] Got all A’s and B’s

[+] Mom made her cabbage rolls.

[-] Car had to get a new radiator and water pump.

[+] San Diego Symphony playing Firebird.

[+] Actually enjoyed Pirates 4

[+] Boogie-boarding for the first time in years.

[-] Ridiculous sunburn on the backs of my legs, and Richard’s back. Hurt soooo bad!

[+] Finished making Richard watch all of Lost…and still bawled like a baby.

[+] San Diego Symphony with Gil Shaham and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.

June:

[+] Found the Crayola scented nail polish that I had been looking for.

[+] Started my blog, Changing Tides.

[+] Walking around town and going to the movies with Nicole.

[+] Got my braces off! :D

[-] Summer school

[+] Driving out for Lauren’s graduation from UCSD.

[+] Got engaged to the best fiancé ever, Richard

[+] Replaying and beating Pokemon Snap with Richard.

[-/+] Not receiving her book for her presentation, but being able to BS it and still get an A.

July:

[+] My 4th of July manicure.

[-] Getting stuck in major traffic on the 17 on our way to pick up my dad from the airport.

[+] Finding a butter beer recipe for the HP premiere.

[+] Bought my engagement ring.

[-] Casey Anthony trial outcome.

[+] Spending time in Montana to see DJ, Rachel and Freddy.

[-] Awful hotel…the War Bonnet (aka the War Buffet).

[+] Driving through Yellowstone on the way back to Flagstaff.

[+] Finally got my engagement ring, which was my mom’s diamond put in a new setting.

[+] Received my mom’s Tiffany’s ring for my wedding band.

[+/-] Moved out of my apartment.

[+/-] HP premiere and the end of my childhood.

[+] Seeing that one guy propose to his girlfriend in the theater.

[+] Bob turned 7! (:

[+] Cast announced for the new Avatar show.

[+] Taught myself how to flutter tongue on the trumpet…and then annoyed my Dad with it (:

[+] Got my student teaching placement after being placed at 3 different middle schools.

[+] Found my wedding dress after a spontaneous shopping trip with my mom and Neil.

[+] Started student teaching at Olympian High School.

[+] Created my very first quizzes as a teacher (:

[+] Cowboys and Aliens!

[+] Bridal bazaar with Lauren, Neil and my mom.

August:

[-] First time in my life going to school on my birthday.

[+/-] Turned 22, but doesn’t feel like it was my birthday at all.

[+] Birthday flowers!

[+] Got Rio on DVD…such a cute movie! (:

[+] Registered for the AEPA

[+] Survived teaching the entire day by myself.

[+] Ordered my graduation announcements.

[+] Richard came for a visit

[+] Making peanut butter fudge with my grandma’s recipe and actually succeeding!

[+] Mary Poppins, it was good!

[+] Did extremely well on my student teaching midterm.

[+] Went to the Trevor Hoffman retirement ceremony…it was a bit too long though.

[+/-] Wrote letters to all of the band directors in San Diego, but didn’t get any responses…but that’s ok, what matters is that I tried.

[+] My first SCSBOA Fall Conference

[+] Got my very first hotel room all to myself…felt weird haha.

September:

[+] IHOP trip and bowling with friends.

[-] Water was trapped in my ear for days.

[+] Saw one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen in my life.

[+] Hornswoggle concert

[+/-] Blackout. It was insanely scary driving home trying to cross major streets, and getting gas was a very interesting and frustrating adventure. But it was fun playing Yahtzee and then leaving at midnight to drive to Flagstaff.

[+] My trip to Flagstaff, which was mostly for the AEPA.

[-] My drive up to Flagstaff was so scary! Crazy lightning storm.

[+] My short visit with Nicole where there was another power outage (for me) and another crazy storm.

[-] 10th anniversary of 9/11.

[-] Having a dentist appointment with snobby people to schedule the last 2 of my wisdom teeth extraction.

[+] Rocked my student teaching final for my first placement.

[+] The oh-so-fun filming at 5 AM for the wannabe PPR at Olympian.

[+/-] My dad flushed all 3 of my betta fish down the toilet because I didn’t want them anymore…poor fish!

[+] Finished my Candidate Work Sample

[+] The Lion King 3D with my dad.

[+] Lauren got me hooked on pistachios!

[+] Went and saw the Blue Man Group.

[+/-] My last day at Olympian, where my students surprised me with posters and gifts and pretty much made me cry. But they made me realize that I absolutely, 100% , love what I am doing. I learned so much from them.

[+] Fall break, which included a trip to Flag.

[+] Hanging out with Lauren in Flag while her mom was at her conference and Richard was in class.

[-] RIP Joel DiBartolo.

[+] “The altitude…it’s so tall!” Lauren being tipsy.

[-] Had to get 2 new tires for my car…after running over a bolt and having a leak in the second tire.

[+] Symphony with Jean-Yves Thibaudet…amazing pianist.

October:

[+] Walking out to find my dad crying while watching Maid in Manhattan, haha!

[+/-] Color Oops…trying to get the color out of my hair. It made my hair smell burnt for weeks and it didn’t even work.

[+] Dyed Dustin’s hair a blue-black.

[+] Lauren was nice enough to drive me to my wisdom teeth extraction.

[-] Had to take antibiotics on an empty stomach, therefore threw up in Lauren’s brand new car (which I’m still so so so so sorry for!).

[-] Got my wisdom teeth out on my right side.

[-] Had my very first IV…and got really bad bruising from it.

[+/-] Didn’t remember anything for the first half hour after I woke up…which I guess was entertaining, haha.

[+] Teaching Lauren about nail polish (like NOT using a top coat for a base coat, hahaha).

[-] Bob freaking Lauren and I out with all of the ghost encounters in my house…we called my dad to wake him up so he could walk across the house and turn a light on for the whole night, haha.

[+/-] Trying to see the Red Tides with Lauren but we were too late so it was really small :(

[+] Lauren stayed with me for a few days while I was home alone because my dad was in Colorado.

[+] Passed the AEPA!

[+/-] First day of student teaching at Bonita Vista Middle School.

[+] Got the highest marks in every category for my Candidate Work Sample.

[+] My cap and gown came in.

[-] Graduation pictures...really weren’t that good.

[-] One of my students stole my phone…but I tracked it down and got it back. Stupid kid.

[+] Seeing old awards and scrapbooks from when I went to BVMS.

[+/-] Went to see Hair…it was ok.

[+/-] Having to face a demon from my past…but surviving it.

[+] My students chose NAU for college week.

[+] Got to wear my BVHS letterman jacket that I pretty much never got to wear because I transferred schools.

[+] Mt. Carmel Tournament…which included seeing Liz! (:

[+] Some of my students from OHS were really able to make me smile at that tournament…and I really needed that.

[+] Richard and I set a date! July 6th, 2013.

[+/-] Symphony Spooktacular…too many kids though.

[-] Had a rough week which was a real test of my character and showed me how strong I really am, even in my moments of weakness. And it showed me what I’ll have to do for the rest of my career.

November:

[+] Survived teaching middle school by myself all day. Never want to do that again, haha.

[+] Kicked a student out of my class! It was crazy haha.

[+] San Diego Symphony playing Liszt Piano Concertos.

[+] Going to tournaments with OHS, feeling like a band director, haha.

[+/-] Chargers game in the pouring rain, it was so cold.

[+] Bought my wedding dress!!!

[+] Did really well on my student teaching midterm.

[+] My mom surprised me with several polishes that I had been looking for after the Otay Ranch Band Review.

[+] Band Pageant, juggling OHS and BVMS.

[+] Not letting my 6th period class leave without their instruments in their hand for Thanksgiving break…and they actually practiced! (:

[-] Oreo tipped over my trash can multiple times one night because I threw away the wrapper for his treats and he was convinced that there were more. Ridiculous cat.

[+] My grandma came to SD for Thanksgiving and for my graduation.

[+] Richard was here for Thanksgiving

[+] Richard treated me to a mani/pedi done by him. It turned out pretty well, too.

[+] Family House!

[+] Chargers game with friends and family.

December:

[+] 2 concerts at BVMS: 1 beginning guitar, 3 beginning bands and advanced band. They went really well, especially my beginning band that did a piece with multiple time changes! So proud of them!

[+] San Diego Symphony: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

[+] Took the CBEST…and passed!

[+] Donovan’s for my grandma’s birthday dinner.

[+] Did really well on my student teaching final and turned in my massive portfolio.

[+] Got to help out OHS at Qualcomm Stadium…it was cool being on the field and I made sure to score a touchdown with a drum stand when we walked off, haha.

[+] Bob thought my EOS chapstick was his bouncy ball, it was cute. He protected it all night.

[+/-] Lost Bob’s bouncy ball in the tree out back so I had to buy him a new one…and he actually accepted it. That’s huge for this dog he’s so picky about his toys.

[+] Got my hair cut and colored, thanks to my mom.

[+] San Diego Symphony playing Beethoven’s Ninth.

[+] Completed student teaching.

[+] Woke up to see the lunar eclipse.

[+] Visited my grandpa’s grave.

[+] Drove around looking at Christmas lights.

[+] Got to stop wearing my retainers during the day!

[+] Drove to Flag for graduation!

[+] Got to see my whole family together again for the first time since my high school graduation. And, of course, Lauren who came with and is pretty much family, anyways.

[+] Chargers game with family again.

[+] Got a 4.0! Haha.

[+] Spent time with Richard and his family in Phoenix.

[+] Got my pajamas for Christmas Eve, keeping the tradition alive.

[+] Looked at wedding venues and found some that we really like.

[+] Spent New Year’s Eve at the Galley with Richard and my dad. It was fun!

[+] Nail polish, Kindle Touch, Nintendo 3DS, homemade sand candle, Disneyland tickets, a real leather teacher bag, a cute piggy bank, slippers, pajamas, teacher clothes, new DS games, hello kitty polish and gel pens and time with family. Good Christmas/graduation/New Years.[+] Finished reading The Hunger Games Trilogy. Great book! One of my favorites now.

Overall, 2012 was great. I learned a lot, especially during my student teaching. But probably the most important things that I learned this year were:

I absolutely love what I’m doing. It’s nice to know that these past 4.5 years have paid off and that teaching music is truly what I want to do.
I’m stronger then I give myself credit for. Even in my moments of weakness I can still hold it together. And I will always do my best to be the bigger person.
Relationships and friendships go both ways. If they don’t make the effort and I do, they aren’t worth it. And vice versa.

Thank you, 2011. And thank you everyone who has been a part of my life. Bring on 2012! Here’s a small look into a few of my resolutions (but not all of them):