Definitely still acceptable.
It's crazy to think that last new year, I got a little teary at the stroke of midnight, because all of a sudden, "Zach's deploying some time next year" became "Zach's deploying some time this year"...and that's a lot to take in with one drop of a lit-up ball.
But one year later?
I don't think I could be more excited about all the potential 2012 holds. Big year. I mean, BIG year.
1.
Wahoo, currently #1 on the agenda. I spent the first week of the new year completely redesigning my online portfolio, and after a few days (and a few more days) of staring at the thing, I finally got the courage to post it on Facebook. Everyone has given me the thumbs up (mom even said Regis Philbin would be proud!), so now it's time to start sending it out to all the companies on my rapidly growing list of "places to apply." I'm pretty stoked to post updates of #jobsearch2012, especially all the ridiculously funny criteria I come across. (For example, in order to even apply for a position with the Country Music Association, I must have at least 300 friends on Facebook and 200+ followers on Twitter. I am constantly baffled by the world we live in...)In the meantime, I received an email this morning from the design agency where I intern... promoting me to a paid designer for the rest of the semester! (Note: a paid designer, not a page designer, although I'll undoubtedly design lots of pages. The mix-up, however, made for a rather funny phone conversation with my mom.) I was shocked, to say the least, but I'm also thrilled for the opportunity to keep expanding my portfolio and add things to my resumé! 2012, you're off to a good start :)
2.
My senior capstone exhibition is rapidly approaching, and while I'm still not 100% set on what project I want to develop for my capstone piece (I have five more days to decide), I know that the capstone course will be wonderful. I can't wait to showcase my work in April/May alongside the other incredibly talented 13 graduating seniors in the Visual Art department!3.
Reality check, this is HAPPENING exactly four months from today. And it definitely plays a significant role in why 2012 is bound to be a huge year for me. I mean, I'm the class of 2012, hello. Big deal. I didn't just get accepted to Duke (proudest moment of my life). I didn't just go to Duke. I'll be able to say that I graduated from Duke, and that's crazy awesome to say. (I know simply because I said it aloud just now to test it out...and I almost burst into tears of pride and joy while doing so. I know, I know: dramatic much?)4.
Do you realize I've lived in a dorm ALL four years I've been in college (the same dorm, as a matter of fact...)? I've shared a bathroom with 25 other girls since 2008. If I want to use a kitchen (which only happens about twice a year), I can trek from the 3rd floor to the 1st floor and use the one regular-sized kitchen shared by all 150 people in the dorm. I've never lived in an apartment; therefore, I've never needed to furnish an apartment. With that being said, the only furniture I have to my name is a black planet folding chair I got for my 8th grade graduation. I am not lying. The whole "get my own place" should be rather entertaining. Regardless of where I end up, this is a rather large upcoming milestone in 2012! But I tell you what, my planet chair and I will live in a treehouse if it means that I get my own bathroom. I am not picky.4a.
That is a lie. I am a little picky. I have one stipulation: wherever I live must have a bathtub. Obviously the dorm does not have bathtubs (not like I would use them if they did - gross) and I have been bathtub-deprived long enough. This is easily the make-or-break factor in choosing a place to live. I'm telling you: big things happening in 2012.4b.
Okay, two stipulations. I need candles. (I need the entire Yankee Candle store, actually, but I'll settle for five or six... dozen.) I have a completely inexplainable love for candles, as my family can assure you. Sadly, candles are not allowed in the dorms. Even unlit candles are not allowed in the dorms. But one of these days, I will have my own place... and until then, I absolutely cannot wait to "light all the candles." If I ring in the next new year by watching the ball drop on my laptop (because I won't have a television), sitting in a planet chair surrounded by candles in my otherwise unfurnished apartment... I will consider 2012 an epic success.5.
Oh, heyy, that's right: I get to celebrate my golden birthday in 2012! I will turn 23 on the 23rd of October, which supposedly means that this entire year is going to be lucky for me. I'm thinking that if I graduate, get a full-time job, and find a place to live... it's going to be a very lucky year, indeed :)6.
Fingers crossed. Zach and I technically lived in the same little town (Fincastle, VA) for the first 36 days we were dating. 36 days. 36 days of being together sparked the following 1,259 (and counting) days of a long distance relationship. I don't think there will ever come a time where that fact doesn't absolutely boggle my mind. Obviously nothing is guaranteed: who knows where I'll end up with my job or where Zach will end up if he decides to reenlist? But a year is a long time, and there's a chance that by the end of this one, I could be in my first short distance relationship. By short distance, I simply mean not hours apart like we are now. A 45 minute drive across town would be glorious. So glorious.• • • • •
While it's wonderful to have dreams & goals, it's also wonderful to remember that I don't have to have it all planned out just yet. God has it taken care of: plans to take care of me & give me a future & a hope [Jeremiah 29:11].
So there you go: big things happening in 2012 :) I get to spend two weeks straight watching gymnastics on television in the summer Olympics (favorite). I get to vote in another presidential election, which is always a huge deal. Perhaps I'll even get to witness a couple more victory bonfires after beating UNC in basketball :) Not to mention the fact that two of the only three books I've ever read are being made into movies & coming to theaters this year, with Zac Efron playing the lead in one of them. So. Much. Win.
Pretty sure 2012 is my favorite already!
Tell me, please, what is one thing YOU are looking forward to this year?
