2019 Year in Review

I’m always really nervous at the start of a new year. It always leaves me wondering if it’s gonna all go bad like the dreaded year of hell a couple years ago. But somehow, I keep having better and better years consecutively. I guess that bad year really made me more grateful for all the good in life. Every time I have an especially fun day with friends or a great day at work or a successful blogging sponsorship I thank my lucky stars for it all. I wouldn’t trade this life for anything and I can only hope that I continue to live a life as great as the one I’ve lived for these past couple of years. 

It’s pretty ironic that I closed out my 2018 Year in Review post by saying that I didn’t think anything would change and yet, somehow everything in my life changed this year. I guess that’s the way the cookie crumbles. But it all crumbled for the best. And those crumbs fell into place in a surprisingly perfect way. So here we go. Here is my 2019 year in review.

January – The start of 2019. I made the decision to leave my previous position at a startup company and I started to look for a new job. I applied for three places. I did one interview and got the job. A full time permanent position at the U of A with amazing benefits. That’s the dream. No seriously, that is the dream. I have always wanted to work at the U of A and the fact that I was able to make that dream reality this year is something I’m really happy with and proud of. Oh and I also bought an elliptical, so that’s fun!

February – I went through a breakup. But it was the first breakup that didn’t result in anger or hatred. It made me realize that I dated a really great guy who actually cared (and still cares) about me. But the breakup was very necessary. It wasn’t about the guy. It was about me. It was something I needed to do for myself. I had spent the past five years or so just dating for the sake of dating and I just really needed to be single. Read my post here about learning to be content with being alone.

March – I turned 24 and it was amazing. I had three different birthdays filled with all my favorite people. There was once a time in my life that I absolutely hated birthdays (AKA when I turned 22), but with the help of my friends, I have finally overcome that fear and started to love birthdays again. It seems like every birthday I have, I realize how much I truly love my friends. I’m so damn lucky to have them in my life. I also saw Scott Helman with a media pass!

April – It was officially one year since I graduated. One year of no school for the first time in my life. That’s crazy. Not going to school is definitely a nice change. It’s so surreal to come home from work and not worry about studying for a test or finishing an assignment. My life feels so much less stressful all the time. But there is also a part of me that misses going to school. There’s a part of me that yearns to learn something (did ya like that rhyme?). I have a feeling it won’t be long until I’m back in school.

May – For the first time in my life I started to be more aware of my health. I felt like I was gaining weight now that I was confined to a desk for 8 hours of my day so I did what I should have done 10 years ago. I started eating healthy and worked out. I even did a 30 day sugar ban (read all about my experience here). Being healthy for the month of May proved that I really can change my lifestyle for the better and hopefully, in 2020, being healthy will last the whole year instead of just a month. Add that to my list of New Year’s Resolutions. I also reconnected with an old friend and felt very mature that I could leave all this drama behind me. It was a really nice feeling. And I saw a performance by the Alberta Ballet with a media pass!

June – I went to Folk Fest here in Edmonton which is a local music festive filled with, yup you guessed it, folk singers. I had a press pass which is always an amazing experience but not only that, I also got to interview one of my favorite bands. If you told me a couple years ago that I would be given the chance to sit in a room with just my favorite band and get as much time as I wanted to ask them anything, I would ask you who the hell I am. As much as I don’t like to admit that my blog is a big deal, it’s crazy to look back on these past 7 years of blogging and see all the experiences I have gotten because of it. I owe it a lot.

July – I got off my six month probation at work and I couldn’t be happier. The U of A is my dream place to work and I wake up everyday excited to go to work. That’s a crazy feeling. I had a dream the other night that I had just graduated university and I couldn’t find a job and I was so unbelievably stressed out. But when I woke up and remembered that it was all just a dream, I have never felt more relieved and at peace. It really made me realize how grateful I am for this job.

August – I went to San Francisco with my best friend, Vanessa. It was such an amazing time. I got to tour the Facebook campus with our friend, Francis and I got to visit my long-time bestie, Erin (who I couldn’t be more proud of). It was an amazing trip to say the least. I went to wineries, shopped a lot, ate a lot (love Chick-fil-A, hate In-N-Out) and was a tourist a lot. Hopefully 2020 will be filled with a lot more travelling and lot more trips.

September – I went to Sonic Field Day with yet another press pass (see post here). I met Grandson and got to see one of my favorite bands, The Glorious Sons, live again. Getting to see some of my favorite bands up close is something that will never get old. It is truly one of my favorite experiences. There was also a Friday the 13th in September and it was one of the worst days. Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. I am now permanently traumatized by Friday the 13th and whenever there is another Friday the 13th, I will not be leaving my house. I have learned my lesson.

October – Would it be fair to say October was a month filled with shitty boys? Yes, yes it would be. The drama in my life was overwhelming this month. I remember coming into work after every weekend with so many stories to tell my coworkers. Every week was a new boy turned fuckboy. I’m surprised I still want to date people after all of these horror stories. Maybe one day I will fill you in on these stories but for now, just know that it was a traumatizing month for me. October was also a month of family but not in the way you would expect. I don’t have a lot of family here in Edmonton. I have my parents and my brother and that’s pretty much it. I’ve always felt like I missed out on those big family dinners for Thanksgiving and Christmas. But this year, it was different. I had two different friends invite me over to their family’s Thanksgiving dinners and it was so special. Thank you Richard and Niki for inviting me into your homes and letting me experience what it’s like to having a classic Thanksgiving dinner. It was truly something special. I also got to have Friendsgiving dinner with a group of my friends and that gives me warm fuzzy feelings in my stomach just thinking about it again. God, I am way too sappy over here.

November – I went all the way to Vancouver to see Julia Michaels’ concert. I had never flown to a different city just for a concert but boy oh boy, was it worth it. Not only did I have meet and greet tickets to meet Julia but I also got to meet the entire band after the concert at Japadog in a very fate-induced, chance occurrence. See if you can spot me in the crowd in Julia Michael’s live concert video here.

December – December was a month filled with every Christmas-y thing you could imagine. I built Gingerbread houses, I opened advent calendars, I made Christmas cards, I listened to every Christmas song, I watched every Hallmark Christmas movie, I played Christmas trivia, the list goes on and on. I went on a ski trip (minus the skiing) to the mountains with a group of ten friends and it was the most amazing time. It was the first time in a long time that I’ve gone on a trip without a boyfriend and just as a single gal and it really made me appreciate my friends. This was the year of trying to be comfortable again with being single and I think I have finally achieved it. I spent that whole trip focusing on myself and my friends and not even wishing for a second that I had a boy by my side. I’m a changed woman, y’all.

The end of 2019.

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2019 was truly the year of happiness. I can’t even tell you the amount of times people in my life told me how happy I seemed. I was and truly am happy. I think I had forgotten how to be happy. I forgot what it was like to reflect on your life and be content with how thing are. For so long, I was stressed and worried about life. But now, for the first time, all of my hard work is finally starting to pay off. All the pieces in my life are falling into place and it’s amazing. However, I am a little scared I am going to jinx everything by stating that. I’m scared that because I had such a damn good year, next year can’t possibly be as good. I’m scared that something huge is gonna go wrong and turn my life upside down. But I only hope that I am now equipped with the skills and the knowledge to overcome anything that does happen to go wrong. So here’s to entering into a whole new decade of happiness, love and good fortune.

2018 Year in Review: https://when-im-older.com/181586291270-2/

2017 Year in Review: https://when-im-older.com/169469215827-2/

2016 Year in Review: https://when-im-older.com/155301288875-2/

2015 Year in Review: https://when-im-older.com/136279938943-2/

2014 Year in Review: https://when-im-older.com/106720896600-2/

2013 Year in Review: https://when-im-older.com/71760926730-2/