I was thrilled to see 2010 go. I could not get to 2011 fast enough. If you are a long time reader, you know the trials and tribulations I faced in 2010, the rollercoaster year. If you are not a long time reader, feel free to check out my original 2 posts on this blog … they will explain a lot.
Anyway, back to the point. I eagerly awaited NYE and 12:01 am, January 1, 2011. As far as I was concerned 2011 had to be a better year than 2010 … there was nowhere to go but up. Originally when I sat to write this post, I thought I would write about how 2011 was a stabilizing year, allowing me to recover from the challenges of 2010, and in a sense it was. I thought I would write about how 2011 was nothing special, not sad to see it go not ready to push through to 2012. It was just another year.
But as I started thinking about all of the stuff that happened, all of the places I went to, all of the people I met, and all of the things I did in 2011, I have to admit it was a pretty special year. Let’s start at the beginning. This will be a recap of a lot of things that are more detailed in earlier posts, but I hope you still find it enjoyable, and maybe learn about a few new things! :)
January 2011 I was in recovery mode. Still extremely fatigued from mono I struggled to stay wake during the days. I often slept in late, took naps, and went to bed early. I had signed up to take the Colorado bar exam in February and was desperate to find motivation to actually study for it. Fortunately a good friend of mine was taking the Hawaii bar exam in February, and he would consistently encourage me to keep (or perhaps start would be a better word) studying. He would call me to ask what I had worked on that day and what my plan was going forward. I thought at first he was just trying to get an idea of what he needed to be doing. I realized later, this was much my for my benefit than his, and I am eternally grateful. I am not going to mention him by name as I have tried to keep things at least a bit confidential, but I am confident he knows who he is (and some of you probably know too), and I hope he knows how thankful I am for his continued encouragement.
February blew by, as I finally got some more energy and motivation to study … fear is a great motivator. Knowing how much I studied for my first bar exam in California, I was pretty much convinced that I was not going to pass the exam in Colorado. I had studied nearly 16 hours a day for the California exam 6 months earlier. I was averaging about 2 hours of studying a day on my good days this time around. I told everyone that I hoped I would pass, but would not be surprised if I did not. I flew to Colorado for the very first time in February, and stayed with my friend’s mom (the same friend who was taking the exam in Hawaii). I took the 2 days exam and felt decent about it, but was still not going to be surprised if I didn’t pass. Disappointed yes, surprised no. My trip to Colorado was great and I was determined to go back for a visit regardless of what happened with my exam.
March was a life changing month. I came back from Colorado and immediately found myself in a funk. No longer did I have the distraction of studying, which even though I did not do much of, gave me the illusion of having a busy schedule. I couldn’t do things … I had to study! Well, that was no more, and I felt the deep void in my life. The first 2 weeks of March I lazed around the house trying to think of things to occupy my time. I was soooo bored. As I was getting dressed one day, I noticed having difficulty fitting into my once rather loose clothing. I looked in the mirror and truly saw how much weight I had gained what with studying for the bar, getting mono, and a whole host of other things going on in my life. I should not look like this at 25 (or ever!) I thought. Something needed to change.
On March 15, 2011 I joined Fitness 19, a no frills gym close to my house with a very low enrollment fee and unbeatable monthly prices. At this point I was still holding tight to my previous life in Orange County and was bound and determined to get back down there as soon as humanly possible, so the low commitment was want I craved. Upon joining I met with a trainer, Adam, for a free body fitness test, ended up purchasing a few training sessions, and the rest is pretty much history. If you want to read about my fitness journey (and I encourage you to do so) please see my prior posts. But basically, Adam changed my life. I started losing weight immediately and feeling so much better.
April was a bit of a slow month, nothing really to report. I did start seeing a nutritionist in April, which definitely helped my weightloss results, but other than that, it was just a month of getting into a routine of working out every day, and constantly searching for a job. I did have a few interviews with Apple in April and in May too, but that did not pan out so well.
May was exciting because I had 2 trips to Orange County planned. The first trip was for my best friend’s (and her husband) graduation from law school; the second was for the celebratory party the following weekend. It felt good to be back in Orange County, back with my friends, back in the life I had left behind nearly 6 months before. But there was something new, as excited as I was to get to Orange County, I was also anxious to get back to the bay area and continue my training regimen. I was seeing results and was determined to continue down the path I was on. I also found out my bar results in May – I am happy to say that I did in fact pass the Colorado Bar despite my lack of studying.
June brought with it my sister’s graduation from college ... yes, college. Believe me, this really made me feel old. We spent a week in Orange County and I finally got the opportunity to see all of the people I had missed the last several months. June also was the introduction of double days to my fitness routine … this took some getting used to.
I spent Fourth of July weekend in Orange County. I was asked to be the day of coordinator for my best friend’s sister’s wedding. It was an absolute blast. I had a great time doing the organizing and set-up (despite a few initial hiccups). The last weekend in July I spent in Santa Barbara for a friend’s bachelorette party. We had so much fun wine tasting, laughing, and reminiscing.
August was not such a great month. My birthday was the very first I had spent in the bay area for a number of years. I usually arranged a big dinner with all of my friends, but since they all lived 400 miles away, it was a bit difficult. I thought about my grandpa a lot that day, and how he would always call to wish me happy birthday, but that year the phone call would not come. My disappointing birthday was followed by a disastrous trip to Lake Tahoe. I could not wait for September to get here.
Labor day weekend was celebrated at a friend’s wedding in Temecula. It was held at a winery and was as gorgeous as it was fun. The majority of September was spent planning trips as I was asked to do recruiting for Chapman University School of Law. The last weekend in September we went up to my grandparent’s cabin and I really got a feel for my new level of fitness – my sister and I hiked all the way around the lake. I never would have even considered this in the past, and now I was actually excited about it … and after it was done I wanted to do it again (though not immediately)!
October was all about travel. I spent every weekend out of town. First was Chicago, which I loved. Second was New York and Massachusetts where I adored seeing all the fall foliage. Miami came next and a little beach time did me well and brought some color to my skin. The last weekend in October I flew to Denver to be sworn in to the bar; the ceremony was a little lackluster, but the trip was fantastic! Throughout the month of October I was fortunate enough to be granted a couple of interviews for positions I was interested in, one in particular was the Director of Admissions and Marketing of an online law school. When I was in Denver I was offered the position.
November started with me accepting my new job. In fact, I signed the paperwork on November 1. I was ecstatic, and it made my upcoming trip to Orange County that much more exciting, because I could share my good news with everyone. After my trip, I started work. There was (and is) a huge learning curve, but I am loving the challenge, and really enjoying the people I work with and the work that I am doing, even though it is not exactly what I thought I would be doing. While November was great in some respects, I also hit a plateau on my fitness goals. I lost absolutely nothing the entire month of November (and the first week of December too) and I was extremely frustrated, especially since I was following my nutrition and still doing double days.
December rounded out the year on a bit of the flat note … nothing too exciting (which might be a good thing actually. I changed up my nutrition and Adam started pushing me a little harder in training. I finally broke the plateau and dropped 8lbs the last 3 weeks in December bringing my weightloss total for the year up to a nice even 70lbs! Yep, I LOST 70LBS in 2011!!
Even as I read this now, I am not seeing anything overly exciting, but let me put it in more simple terms and I am sure you will agree that 2011 was a pretty good year.
- I took and passed the Colorado Bar.
- I met Adam (my life changing trainer).
- I went to my best friend’s and sister’s graduations.
- I went to 2 weddings (one of which I helped coordinate).
- I traveled to 5 different states.
- I got a job as the Director of Admissions and Marketing at St. Francis School of Law.
- I lost 70lbs.
And now, I get to spend the final day of 2011 in Orange County with my best friend. I could not ask for a better ending. After realizing the impact of 2011 had on my life, I must admit I am sad to see it go, but I am excited for what 2012 holds. Letting go of the past and looking toward the future takes gumption.
