GERMANY!

As I finish up the packing process I am a little nervous but so excited for the semester ahead. I leave Wednesday morning for Heidelberg, Germany! Teaching first grade on an Army base is an experience I have been dreaming of since day one at WSU.
As we just celebrated the new year I think back to a conversation I had not too long ago. We were discussing the fact that some people hate new years eve. Its just one night...why do people get so excited? But then my friend Megan had words that really seemed to make sense to me. Its a time in which people are almost forced to review the past year. Our lives are so fast paced that we often to forget about where we've been, the mistakes we've made and the areas in our lives in which we are able to grow. I really liked her outlook on the night so I decided I would do so as the year came to a close---look back.
2011 was a year for the books. I turned 21....both a good and bad point in my life. I seem to indulge a bit too much while on campus at the bars (: I have made so many knew friends this year. I am so blessed to have many amazing people in my life that I wasn't sure I would be blessed further but come to find out...you can NEVER have too many friends. I worked on the Panhellenic council for the Sorority and Fraternity community. This was also an extreme high point in my year. I was able to be so involved in the community and make changes that I had been wishing to see all by myself and with the help of our council. However, as I take on more in my life it quickly became apart that a work/life balance is very necessary. So  if being on Panhellenic taught me nothing else, it was to manage your time very well and always spend time with the people we love. You just never know what is going to happen next!
After reviewing the past year I have so many amazing things to be thankful for. This year, my senior year in college, also signifies big changes in my life. As I think of what life will be like when I return home from my travels I realize how much my life will continue to change. Finding my own place to live, applying for jobs, getting another year older however, maybe never really "growing up"
I've recently given up on the idea of New Years resolutions as I look ahead...it seems that we set ourselves up for failure. But why??? Why don't we simply select resolutions that are attainable? Ones that will actually enrich our lives? So here are mine for 2012...
1. Love more deeply
2. Express through words and actions how I feel about other people
3. Plan ahead
4. Pass the TPA (more to come about this in the coming semester don't worry! The acronym will get old)
5. Take a few minutes a day to think, reflect and spend alone
6. Become more healthy (everyone wants to lose weight...however, that doesn't seem to be a very successful goal of mine thus far so if I concentrate on being healthy maybe a few pounds will be lost and NEVER found again along the way!)
7. Carpe the hell out of every Diem

Here is to an amazing year, amazing memories and a once in a life time experience...we will never get 2012 back so why not leave it all on the table. And if the Mayans are correct then at least we had a wonderful time in our last year (: