I would have liked to have finished this before the clock struck midnight ringing in the new year, but alas, I was a little busy on NYE, a little hungover yesterday, and today I’ve done a whole bunch of nothing so it seemed like the best option.
Moving on…
April
Started out April with our big Gala in P-Town, which was a total blast, followed by a weekend of Dream Home crazyness and 80 degree days. It snowed a week later in Chicago. I also decided to go for bangz and they have stuck around on my head ever since. I also spent two nights in Champaign trying to recruit people to run as St. Jude Heroes, watched the royal wedding, and got pepper sprayed in a bar for the SECOND time in 4 months. I blame Matt O’Shea.
May
May got off to a slow start, but then in the middle I got to see two of my best friends graduate from Law School. I did my longest run ever on a treadmill (9.8 miles) and shortly after I tore up my ankle kickboxing which stunted my training plan for a bit. I saw Death Cab at the Metro and ended my month with a warm and sunny trip to Austin. I’ll leave out the part where I missed my flight home and had to spend 8 hours in the Detroit AIrport on a layover. Oh wait.
June
June was probably one of my best months of the year and every weekend was the filled with fun and great memories. Weekend 1 I spent in Chicago enjoying Germanfest and good company. During the week I took in a wonderful Peoria Chiefs game. Week 2 I also spent in Chicago and dressed up like a clown for Alan’s Birthday Clown Pub Crawl. I tried to complete the 30 for 30 challenge and it took me a little longer than a month but I was completely fine with that. Weekend 3 I spent in Peoria spending the day grillin’ and chillin’ with my Peoria friends for Gemini Birthday Weekend. (I also turned 25.) I participated in Warrior Dash and hurt my back which derailed my training yet again. Lastly, I spent a wonderful weekend at a Beach House with my group of friends in Michigan which we hope to make a yearly thing…
July
Started off the month with an awesome 4th of July weekend that included sailing, the crosstown classic, fireworks, Lake Geneva, etc. It was a blast. I also spent some quality time in P-Town with Amy and Bekah including a Lebanese Redneck wedding, the Heart of Illinois Fair, and the St. Jude Shrimp and Corn Boil. I ended the month with a trip to Memphis for our Collegiate Leadership Seminar and National Staff Meeting.
August
We quickly high-tailed it back to P-Town from Memphis to get back to prep for one of the biggest Peoria events of the year - the St. Jude Telethon. Everything went well and I truly enjoyed having the experience of working on such a unique event. The weekend after I took an AWESOME and well needed trip with Kim to Las Vegas where David Copperfield made Kim disappear, we saw the Jabawokeez dance, I ate the worst McDonalds of all time, only lost $33 dollars, and saw Pauly D DJ at the Palms. We also broke ground on the Peoria St. Jude Dream Home. The end of the month included doing The City Chase with Ray Crosby where I had to crawl through a tube of grasshoppers and worms, and I also belayed down the side of Navy Pier.
September
Took a weekend trip to STL and went to my first Cardinals game. (Though I am not converted, it was cool to see a team that won the World Series win a game just a month before.) I also ate some Ted Drewes and Lion’s Choice, which was delicious. Went back to STL the weekend to see my friend Rease and went to the City Museum which was rad as usual. Also went to Memphis for the Builder’s Summit and spent a weekend in Chicago. Solid month but not too crazy!
October
October started off with my two lawyer friends passing the Bar, which was super exciting. The next weekend I RAN AN EFFING MARATHON with very little training. The next week I went back to Memphis for our Radio Cares seminar and donated platelets for the first time, which was a great experience. I also got offered the opportunity to transfer back to Chicago which was amazing! Lastly, I dressed up as She Hulk for Hallow’s Eve. All and all a pretty fantastic month, minus the break-up I endured the very last weekend.
November
November 1st was my 1st anniversary with St. Jude and all around, November was also fantastic, as it started with a trip to NYC where I got to visit friends and family that I hadn’t seen in awhile. I took a cat on an Airplane and was 3 feet from Anderson Cooper. I had my last night out in P-Town with my Peoria friends, executed the Bloomington Give thanks. Walk. and hung out with my friends for Friendsgiving. I also played Whirlyball for the first time which was a magical experience. Had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family, and moved back to Chicago. I have no complaints.
December
Finally! The last month of the year. I went to Texas for the second time this year and spent some quality time with Rob. I also went to a family wedding and caught up with my family that I hadn’t seen in 20 years. It was so much fun and I am so glad to have reconnected with them! I also participated in Festivus once again and aired my grievance to Rob about him making me miss my flight home. I had one of the best Christmases ever and really enjoyed being home for the holidays. I rang out 2011 by going to the Charleston and truly enjoying my evening with my friends.
—-
WOW that took a lot longer than I expected. February and March of 2011 are months that I probably wouldn’t want to relive - but everything seemed to go uphill after that. There was a quote that I saw in Self this past week or so that was something like… “You will never feel the ‘woosh’ of going down a hill if you don’t climb up it first.” I guess that was what 2011 was like…I had to deal with some personal things that were quite hard and stressful, but after combating that, I became stronger and a bit wiser and really enjoyed all of the other blessings that came along later in the year.
Here’s to an awesome 2012 filled with a strong body and mind, laughter, happiness, family and friends.
