highs: - graduated college - got married to the love of my life and have had a great year with him - adopted an awesome doggie that I probably love an unhealthy amount - lost 40 lbs, look awesome, am taking my time with the last few vanity lbs Lows - el husband's parents are crazy and going through a nasty divorce, they attempt to involve us too much - we moved to hawaii. Cue long rant on why this place is a hell hole - still looking for a job, no success for several reasons. Plus side to that is that even without me working, we are financially fine and saving a solid amount for the future Overall, great great year. I am very happy and think that next year will be even better.
Highs: -promoted to a manager position at work, and still kicked ass in sales even with the heavier workload -moved into a rental house with my lady. Much more satisfying to live in a house and not an apartment - and I have a room all to myself for my music shit. -my sister got divorced and also came out, which was not expected, but she's a lot happier and I'm very happy for her. -my dad has curbed his drinking problem greatly (see below) Lows: -my dad got a DUI, and just told me he's going to be laid off from work during his suspension (he's a truck driver) with a job offer afterward at reduced pay. Not sure what his plans are but I can tell he's trying to soldier through it. -There was a slim chance that my job would take me back to the Northeast, but it fell through. -I had planned on losing weight, but I'm a lazy fuck. I didn't gain any weight though, and I'm not overweight - I'm just not in shape. 2013: -I'm hoping to dig myself out of debt again, and then promptly go back into debt when I buy a new computer. -I don't know how quick to expect another promotion, but my company is expanding, and I might be able to move up to the next rung on the ladder. -I want to get back into songwriting/recording. My friends are starting to write again, and we're gonna work on a project together.
Highs I got engaged on June 8, and the wedding isn't until November of 2013. In talking with other married couples we know, it seems that we have a lot of it planned and booked already. She also moved in with me, marking the first time I have ever lived with a significant other. One change I've noticed from being with her is that I'm no longer afraid of one day becoming a parent. She is a teacher and she has several friends who are a little older and have their own children, and she tells me I'm a natural around them. I also lost 20 pounds. Lows Honestly, I haven't had a bad 2012. The only rough times have been the transition from living a bachelor's life to living a husband-like life. And believe me, it had to happen. We've had arguments here and there, and she has also been stressed from taking a pay cut and leaving her close friends and family to live with me. We've come a long way in understanding one another over the year, but it is a work in progress. As for 2013, I am in consideration for a promotion with my job. My gut feeling is that they will go with an outside candidate for the position, but in speaking with my supervisor, I will be given a few more opportunities to be the point person in different operations instead of the same old - same old every day. The officiant for my wedding requires her couples to go through five sessions of pre-marriage counseling to make sure we're on the same page as far as chores, finances, children, etc. are concerned. Our first session is on Sunday and I'm very much looking forward to it. Lastly, I want to lose about 15 more pounds.
High: Huge advancements in my job, finally got the junior engineer I've been asking for for two years (that's all I got, pretty fucking sad). Edit: RG3 and the skins are good. I am also more comfortable with who I am as compared to 2011. Lows: Marriage is on the brink of collapse, the family dog died, sandy decimated our beach house, a close family friend is in the hospital will likely die, I'm in love with someone else and know that I'll never be with her, my best friend refuses to invite me to go in vacation with him, and I refuse to quit drinking and smoking. 2013: Really need to figure out what to do with my marriage. And do a shit ton of work.
Highs and Lows: Ended a relationship, for the better, but the process sucked. Struggled quite a bit financially, but I still made it. Dropped 35 lbs but have regained around 10 the last couple of months. My kids are doing very well, work is going well. All in all, it hasn't been a bad year, just a challenging one. 2013: My main priority is to get my credit straight. I'll have to have a strict budget, but it must be done.
Wouldn't you know it, my probation officer is a natural redhead! Really! But she's not you, and she's not a bitch, and I'm compliant. Best wishes, Pink Candy.
Focus: 2012: How was it for you? What were your highs and lows? Well, one of my lows was finding out that my ex that I was with for seven years who always said he wasn't getting married again got married to someone he'd been dating for less than a year. That coincides with one of my highs, which was actually getting laid for the first time since we broke up (about 2 years ago). Yes, I keep more batteries around than abs does! Jobwise, another low was getting laid off over the summer from my job, another high was them calling me back a few months later & being restored to full time status again! Alt-focus: What's your outlook for 2013, if you survive the apocalypse? What are you hoping will happen or will change? Well, hopefully things progress with the new dude if his batshit crazy ex quits threatening to slash my tires, so that's on a personal front. Professionally, going to start back to getting my IT certifications to get out of the job that I actually love & someplace that pays worth a shit AND is what I used to love to do.
High: Became an honest-to-god homeowner. Which really just means higher rent, more surface area to keep clean, and this weird green plant stuff to keep trim and tidy outside. Still worth every penny. Low: Honestly? Nothing that matters. Maybe dealing with the idiot children at my current job who can't even do black jokes right, but otherwise 2012 was A-OK.
Highs: Joining a gym and sticking with my routine; I've lost around 15 pounds, gained muscle, and look better. Haven't yet reached my goals, but I'm on the right path to getting there. Also, as an added benefit, I had the best labs in a long time, so my overall health has improved as well. Lows: The neck/shoulder mystery injury I got mid-December that led to a straight week of complete sleep deprivation; that was literally the most miserable week of my entire life. Alt-Focus: I'm considering enrolling in grad school this fall to get a master's degree. Maybe I'll also actually try to put some effort into getting laid since my dry spell is currently sitting at the 7-ish year (I can't remember exactly) mark, which I think is long enough.
Focus: 2012: How was it for you? What were your highs and lows? Professionally, 2012 was tremendous for me. Got published in Boxing Monthly and RING Magazine, covered 24 different boxing shows ranging from NorCal to SoCal to Vegas to my first trip ever to the East Coast. Was a blast and crazy as hell. Also picked up a weekly boxing column for a tri-weekly regional paper in September. After my East Coast trip in October, I moved to Vegas straightaway with the one bag of clothes I had and my laptop. Personally, it was a bit of a rocky year. Lost my Grandma in 2012's first week and she was the best influence in my life having taken care of me for much of my growing up. My one-and-a-half year relationship finally got Old Yeller'd in May, but I wish I had put a bullet in its head six months earlier. Unfortunately, I got her really into boxing and she shows up at fights I go to and makes it really awkward. But that only would begin to sum up her psychotic behavior. The good thing is I made a ton of memories in 2012 I won't soon forget. My first week in Vegas I made friends with an Asian porn star and a few days later took down my first MILF, so that was pretty cool. Alt-focus: What's your outlook for 2013, if you survive the apocalypse? What are you hoping will happen or will change? I want to make it to 35-40 boxing shows in 2013. With 27 happening just in Las Vegas in 2012, if I mix in enough SoCal shows (which, thanks to MegaBus, makes it extremely cheap) I should be able to hit something close to that. I also want to cover at least one show abroad, but I don't think I'll have the funds to do that. I've been writing about boxing full-time for a year now without a sidejob, my goal for 2013 would be to continue doing that but a little more comfortably. I love live music and would love to be able to afford to splurge on a concert ticket for a big live show now and then.
It's been a pretty decent year. Hawaii, then The Husband went off to BCT. Spent 2 and a half months being the Army girlfriend...letters and breathless phone calls. It was...interesting. Then he graduated in May so off to South Carolina I went. Got engaged. Then, got married in July. Spent a whopping 30 hours with him, during which we signed the pre-nup, bought cupcakes, went to Lululemon, and watched a baseball game...and got married at the game. Since then it's been a whirlwind of late night phone calls and airline travel. We've managed to stay pretty close through the electronic communication but we're ready to live together again. Our relationship is stronger than ever, though my relationship with his mom isn't so good anymore. So, the highs: Hawaii, South Carolina, getting engaged, getting married, Monterey, San Francisco, Tahoe, and every single moment we've had together as a family since he left. Professionally, my business keeps growing, so...I can't complain about that at all. I love what I do and I'm continually fulfilled by living my dream. The lows: All of this time apart. Every tearful airport drop off. The jeweler ruining my ring. Alt-focus: What's your outlook for 2013? What are you hoping will happen or will change?[/quote] Well. I'd like to go to bed with The Husband every night. He says he wants to buy a house, where ever we're stationed, so I expect that I'll get to have a rose garden again.