My 12 Kickass Moments of 2012

December sort of snuck up on me. One minute it’s New Years Day, and I’m regretting that one (or seven) glasses of wine from last night; the next minute it’s summer and I’m celebrating the inevitable act of aging another year by riding around on a surrey like a 12-year-old; then all of a sudden people are talking about ugly sweater parties and baking holiday cookies and asking me what I’m doing for Christmas. Whoa, turbo! Slow down, Father Time– since when did you become an olympic sprinter? I can’t keep up!

But while time has flown by like an escaping convict, I had a hard time remembering everything that happened this year. I found myself thinking that it hadn’t been a very eventful year and it wasn’t until I sat down and started writing out the highlights that I realized how much ground I’ve actually covered.

After reading Katherina’s post about her “Badass Moments of 2012”, I was inspired to make my own list of the year’s most kickass memories. I don’t always like to buy into cheesy lists like this, but I think it’s healthy to spend some time reflecting and I’m excited to share an overview of just how awesome this year really was.

So, without further adieu, here is my list of Kickass Moments of 2012 (in no particular order):

1) Starting this blog!
I had been considering starting a blog for over a year, but I finally manned up and purchased the domain name in January. Of course, it then took six months to get it up and running and actually make my first post, but at least I finally faced my fears and went for it. Starting a blog may not seem like a big deal to many people, but it was a total game changer for my life in a lot of ways.

2) My parents’ wedding in the Virgin Islands

3) Having The Best Day Ever in Costa Rica
My first day in Costa Rica goes down as one of the most perfect and blissful days of my life. I wrote about it here: “The Perfect Vacation Day”

4) Successfully traveling as a “Solo Female Backpacker” for the first time in Panama & Costa Rica
There was a day in which I traveled through two countries on a plane, two buses, three taxis, and survived a hazardous bridge border crossing all on my own. I used my broken Spanish to learn about schedule changes, haggle for lower fares, and make sure the cab drivers didn’t swindle me; I had only slept 30 minutes the prior night, and didn’t have a chance to eat during the 24 hour trip. It was exhausting and harrying, but it was an empowering experience to know that I could successfully make the journey by myself. A post about it will come soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5) Making the decision to change my life and move to South Korea

It’s been a year in the works, but I am finally moving to South Korea in February! Here’s the scoop on why I’m doing what I’m doing: “Taking Risks and Why I’m Moving to South Korea”

6) Performing in an aerial show for the first time

After starting to train in aerial dance two years ago, I developed a profound love for this art. I had the opportunity to perform in two big shows this year and it was amazing to finally be able to show off what I’ve been working so hard (and getting so bruised) for.

I talked about why I fell in love with aerial dance here: “Why I Joined the Circus” and Maybe You Should, Too”

And gave an update on how aerial dance was affecting my life here: “Prioritizing Priorities”

7) Brewing a tasty beer and winning two awards in the annual Brewfest competition with my friends
This year marked our second annual Brewfest and it didn’t disappoint. Eight brewers came from near and far to submit and present their beerific creations and we judged them each on a variety of criteria. My beer won Best Description (for the second year in a row, woot woot! It’s all because I talked about unicorns) and Best Malt Profile. (oh, and the two female brewers took home more awards than all the other brewers combined. Girl power!) Better than the awards, though, was the chance to see old friends and celebrate by drinking the eight kegs!

8) The Red Wine & White Water Rafting trip

A pretty amazing weekend trip of drinking and rafting with my good friend, Keeley. I talked about it here: “Red Wine and White Water: An Epic Combination”

9) Riding surreys with my best friends to celebrate my birthday
To be honest, this is only one of the many highlights of times with my friends. We’ve made some good memories this year: from our hiking and kayaking day to rocking the Dinosaur Dance Moves in San Diego, from karaoking so loud the cops came to all the other wine-soaked-make-stupid-decisions-laugh-til-your-sides-hurt nights… we’ve had a pretty epic year. I wrote about my birthday adventures here: “How to Look Like a Stupid Tourist in Your Own Town and Love Every Minute of It”

10) Spending a summer weekend in my hometown
Until Christmas, I only visited home once this year. I used to dream of the day I would move away from this town, but I now finally have an appreciation for the place I grew up. I talked about developing an appreciation for my country roots here: “Purple Fingers and Golden Pastures: My Po-Dunk Paradise”

11) Joining Couchsurfing and hosting some amazing people

A friend recently told me about the website Couchsurfing.org and I immediately signed up. I hosted six amazing people from around the US, Australia, France, and England and had some good times and made a few great friends. A post will come soon.

12) Learning to surf

I finally checked this item off my Santa Barbara Bucket List and learned to surf! The water was warm (In December!), the swell was perfectly sized, and I was able to pop up and ride the waves into a fiery sunset. I’ll post about it soon.

What have been your 12 kickass moments of 2012? I challenge you to spend a few minutes writing them down. It will help you realize and remember all the amazing things you did!