Reverb....Oops!

So things on the blogging front took a detour. Life has been busy and in the last few weeks:

• accepted a new job
• moved (all on my own!) to a new apartment
• spent a weekend in Coos Bay with a new family celebrating Christmas
• got a ridiculous flu/sinus infection that absolutely took me down for almost an entire week
• got through the first holiday season without my mom 
• finished up my work at the part-time temp gig

And I am exhausted! I start my new job on Thursday and don't feel quite ready, although I am excited to get back in the advising game.

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So here is going to be my recap of the year:

Lesson learned. What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year?

I think it was more of a reminder that I am not only independent but also strong. My mom always told me not to worry, that things would work out. This year has been truly exhausting, from beginning to end, but I constantly had to remember that I am a capable, smart person that can figure out anything that I need to—driving across the country, taking care of an ill parent, getting a job—and that sometimes I need to relax and take faith in the fact that things will work out, just not always as I had planned.

Photo - a present to yourself. Sift through all the photos of you from the past year. Choose one that best captures you; either who you are, or who you strive to be. Share the image, who shot it, where, and what it best reveals about you. 

 I don't know what these share about me but I really like both of these pictures. They are simple, straight-forward, and the timing of each one feels like worlds apart. The one on the left is during the road trip in May and the one on the right was taken in Long Beach where we scattered my mother's ashes.

5 minutes. Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2013 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2013. 

Driving across the country (Graceland, donuts, Coca-Cola Museum, visits with friends & family, LA, the beach), time with my mom before she started getting sick, family outings, meeting K and all of our dates, working my part-time job, meals with friends, and Christmas in Coos Bay.

One Word. Encapsulate the year 2013 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2014 for you? 

Exhausting. I know that isn’t a positive word but I feel that it really encompasses everything: Deciding to move back to Portland, job searching, logistics of the move, sick parent, being in constant motion for what feels like the whole year. I just got an apartment last week and I have yet to properly stand still for a minute. The words that I hope 2014 will represent are brilliance and heart. I want to show my intelligence, I want to marvel at the world, I want to show love and friendship, and I want to feel secure.

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As far as the blog goes, I hope to focus much, much more on recipes and exploring Portland. I am in a new neighborhood, have a new apartment which means I have all my fancy gadgets to cook with again!