2006 Year in Review!
Well, I guess it's that time again....
Time for my 2006 Year in Review! I know you've been anxiously awaiting the witty commentary of the past year (condensed version) of my life.
Let me back up, just in case you go back to my last year in review.
In December 2005, James and I were on quite rocky ground. The same day I wrote my year in review (Christmas Day), James sent me a text around midnight saying, "What do you do when you still love someone after 7 months of being apart?" With which I responded, "Break up with your current girlfriend, I suppose." And, in the end, that happened. He'd went back home for Christmas, and saw his ex girlfriend. And, so they say, the rest is history.
Now, New Years Eve was exhausting. Lisa and I went to Rafferty's and ate dinner, followed by a trip to Monterey to see Matt and then back to her friend Judy's house for a party. It ended up being a couples party, and seeing as I hadn't quite rebounded yet from the lovely Christmas breakup, I was going stag. The gentlemen there were either in a relationship or gay, so I was S-O-L. The stroke of midnight found me sitting on the porch crying my eyes out, watching fireworks down the road, and wondering where my life had went so wrong and why i was so incredibly lonely. Lisa hugged me and told me, "Hope, this year will be a better year. This year will be so much better than last. It will be a great year for the Hunters and the Averys." And I believed her. I wanted desperately to believe her. (Remember the Fireworks.)
Later in January, I met this guy named Brooks from myspace. He was a new boy in town who had just started working for the Herald-Citizen - what better way to network than get on myspace, right? We went out a couple of times, hung out at his house a bit, and "talked" I suppose you would say, for a few months. He was a sweet kid, but definitely not serious relationship material.
School started and I began my second semester of Organic. It wasn't too bad, nowhere nearly as socially destructive as the first semester, and I was able to go out a bit more than I had last semester.
February... well, we all know what February means... Valentine's Day. I definitely didn't celebrate it, even though a pursuant had flowers delivered to my house. I didn't mind being single on Valentine's Day; I actually felt liberated. Other than that and the fact that I hit my one year mark at the office, by my recollection, February wasn't very exciting... But is it ever?
But March sure was.. March is the month that both my Niece (Zofia) and Goddaughter (Emma) were born. It was a very joyous month, full of happiness and new life - for which Spring is known. It's quite strange though, my niece and goddaughter were born 3 days apart. Devon's little girl 3 days before my niece, which is odd, because Devon got married 3 days before my gigantic mistake. Strangely enough, the night before Zofia was born, I had a dream Roselle was going to the hospital to have her. --- weird?
By April, my ass had fully expanded back to it's original size, plus about 20 lbs. But on April 6th, I ran into someone from my past who was sure to not care if i'd put on 60 extra pounds - I just didn't know it yet. Corey Austin. Any of you who talk with me know exactly who he is to me now, but let me tell you how he is what he is. Let's flash all the way back to 2001 - the last half of my Junior year.. Betsy Stephens and Eleanor York persuaded me to attend Young Life, a Christian youth group on one Thursday night. I really started getting into it after that and eventually wound up going every single Thursday until the end of the year. I ended up falling in love with it, and I met tons and tons of interesting people - one of which was Corey Austin. He was from 2 counties away in Sparta and went to Young Life there. I still to this day cannot remember how he wound up on my MSN list, but he did, and we would chat sometimes. Nothing serious, just friendly conversation. We remained friends even through my move to California and when I would talk to him on MSN out there, it felt like I was just a smidge closer to home. After I moved back, I ran into him once at WalMart, and apparently that's something he never forgot.. we talked about Neverwinter Nights - it was kind of random.
Okay, know how I mentioned fireworks and how you were supposed to remember them? If you haven't, scroll back up... this is where they come into play. Those fireworks were being shot off at Corey's house... not even 2 minutes away from where I was sitting on that porch - I just didn't know it. I only realized it'd happened and put the two together about 15 minutes ago. That's what i was looking at when I was crying and lonely, when I was being told that this year would be so so much better... and believe me, I don't think it was simply coincidence. I know someone else had a hand in this..
That's why, on April 6th, 2006, Someone put the vinegar with the baking soda, and an explosion occurred. I ran into Corey at the Joe.. and we started talking - very friendly at first, and then something clicked inside of me. Corey was a cute guy... a nice guy... a SWEET guy... and good gracious did he EVER make me laugh. One night, shortly before he graduated, we were at the Joe, and I'd been inbibing a bit too much, when I turned to him and said, "Corey Austin, when are you going to ask me on a date?" After that, our conversations were less friendly and more courtly. We wanted to know as much as possible about each other.
And then it happened... we stayed up talking till nearly 2 in the morning before one of my finals May - and I overslept but it had been so so worth it. I made it through finals with 3 B's and 2 A's - making a B both semesters of Organic was probably the best accomplishment I've had to date. I'd been applying to internships and the like for this past summer, but it's probably a good thing it didn't work out - i had financial obligations to meet, and on top of that, Corey and I had our first kiss on May 28th, after he spent all day with me at my family's Memorial Day get together we'd watched The Notebook (that movie changed my life!). The rest is pretty much history - we've been attached at the hip ever since and the "new car smell" (Pike) hasn't worn off.
But the end of April/beginning of May wasn't so great on another facet of my life. Lisa and Perry's relationship grew to the point that there wasn't room for me anymore. And I didn't want to be the third wheel, I didn't want to be disappointed when I was told something would happen and it didn't because he had something better to do. And, with a nice, fat, jealousy-laced temper tantrum (See my entries on April 25), I gave up. I threw my hands up and washed them of all the great times Lisa and I had in the past. And it hurt. It still hurts at times... but we're at least civil now. I genuinely hope she's happy.. (not that sarcastic, "I hope she's happy now" thing.. but an honest one) It sucked a lot, because Brittney had Karl and Lisa and Perry, and Devon had a new baby... so I was just me... and on my own... and along came Corey. And he makes me the happiest woman in the world. ♥
June was great! I had summer school, but it was a breeze. I took Ecology and made an A in it which helped the ol' GPA a little bit. I spent as much time as possible with Corey, and we went out on the lake in the Pontoon a few times. It was just great.. it was so relaxing and perfect. I'd never had such a good summer. June 22nd, my dad celebrated his 74th birthday - a major milestone considering his health was so poor last year. We took the boat out with a few friends one night on a "Booze Cruise," and I looked at him and knew I would marry him. I sent Brittney a text telling her that, but she just seemed skeptical. I suppose because it was so early on.
And then July was equally exciting, Corey and I were growing together and growing even more deeply in love. We really started talking about a serious (read: permanent) relationship. We were both thinking the same things, but a bit fearful of saying them. We did some work on the house, and on Independence Day, we took 2 other couples out on the boat and spent all day basking in the sun, swimming and drinking a bit of alcohol. It was great. We watched fireworks together and it was just magical to see their reflections on the lake.
Corey and I went to Louisville in August and visited the Louisville Zoo and Six Flags. It was super super fun. It was our first out of state trip together. We had some incredible conversations on the way there about our future. It pretty much solidified things... especially when I found out he had already begun saving for a ring. (Wow!) School started at the end of August and I was so mortified that Cor and I wouldn't get to spend much time with each other. We'd seen each other every day since our relationship began, and I was worried it would hinder our relationship. Wrong... :) We spent a lot of time together because my classes were so easy.
We also scoped out the calendar and have picked out a very likely date for our big day - October 27, 2007.
I turned 22 in September and Corey made my birthday the best in memory. He cooked me dinner and had a mini-cake for me. He also had roses for me and a bottle of champagne. It was so so nice. I had nothing in this world that I needed for my birthday - I was perfectly content.. but he got me presents anyway.
During a Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy lecture, we were studying muscles when I remembered my high school biology teacher teaching us about the pectoantibrachialis in the cat. I had an epiphany. That's when I decided I'd much rather be a teacher than anything else. I wanted to make a difference in peoples' lives just as he had made an impact on mine.
October was very exciting because it was the month that marked 1 year till our tenative date. We celebrated that with much excitement... and it made our anticipation for that date much higher! Other than that, October didn't really have much going for it - school was getting intense and I had to make money, so I was working and going to school and trying to balance studying and cuddling. But I managed!
November was pretty fun... okay, REALLY fun. November 11th, we went to Nashville and rented a room in the Sheraton Downtown. We were on the 20th floor and if you opened the window, you could see the river in its entirety. Corey almost gave me a heart attack though, because for a moment, I thought he was going to propose. After checking in and spending 2 hours trying to find food, we went to Sbarro and then to TPAC to see The Lion King. It was INCREDIBLE!! I got so excited and emotional I was most definitely crying through parts of it. November 17th was Corey's birthday and I made sure it was very special. I cooked True Love Chicken, baked a Peanut Butter Lovers Cake, cleaned his house for him, and sent him on a treasure hunt for his birthday presents. It was so fun! Thanksgiving came and went and Corey was with us. It was a very highly thankful day for all of my family.
I finished up the semester with 3 A's and a B (in Genetics, so that's still great!) in December and then Corey and I went shopping in Knoxville for the day before I started working full time. The week of finals, I sat and gathered my courage to talk to mom about mine and Corey's plans. I asked her what she thought about Corey being around forever, and she was very excited about it. She really loves him a LOT. She's never acted this way towards anyone. I told her about all of her plans and she thought they were great. WOW! I never expected that at all! Then, I worked full time all week last week and then Saturday night, Corey and I had a Christmas Party with our friends. I made two types of Chili and the entire night went over very well! Sunday was Christmas Eve and Corey and I spent it with my family. My mom had just had a new kitchen set put in and so she was able to cook Christmas Dinner with ease. We spent Christmas morning with Corey's parents and man, they spoiled me to death this Christmas. I received so many gifts from his folks. They genuinely like me, and I definitely fit in with them. I love his family so much! They're the best. :)
Christmas was incredible, and today has been a lazy day. There are only a few days left in the year and I'm sure they'll be great! Corey and I will be spending new years eve with each other, and it will most assuredly be better than the eve of this year's beginning.
I hope your year has been incredible... Mine sure has. Thank you Lisa for being right... for telling me that this year would be better. I never thought it could be, but you proved me wrong.
Happy New Year. ♥.
Time for my 2006 Year in Review! I know you've been anxiously awaiting the witty commentary of the past year (condensed version) of my life.
Let me back up, just in case you go back to my last year in review.
In December 2005, James and I were on quite rocky ground. The same day I wrote my year in review (Christmas Day), James sent me a text around midnight saying, "What do you do when you still love someone after 7 months of being apart?" With which I responded, "Break up with your current girlfriend, I suppose." And, in the end, that happened. He'd went back home for Christmas, and saw his ex girlfriend. And, so they say, the rest is history.
Now, New Years Eve was exhausting. Lisa and I went to Rafferty's and ate dinner, followed by a trip to Monterey to see Matt and then back to her friend Judy's house for a party. It ended up being a couples party, and seeing as I hadn't quite rebounded yet from the lovely Christmas breakup, I was going stag. The gentlemen there were either in a relationship or gay, so I was S-O-L. The stroke of midnight found me sitting on the porch crying my eyes out, watching fireworks down the road, and wondering where my life had went so wrong and why i was so incredibly lonely. Lisa hugged me and told me, "Hope, this year will be a better year. This year will be so much better than last. It will be a great year for the Hunters and the Averys." And I believed her. I wanted desperately to believe her. (Remember the Fireworks.)
Later in January, I met this guy named Brooks from myspace. He was a new boy in town who had just started working for the Herald-Citizen - what better way to network than get on myspace, right? We went out a couple of times, hung out at his house a bit, and "talked" I suppose you would say, for a few months. He was a sweet kid, but definitely not serious relationship material.
School started and I began my second semester of Organic. It wasn't too bad, nowhere nearly as socially destructive as the first semester, and I was able to go out a bit more than I had last semester.
February... well, we all know what February means... Valentine's Day. I definitely didn't celebrate it, even though a pursuant had flowers delivered to my house. I didn't mind being single on Valentine's Day; I actually felt liberated. Other than that and the fact that I hit my one year mark at the office, by my recollection, February wasn't very exciting... But is it ever?
But March sure was.. March is the month that both my Niece (Zofia) and Goddaughter (Emma) were born. It was a very joyous month, full of happiness and new life - for which Spring is known. It's quite strange though, my niece and goddaughter were born 3 days apart. Devon's little girl 3 days before my niece, which is odd, because Devon got married 3 days before my gigantic mistake. Strangely enough, the night before Zofia was born, I had a dream Roselle was going to the hospital to have her. --- weird?
By April, my ass had fully expanded back to it's original size, plus about 20 lbs. But on April 6th, I ran into someone from my past who was sure to not care if i'd put on 60 extra pounds - I just didn't know it yet. Corey Austin. Any of you who talk with me know exactly who he is to me now, but let me tell you how he is what he is. Let's flash all the way back to 2001 - the last half of my Junior year.. Betsy Stephens and Eleanor York persuaded me to attend Young Life, a Christian youth group on one Thursday night. I really started getting into it after that and eventually wound up going every single Thursday until the end of the year. I ended up falling in love with it, and I met tons and tons of interesting people - one of which was Corey Austin. He was from 2 counties away in Sparta and went to Young Life there. I still to this day cannot remember how he wound up on my MSN list, but he did, and we would chat sometimes. Nothing serious, just friendly conversation. We remained friends even through my move to California and when I would talk to him on MSN out there, it felt like I was just a smidge closer to home. After I moved back, I ran into him once at WalMart, and apparently that's something he never forgot.. we talked about Neverwinter Nights - it was kind of random.
Okay, know how I mentioned fireworks and how you were supposed to remember them? If you haven't, scroll back up... this is where they come into play. Those fireworks were being shot off at Corey's house... not even 2 minutes away from where I was sitting on that porch - I just didn't know it. I only realized it'd happened and put the two together about 15 minutes ago. That's what i was looking at when I was crying and lonely, when I was being told that this year would be so so much better... and believe me, I don't think it was simply coincidence. I know someone else had a hand in this..
That's why, on April 6th, 2006, Someone put the vinegar with the baking soda, and an explosion occurred. I ran into Corey at the Joe.. and we started talking - very friendly at first, and then something clicked inside of me. Corey was a cute guy... a nice guy... a SWEET guy... and good gracious did he EVER make me laugh. One night, shortly before he graduated, we were at the Joe, and I'd been inbibing a bit too much, when I turned to him and said, "Corey Austin, when are you going to ask me on a date?" After that, our conversations were less friendly and more courtly. We wanted to know as much as possible about each other.
And then it happened... we stayed up talking till nearly 2 in the morning before one of my finals May - and I overslept but it had been so so worth it. I made it through finals with 3 B's and 2 A's - making a B both semesters of Organic was probably the best accomplishment I've had to date. I'd been applying to internships and the like for this past summer, but it's probably a good thing it didn't work out - i had financial obligations to meet, and on top of that, Corey and I had our first kiss on May 28th, after he spent all day with me at my family's Memorial Day get together we'd watched The Notebook (that movie changed my life!). The rest is pretty much history - we've been attached at the hip ever since and the "new car smell" (Pike) hasn't worn off.
But the end of April/beginning of May wasn't so great on another facet of my life. Lisa and Perry's relationship grew to the point that there wasn't room for me anymore. And I didn't want to be the third wheel, I didn't want to be disappointed when I was told something would happen and it didn't because he had something better to do. And, with a nice, fat, jealousy-laced temper tantrum (See my entries on April 25), I gave up. I threw my hands up and washed them of all the great times Lisa and I had in the past. And it hurt. It still hurts at times... but we're at least civil now. I genuinely hope she's happy.. (not that sarcastic, "I hope she's happy now" thing.. but an honest one) It sucked a lot, because Brittney had Karl and Lisa and Perry, and Devon had a new baby... so I was just me... and on my own... and along came Corey. And he makes me the happiest woman in the world. ♥
June was great! I had summer school, but it was a breeze. I took Ecology and made an A in it which helped the ol' GPA a little bit. I spent as much time as possible with Corey, and we went out on the lake in the Pontoon a few times. It was just great.. it was so relaxing and perfect. I'd never had such a good summer. June 22nd, my dad celebrated his 74th birthday - a major milestone considering his health was so poor last year. We took the boat out with a few friends one night on a "Booze Cruise," and I looked at him and knew I would marry him. I sent Brittney a text telling her that, but she just seemed skeptical. I suppose because it was so early on.
And then July was equally exciting, Corey and I were growing together and growing even more deeply in love. We really started talking about a serious (read: permanent) relationship. We were both thinking the same things, but a bit fearful of saying them. We did some work on the house, and on Independence Day, we took 2 other couples out on the boat and spent all day basking in the sun, swimming and drinking a bit of alcohol. It was great. We watched fireworks together and it was just magical to see their reflections on the lake.
Corey and I went to Louisville in August and visited the Louisville Zoo and Six Flags. It was super super fun. It was our first out of state trip together. We had some incredible conversations on the way there about our future. It pretty much solidified things... especially when I found out he had already begun saving for a ring. (Wow!) School started at the end of August and I was so mortified that Cor and I wouldn't get to spend much time with each other. We'd seen each other every day since our relationship began, and I was worried it would hinder our relationship. Wrong... :) We spent a lot of time together because my classes were so easy.
We also scoped out the calendar and have picked out a very likely date for our big day - October 27, 2007.
I turned 22 in September and Corey made my birthday the best in memory. He cooked me dinner and had a mini-cake for me. He also had roses for me and a bottle of champagne. It was so so nice. I had nothing in this world that I needed for my birthday - I was perfectly content.. but he got me presents anyway.
During a Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy lecture, we were studying muscles when I remembered my high school biology teacher teaching us about the pectoantibrachialis in the cat. I had an epiphany. That's when I decided I'd much rather be a teacher than anything else. I wanted to make a difference in peoples' lives just as he had made an impact on mine.
October was very exciting because it was the month that marked 1 year till our tenative date. We celebrated that with much excitement... and it made our anticipation for that date much higher! Other than that, October didn't really have much going for it - school was getting intense and I had to make money, so I was working and going to school and trying to balance studying and cuddling. But I managed!
November was pretty fun... okay, REALLY fun. November 11th, we went to Nashville and rented a room in the Sheraton Downtown. We were on the 20th floor and if you opened the window, you could see the river in its entirety. Corey almost gave me a heart attack though, because for a moment, I thought he was going to propose. After checking in and spending 2 hours trying to find food, we went to Sbarro and then to TPAC to see The Lion King. It was INCREDIBLE!! I got so excited and emotional I was most definitely crying through parts of it. November 17th was Corey's birthday and I made sure it was very special. I cooked True Love Chicken, baked a Peanut Butter Lovers Cake, cleaned his house for him, and sent him on a treasure hunt for his birthday presents. It was so fun! Thanksgiving came and went and Corey was with us. It was a very highly thankful day for all of my family.
I finished up the semester with 3 A's and a B (in Genetics, so that's still great!) in December and then Corey and I went shopping in Knoxville for the day before I started working full time. The week of finals, I sat and gathered my courage to talk to mom about mine and Corey's plans. I asked her what she thought about Corey being around forever, and she was very excited about it. She really loves him a LOT. She's never acted this way towards anyone. I told her about all of her plans and she thought they were great. WOW! I never expected that at all! Then, I worked full time all week last week and then Saturday night, Corey and I had a Christmas Party with our friends. I made two types of Chili and the entire night went over very well! Sunday was Christmas Eve and Corey and I spent it with my family. My mom had just had a new kitchen set put in and so she was able to cook Christmas Dinner with ease. We spent Christmas morning with Corey's parents and man, they spoiled me to death this Christmas. I received so many gifts from his folks. They genuinely like me, and I definitely fit in with them. I love his family so much! They're the best. :)
Christmas was incredible, and today has been a lazy day. There are only a few days left in the year and I'm sure they'll be great! Corey and I will be spending new years eve with each other, and it will most assuredly be better than the eve of this year's beginning.
I hope your year has been incredible... Mine sure has. Thank you Lisa for being right... for telling me that this year would be better. I never thought it could be, but you proved me wrong.
Happy New Year. ♥.