Anticipative. If you're anything like me, you'll be happy 2016 is over. This has been a tough year for all of us, and I feel like I've had my fair share of unhappiness. Nevertheless, for the third year in a row I've managed to find things that made me happy throughout the last twelve months, and have kept up my habit of writing each moment of happiness on little slips of colored paper and sticking them in a glass jar, so that any time I have a particularly bad day I can go over to my jar and remind myself that there is brightness in the dark. This could be a post where I describe all of the bad shit that has happened this year, but instead I'm going to tell you about some of the things that made that little happy bubble well up in my chest and force a smile onto my face.
This year has been the year of animals. From bringing in new animals into my own house to working with new and amazing animals at my jobs, I don't think a day goes by where I don't at least look at an animal, and usually I have my hands on an animal or two (or a lot more) throughout the day. I've also had the chance to work with a wide variety of exotic animals, not just domestics, which is pretty freakin' cool.
Of course, I wouldn't be me if I didn't travel this year. I'm actually currently finishing up my last trip of the year, so I don't know exactly how far or how long I've travelled, but rest assured that it's a lot. I think this blog reflects that!
I started travelling with Callie this year! I've taken her on a couple of vacations here and there, but this year I really kicked it up and started taking her frequently. She's an amazing little adventure buddy, and I am so happy she enjoys travelling just as much as I do. I also backpacked for the first time this year, and managed to backpack a handful of times throughout the spring and summer months. I hope to do a whole lot more in 2017.
I was able to tick several bucket list items off of my list this year, and visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Univeral Studios, Orlando was one of them! I seriously almost cried when I walked into Diagon Alley for the first time, and Jared and I spent all day wandering around the park. It was amazing, incredible, and a dream come true!
Even better than the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Jared proposed! Instead of almost crying, I did cry. You can read the whole story here, but in short, it was perfect and my fiance is amazing. He proposed with my wand while in Ollivander's Wand Shop at Harry Potter World. I mean, can it get any better than that?
Some of my happy moments from this year are down right hysterical. I mean, how many people can say they've had a goose just hanging out in their bathroom?? Yes, we put him there on purpose because we were tending to some wounds over a weekend. No, we didn't keep him. I *might* have wanted to, though.
I've been in East Texas for almost two years and it took me until just recently to see alligators! They are definitely out there but aren't as easy to see or as abundant as you would think, at least not where I live. I had to travel south and almost to the coast to see the giant reptiles in the wild, and I would totally do it again.
This one is very bittersweet. I lost my little love, Meeka, at the end of July and had a very difficult time grieving. When I was finally okay enough to do so without losing my shit, I made myself a photo book full of pictures of her, so I would always have her. It took a while for the book to be printed and shipped, but I was so happy when I finally got it. It now sits in a place of prominence in our living room.
The majority of my adventures are planned out at least a week in advance, but when I had a three day weekend and couldn't go to my original destination I made a snap decision to go to Nebraska and visit my family. And I didn't tell anybody I was coming. You should have seen the look on my mom's face.
I broke my personal best distance record again this year (that's 20.42 miles, for those of you who can't read my handwriting)! I am even more happy about this distance, because Callie was right there during the entire hike as well. Hiking season in Texas has just begun, and I can't wait to get out there in the new year.
I am usually a positive person and am choosing to try to remember 2016 for the good things and not the bad, but I can't deny that the bad has affected me, either. With that in mind, I will be up at midnight tonight to ring in the new year just like many others across the country, so here's to kicking 2016 to the curb and welcoming 2017 with open arms and an open mind.
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