{rewind}

It's the start of a brand new year already! I feel compelled to reminisce 2011, give a little update on the past six months, and look into what 2012 has in store. This past year has been a year of changing and rebuilding. The beginning of the year started off a bit rocky, but actually ended quite well. Here's a little recap of the year:

January - My first month being "officially" divorced. I traded in my car for one with a lower payment. Then there was the slap-in-the-face ending to a longtime friendship (good riddance!) It was a tough month for sure. Amidst the hardships, however, sprung a friendship I didn't anticipate nor look for: Jon and I had our first "non-date."

February - "Sunny Florida" seemed to be the theme of this month, as I took two week-long trips there for work. The first one was for a photo shoot, which was incredibly exhausting. The second was for a TV shoot, which was much more relaxing. Work aside, I learned a lot on those trips. I was glad to soak in some sunshine, but happier to come back home.

March - This was a busy month of packing, working, and apartment hunting. I was living with my dad and ex-husband in my house still, and was dying to get out. Not a living situation I'd recommend to anyone, although it went far better than I would have ever imagined.

April - We finally closed on the sale of the house, and I moved into my own apartment. Dad moved in with me, as Mom had already moved to Florida and he still needed a place to stay until school was done. April also brought along my third trip to Florida for the year. Dad and I went to visit Mom in Florida over Easter. It was a much needed trip for all of us.

May - Mom was needing some family time, so she came to live with Dad and me in my **one bedroom** apartment for a little while. It was a pretty cramped space, but I think Dad and I needed it just as much as she did. Maybe even more so. This month, I did quite a bit of photography as well. I shot the Fargo marathon as well as a wedding, and Jon helped me out with both. I must say, we made a great team!

June - Both of my parents finally moved to Florida. Although roomier, my apartment was pretty lonely without them. June was another busy month that included a trip to Springfield, IL for the grand opening of a new Scheels store. It was a pretty good trip, despite a very delayed flight and delayed luggage. As an added bonus, I got to see an old friend!

July - Another vacation! This time was a last-minute trip to (you guessed it) Florida! I was able to spend a few days with my whole little family, and it was fabulous.

August - August marked a huge turning point for me. I went on another exhausting photo shoot trip for work, this time to Mt. Hood, OR. All things considered, the trip went fairly well, or so I thought at the time. Details aside, I went back to work and discovered that it was not a place I wanted to stay any longer. My job was slowly making me crazy. I dealt with a lot of lying, unnecessary put-downs, and a rhetorical slap in the face after working my ass off on the trip. Taking a blind step of faith, I put in my two weeks notice.

September - A month of unknowns. My last day at Scheels was Sept. 2, and I had no job lined up. I threw myself into my own photography business, and loved it. I kept busy enough to supplement my income, and just two short weeks into unemployment, I accepted a job at Knight Printing. I started working there the end of September, and am loving the change of pace and my new co-workers. This month also brought about two trips. I flew out to Michigan to visit my sister and my nephews and had a great time. My sister and I ventured to Detroit for a Twins/Tigers game and had a blast! My second trip took Jon and I to the North Shore of Lake Superior for a photo shoot excursion. We got some amazing photos and had a wonderful trip together.

October - A busy month of editing photo shoots, getting acquainted with my new job, and enjoying my new (ok, newly "facebook official") relationship with Jon. We'd actually been dating for much of the year ;) Hehe.

November - More photo editing, working, and I started playing on a volleyball league. I have a super fun team and welcome the stress-reliever every week.

December - Finally, a quieter month. It was filled with Christmas anticipation, missing my family, spending time with Jon, and a final trip to Florida for the year. It was great to see my parents again, and we had a relaxing Christmas together.

2011 was a year of many changes, and frankly, I'm glad to see it go. I can't discard it as completely bad though, as a bounty of good things came of it. For one, I started dating an amazing man. He's patient, understanding, loving, and one of the kindest guys I know. We've laughed together, cried together (ok, so I was usually the one crying); we share interests and work extremely well together on photo shoots. It's been a year of adventures, from photo shoot trips to martini dates, lots of lazy weekend mornings on the couch to ice skating. I was quite reluctant at first, but throughout the year I've realized how perfect God's timing is. Although it hasn't been an easy ride, I finally feel like I'm in a healthy, happy relationship.

Another positive change was my job, and my attitude in general. I finally stood up for myself and for people being treated poorly. I questioned authority, raised my voice, and absolutely stopped tolerating liars. I'm generally a pretty quiet person, but it felt amazing to stand up for myself. This might be a trend I continue!

9 trips, a new job, new boyfriend, new apartment, new car... 2011 was quite the year, and I'm welcoming 2012 with open arms. I'm joining a gym this month, starting a budget, and hoping to continue to grow my photography business. I have a lot to look forward to, and am excited to see what new changes the year will bring!