*Some of these years may not necessarily be accurate, and that's because I have a bad memory.
2000
Finished middle school and started high school at Mounds View High School.
My mom borrowed 3 books from a coworker about a boy named Harry Potter. I started to wish my school was magical.
Said no to drugs and alcohol.
Made the competition dance line at Metro Dance and started getting serious about dancing.
Began my short career as a Cheerleader for the MVHS girls hockey team. They were the best group of people I cheered for (sorry Tony's football friends).
Went to the Homecoming dance with a boy who was 30 lbs lighter than me and 3 inches shorter than me. Felt like a giant. First experience hearing someone say "I love you" and being really freaked out by it.
2001
Without plans for our spring break, my parents send Tony and I on a mission trip to an orphanage in Reynosa, Mexico with a family friend. One of the best last minute decisions that has had a lasting impact on my life.
Became a football and soccer cheerleader for a school I increasingly disliked. Told football players don't like Twinkies.
Started getting into music and learning to love a variety of sounds.
2002
Spent a month living with a family in Cuernavaca, Mexico learning Spanish. Had a great time living relatively independently in a foreign country.
Able to take Spanish 5 at MVHS and unlearn everything learned in Mexico.
Joined the junior varsity track team at MVHS.
Started doing competition tap, ballet and jazz after many years out of practice.
Went to my first concert alone, saw Fuel, Sevendust at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium. Saved up $27 to buy a concert t-shirt from selling custom mix CDs at school.
2003
Found out that I could spend my last year of high school, not going to high school and attending college for free.
Got in to the PSEO program at the University of Minnesota, one of the best things that I've ever done. I learned to be independent, take risks, and explored a vast new place.
Continued to do tap, ballet, jazz and dance line at Metro Dance.
Got my first job at Proex, taking portraits of people and developing pictures.
Opened my first bank account!
2004
Declared a Spanish minor while still in high school.
Graduated from high school. Vowed to never step foot inside MVHS again. A promise I have since kept.
Accepted into the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.
Quit my job at Proex and started working at East Side Beverage, a challenging but rewarding job.
Moved into Middlebrook Hall on the West Bank of the Mississippi. A great place where I met some wonderful people and made new friends.
2005
Spring semester was the worst for grades as I didn't listen to the recommendation and took 2 difficult classes that I didn't like at the same time. Slacked off an incredible amount for me.
Learned that I can't always coast through classes and spent much of April and May catching up.
Got a lot of music from a fellow music lover and expanded my tastes in music. Though I still don't do rap.
Started a job at the Gopher Express and Post Office in the student union. Discovered a life-long love for Amy's Pizza Pockets. I am extremely knowledgeable about postal requirements. Mailed my first human body parts.
Joined the Student Association for Non-profit Enterprise (SANE). Voted president of the student group to start that fall.
Became a U-Crew in Middlebrook hall starting in fall semester. Got a single and a mandate to help the freshman residents on 6th floor adjust and enjoy their college experience.
Started drinking.
Realized that I didn't want to be an Entrepreneur and changed my major to Human Resources and Industrial Relations. Hoped that with that major I'd be able to help people.
Got a bicycle for my birthday only to have it stolen 2 weeks into the school year.
2006
Applied for study abroad and was accepted to go to the Quinn School of Business at the University College Dublin.
Declared a Psychology minor to fill in the gaps until I graduated.
Moved my parents to Covington, Indiana and helped sell the home I grew up in, in Arden Hills, Minnesota. My job for that summer was to pack up the house, take Chip out of the house when people came to see it, refill the ponds, and keep the house clean.
Worked in Danville, IL for 1 month as an audit assistant. Learned I don't like numbers job and that I must always stay busy.
Traveled to Ireland where I didn't realize until the plane touched down that I didn't know a single person in the country.
Had a great time in Ireland; drinking whiskey, making great friends, studied quite a bit, traveling around Europe, and bringing my family over to show them a good time.
I figured out that I do best when I am constantly learning something new.
2007
Moved into a closet in Minnesota.
Struggled a bit to adjust to the change from study abroad.
Over Easter I ran my dad's ATV into a tree. Thought I was about to die and then got afraid of driving and motor vehicles after that.
Met and started dating Andy Harvey. Our first date encompassed riding in Critical Mass and dining at a Thai restaurant in St. Paul. We watched a barge in the Mississippi during sunset.
Completed my Emerging Leadership Program on principle and couldn't continue with the honors program if I graduated early.
Pete came for a visit over the summer and I tried to show him a good time around Minneapolis. It ended up that he was able to create a good time for himself here as well!
First time I questioned a grade I received from a teacher and went into mediation. Was able to move my grade up and felt more confident.
House got broken into the day after I moved in. I lost my laptop, camera, and sense of safety.
Graduated from the University of Minnesota in 3 1/2 years. Had to do my graduation ceremony in the spring, despite finishing in the winter. Happy to be done with school!
Got my first car that was my own! A wonderful 2008 Honda Fit. It fits a lot.
2008
Got my first job as a Human Resources Assistant at Mall of America. Learned to love MOA and learned a lot about people.
Called the city on my landlord a few times for dumping. Dealt with Thursday night garage parties 2 houses down, roomies that didn't always do their dishes, and the wonderment of a house that could be so cold in the winter could be so hot in the summer.
Got my first promotion 5 months after being hired, now an HR Representative, I started doing interviews.
Andy and I moved in together in a small house in South Minneapolis.
Andy proposed on the train ride home from a visit to Indiana. Started planning a wedding. Bought a wedding dress a couple weeks later.
Moved work offices from upstairs in Nickelodeon Universe to the basement of MOA in December. Stopped seeing daylight for awhile. Enjoyed a bigger "office" and being around the rest of MOA employees.
2009
Learned that planning a wedding takes a lot of time and effort.
Made a plan with Andy that in 2010 we would start looking for jobs out of state in earnest and move out of Minnesota within 2 years.
Started gardening and grew our own tomatoes, carrots, beans, radishes, lettuce, squash, and peppers. Ate more vegetables and fruits than ever before.
Learned how to can and preserve summer food.
Received a canoe for a wedding present from my parents and paddled around the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers and Lake Nokomis.
Took my first trip to the BWCA with Andy and he didn't end up as bear bait. He passed the family test with flying colors.
Got married on October 10, 2009. Had a great time seeing everyone and I realized that the best thing about weddings was seeing all of my family at once.
Honeymooned in Portland, OR and had a wonderful time. Came home knowing that's where we'd like to live in the future.
2010
I don't usually make resolutions, but this year there are some things that I would like to accomplish.
- The first is to keep better track of my finances. I don't usually pay much attention to them, but I've realized that's a bad idea.
- Get a dog! For Christmas Andy and I saved some gift money for each other to put to adopting a greyhound.
- Move away from Minnesota. After living here our whole lives, Andy and I think it's time to try someplace new. Preferable that will be Portland, OR, but we're open to other places.
