Because my family didn’t get home from visiting relatives in Chicago until New Year’s Eve, it wasn’t until the last few days that I’ve had the chance to reflect on 2011 and the events that made it what it was. Here are a few things that stand out:
: : I turned 21 in February…finally legal!
{Celebration champagne with the parents!}
: : To celebrate my birthday, I went to Austin with some friends and experienced the famous – or infamous – 6th Street for the first time. It was wild, to say the least!
{Not pictured are two of my guy friends who came along as well}
: : My sweet brother Mike turned 18 years old in March – another milestone birthday.
{Happy Birthday to Brother Bear!}
: : I went to Scottsdale, AZ to my friend Laura’s beautiful family summer home in the desert with her parents and one of our other friends for Spring Break. We had an absolute blast!
{Enjoying the pool in our own little oasis!}
: : We watched our women’s basketball team BTHO Notre Dame to win the national championship this year! Those girls got some game! Way to go Aggies!
{Photo from SportsDayDFW, www.dallasnews.com}
: : My parents and grandparents made the trip to College Station to see me get my Aggie ring – and dunk it!
{Ring Dunk – Not pictured!!}
: : In May my parents celebrated their 25th anniversary – still going strong! Mike and I are so lucky to have them as role models.
{Still living happily ever after!}
: : Mike graduated from high school and had the privilege of speaking at his graduation ceremony to over a thousand people (I can’t help but brag on him a little!).
{Saying the Pledge of Allegiance.}
: : I moved to the fabulous city of Milwaukee for the summer…
{Gorgeous view}
…And interned with Taste of Home magazine as a food stylist! What a neat opportunity that was!
{The start of a big adventure}
: : My lovely Aunt Carol (or Aunt Whoa as we call her) married Greg in July (on the same day as both his and her birthday!) and is now living her fairytale romance. We couldn’t be happier for her.
{The adorable couple with my mom, the Maid of Honor, in the background.}
: : In August, I started my last fall semester at Texas A&M, while my brother started his first semester at University of Texas, my rival school! Luckily, we’ve managed to stay friends. ;)
{Hook ‘Em vs. Gig ‘Em!}
: : I learned how to roll sushi when I started working at How Do You Roll in September! Preparing sushi was awesome, but I have no photos of me in my work uniform, for a good reason! Let’s just say brown T-shirt + hair in a bun + brown baseball cap = not Jessica’s best look…haha.
: : I went to my first A&M vs. UT game, which happened to also be my last football game as a student and the last “Lonestar Showdown” game, at least for a while. It was bittersweet, and although we didn’t win, we played a great game.
{My friends and I tailgating before the game}
: : I’ve enjoyed my last holiday break as a college student…
{The fam}
…And received a pretty sweet Christmas gift from my wonderful family!
{Photos from my new Nikon coming soon!}
2011 was also the year that I discovered Pinterest, my laptop got a fresh start (thanks to my brother), and I started a blog! Best of all, through all of these memorable experiences and many, many other less memorable-yet-still-equally-important events, I did a lot of growing up this year. On a sadder note, my dad’s uncle passed away a couple weeks ago, thus explaining the chaos in our lives these past few weeks. He was eighty-nine years old and was not in pain, and we’re thankful that he lived a long and happy life. Events like these serve as reminders for us to live in the moment and savor each day, each year that we have.
Looking forward to 2012, I feel mixed emotions of excitement and anxiousness, of nostalgia and excitement. I have no idea what’s in store for me, no idea where I’ll be in six months, yet I have faith that wherever it is, it will be where I’m supposed to be. I’ll remember the good times I had with my friends and family, and I’ll venture out into the world to make new memories. That being said, I’m ready to enjoy today and see what the year has in store for me! Cheers to 2012!