1. Where did you begin 2012?
At Colin's parents' house in Lake Forest with Colin, Chris, Rosmer, Graham, and Mike
2. Did you have a New Year’s Resolution?
figure out if I want to go to grad school/figure what I want to be when I grow up
(I decided the answer was yes/I want to be a librarian)
3. What was your status on Valentine's Day?
in a relationshiop with Colin Logan
4. What did you do for St. Patty's Day in 2012?
I worked at ZooFriends, and then Juliet came over to my house. We got a pizza from Marco's and watched an Irish film called "Intermission" and a couple episodes of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
5. Did you play an April Fool's joke on anyone this year?
nope
6. Do anything special on Easter?
Colin and I met my Dad, Grandmother, Papa Jerry, and the Sheppard clan at church, and then we went to my aunt Sheila's house for lunch and fam time. We also went with aunts and cousins to Grandma Pat's house to see if we wanted to keep any of her old things.
7. What did you do on the 4th of July?
I went up to Tulsa for the day and spent time with the Baluhs. Agatha and Graham were in town, so I met them at TU and we chatted a bit by the pool. Then the three of us and Claude went to eat at Old School Bagel and then shopped around at Gardner's Used Books.
8. What was your favorite summer memory of '12?
When Colin came to visit in June, we had a cookout at my dad's house. Kristine and Maesynne came, and Chris Smith brought a group of Tulsa people with him, including Rosmer, Ryan, and a couple others.
9. What were you for Halloween?
Amelia Earhart
10. What happened on Thanksgiving?
Went to Aunt Sheila's in Moore on Thanksgiving day; went to Aunt Nancy's in Tulsa that Saturday
11. What about Christmas?
At Aunt Sheila's on Christmas Eve, Mom Skyped in through Melissa's computer. We carried her around so she could talk to everyone, and she even participated in dirty Santa! It was awesome. Mel, Richard, and I were going to drive up to Grandmother's in Bartlesville on Christmas Eve, but the weather was bad and the roads got icey, so we decided not to chance the drive. We both participated in dirty Santa there over the phone, though! It was a very technological Christmas.
12. Did you get kissed under mistletoe?
no
13. Best Christmas present?
Dia de los Muertos coasters and wine glasses, from Tina
14. Describe your birthday.
I went down to Dallas for the weekend, and my mom and I saw 5 films at the Dallas International Film Festival. My favorite was documentary called "Brooklyn Castle" about a chess team at a Brooklyn middle school.
15. Best birthday present?
"Game of Thrones" Season 1 on Blu-Ray, from Colin
16. What was your best month?
April - great weather, fun birthday, OKC Arts Festival
Worst month?
August - studied for and took the GRE, breakup with Colin
17. Did you know anybody who got married?
Meg Hemric & Andrew Fagan
18. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Sarah Bowler
19. Did anyone close to you die?
Grandma Pat, John Baluh
20. Where did you live?
Edmond, OK
21. What countries did you visit?
none
22. What was your favorite vacation?
I never really had a true vacation, but I enjoyed driving up to Rochester, MN with Mom to help her look for apartments, and I loved having 3 days off in a row from work for Christmastime.
23. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
inner peace
24. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory?
September 9th, when Colin and I talked about our breakup for 2 hours on the steps of McFarlin Library
25. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
recovering from a bad breakup
26. What was your biggest failure?
I completely neglected my physical health this year.
27. Did you suffer illness or injury?
does a broken heart count? :P
28. What was the best thing you bought?
The Harry Potter Wizard's Collection
29. How did you earn your money?
OKC ZooFriends, Edmond Public Library
30. Where did most of your money go?
gas, Halloween
31. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Ashton Eaton
32. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Todd Akin
33. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Dallas International Film Festival, Colin coming to visit in June
34. What song(s) will always remind you of 2012?
"Gangnam Style" by PSY, "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepson, "Someone Like You" by Adele, "The Heart of Life" by John Mayer
35. Compared to this time last year, are you:
I. happier or sadder?
It's been quite a roller coaster ride, but I feel like I've come back to about the same happiness level I was at last year.
II. thinner or fatter?
fatter
III. richer or poorer?
maybe *slightly* richer
36. What do you wish you’d done more of?
exercise
37. What do you wish you’d done less of?
stress out about work
38. Did you fall in love in 2012?
no
39. Do you dislike anyone now that you didn’t dislike this time last year?
I wouldn't say that I've started disliking anyone, but there are a few people that I like *less* than I did last year.
40. Did you have any encounters with the police?
I got pulled over for speeding on I-35 (on my way to Dallas), but got away with a warning
41. What were your favorite TV programs?
Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Castle, House, Once Upon a Time, Perception, Parks and Recreation, The Walking Dead
42. What was the best book you read?
"This is Not the Story You Think it Is... : A Season of Unlikely Happiness" by Laura Munson
43. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Florence + The Machine, The Lumineers, Of Monsters and Men
44. What concerts/shows did you go to?
Souled Out at the UCO Jazz Lab, Huey Lewis & the News at the Zoo Amphitheater, "War Horse" at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas
45. What were your favorite films of the year?
Brooklyn Castle, Silver Linings Playbook, Prometheus, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Looper, Chronicle, ParaNorman, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Avengers, Zero Dark Thirty
46. What did you want and get?
The Harry Potter Wizard's Collection
47. What's one thing that would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
having a more regular and predictable work schedule
48. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
I wore leggings with skirts pretty regularly, and I decided to cut my hair the shortest it's ever been, as a pixie cut.
49. What kept you sane?
Mom, Kristine, Juliet, Krystal
50. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Tom Hiddleston, Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy
51. Who did you miss most?
Colin
52. What's one thing you thought you'd never do but did in 2012?
take the GRE
53. What's something you learned about yourself?
I've been relying too much on other people for my personal happiness. I need to work on finding peace from within.
54. Was it a good year?
No, but I learned a hell of a lot.
55. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012:
You can never be completely in control of your life. Surprises will happen, and you can't blame yourself for not predicting them. You can't change how other people behave, but you can change how you choose to respond.
Number of movies watched on video/Netflix: 40
Number of movies seen at the theater: 45
Number of television seasons completed: 22
Number of books read: 19
