Adiós 2010 ~ Feliz 2011

As a big turning point of my life, 2010 definitely was one of the most memorable years of my life. There have been the usual ups and downs, but the main thing that stands out in 2010 is that I started walking down a path of cluelessness, in which I am now constantly searching for my life's purpose. Ha! Talk about trying to reach the unreachable star! Nevertheless, at this crazy "I'm growing up" turning point of my life, 2010 was a great year overall. Here's why:

My wonderful friend, Kellie, got married!

Graduation from the University of Nevada, Reno

I went to Philadelphia for the Barbershop Harmony
Society's International Convention!

The Giants won the World Series!!

I'm living in Madrid, Spain!

Apart from those big events, I will remember 2010 as the year that I began my obsession with all things Swedish, I entered into the "real world", and I spent my first holiday season away from home. I threw a family barbecue to celebrate my parents' 25th anniversary, had some "stay-cations" in the Reno/Tahoe area, and went to a Giants vs. Dodgers game in San Francisco. I also spent my last year at my college job as a counselor with the Sparks Parks and Rec. In 2010, I was even ambitious enough to create a bucket list, which really just organized the places I want to travel to before I kick the bucket! So far, I've been fortunate enough to travel the world and go to different cities in Spain (Salamanca and Toledo), along with other European countries like England, Denmark, Sweden, and Greece.

I managed to read 34 books this year, which is a new high for me (and yes, I do keep a list of what I read...). As a graduation present to myself, I got the Amazon Kindle, which is helping me read more and more! Some of the best reads for the year include East of Eden, Pygmalion, and A Thousand Splendid Suns. To prepare for the last films, I re-read the Harry Potter series. And to calm myself with the lack of Christmas traditions to partake in this year, I started my own tradition of reading A Christmas Carol, which I will now try to do each December.

I continued along with my passion for barbershop harmony. I was lucky to be able to go to two conventions in Reno, which was so convenient. I partied with my Westminster buddies in Philadelphia, and I harmonized with my Region 12 ladies in San Ramon when one of my favorite quartets, the BUZZ, came to give a workshop. I also ended up joining the Spanish Association for Barbershop Singers (SABS) once I arrived here in Madrid!

Of course, not everything was seen through rose-colored glasses in 2010. A lot of my year consisted of feeling lost with what to do with my life. My family also had to say goodbye to our dog, Shelby, who was completely spoiled during her 16 years of life.

And now that 2010 is gone, I'm looking ahead to what may happen in 2011! I'm not really one for "resolutions" but some of those bucket list items that I hope to work on are: speak Spanish more fluently, read more books than last year, and figure out what to do after my time in Spain comes to an end. But in the meantime, I plan to travel far and wide and see city after city in Europe, living with the Spanish mentality of working to live instead of living to work! ¡Feliz año nuevo!

New Years celebration at Madrid's Puerta del Sol.
At midnight, I was at the foot of the giant metal Christmas tree.