Tell me about your year!

[Jinx]

What are some things that happened to you this year, good and bad? Overall, how would you rate 2014?

Good things:
-Denmark and I moved to NY from godforsaken PA.
-Our nephew was born and is the cutest baby ever.
-I went swimming in a pool for the first time in two years!
-I saw my favorite singer of all-time (and really, this could be an entire post on its own) Tori Amos on my birthday in Boston. Best birthday ever in just an amazing city.
-Saw Neutral Milk Hotel at Ommegang Brewery and stood 20 feet away from Jeff Mangum the entire time.
-After months of stress and work, I got my car registered.
-I read (over) 200 books!
-Late in the game, I seem to have made a new friend in the area.
-I met Denmark's extended family and they're all REALLY super nice and friendly.
-I got a sewing machine for Christmas, and I'm excited to have fun with it and start new things next year!

Bad things:
-After going to the pool for the first time in 2014, I fell off a curb walking home and sprained my ankle. The next two months while it healed were brutal.
-Had some pretty intense fights with my mom, but luckily we're good now.
-Lost insurance.
-Had a falling out with my dad, and some other issues (see: Rant Thread) and he recently reached out to me again and I'm not sure how I want to proceed if at all.

Overall, I'd call 2014 an excellent year for me. Probably the best year I've had, ever.

[Shauna]

It has been... uneventful this year, I guess?

- Went to London and saw some cool stuff
- Went on a holiday with Matt to Paris (our first holiday abroad just the two of us)
- Was made permanent in the job situation!

Uhhh yep here we are. I'll update if I remember anything else notable. xD

[Freya]

Good:

• Bought a house with the boyfriend!
• Got a new, better job. Accounting, woo?
• Got two new puppies! Lab-german shepard mixes
• Visited my homestate and family for the first time in about 4 years.
• Started a healthier lifestyle
• Got surgery to fix my nose, again, but no major issues so far at least!
• Went to my first concert! Nothing More, Hell Yeah, Volbeat, and Five Finger Death Punch!

Bad:

• Boyfriend's family caused a huge amount of strife for me cause they are lame.
• Switched my insurance so asthma meds aren't covered as well and I can't afford them. Breathing has been bad the past few months.
• Super stressed with extra work responsibilities I don't get paid for.
• Super busy so I have very little personal time.

Generally I had a really great year. A lot of big things have happened. 2015 is my year of naps.

[Pumpkin]

Basically I was a huge failure at everything this year

But we did get a great new house so that was cool

[Pike]

The good:

Spent three months with Mister Adequate. Wrote another book. Made a decent amount of money freelancing and hope to make even more soonish. Visited my mom and sisters in Washington. Played some good games.

The bad:

TURNS OUT I HAVE TO PAY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO THE DENTIST YAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY

[Polnareff]

Good things:

-Got a PS3, Vita, 3DS, and 360 all in the same year
-Was able to move in temporarily with a friend

Bad things:

-Everything else. Became homeless, lost my car, got "promoted" at my job but still make the same amount, kept getting sick, got screwed out of valuable possessions, money, and an apartment by a former roommate, dealt with a lot of racism and microaggressions, still can't seem to find any luck outside of gaming. There's tons, tons more than that that would take up at least 3 posts.

Yeah, I don't have a great feeling about next year

[Ayen]

Good Things
Stuck with my reviews week in and week out
Visited Branson, Missouri
Got to spend some quality time with the nephew
Quit soda, improved my diet and has been happier because of it

Bad Things
Ended up in a mental hospital...

[noxious.sunshine]

The Good:

- I had my girl for a good few weeks over the Summer and again during her Fall Break. And I got to go home to Nashville during her Spring Break.

- Not only having my girl here, but actually being able to afford to take her out and buy her things that she wants. I actually got teary buying her an American Girl doll.

- We found & moved into our amazing new apartment that I'm in love with. Seriously, being 5 walking distance away from the beach is awesome.

- Getting my sweet Penny. I've wanted a boxer of my own for well over 10 years and it's finally happened. She's such a sweet girl and getting better at not getting into things by the day.

- My "little sister" coming to visit. I hadn't seen her in almost 10 years. I'm so glad we're back in touch and that she's doing so well for herself. She's awesome.

- X Japan. Never in a million years did I think they would get back together, much less come to the U.S. for a concert. Forget about me ever getting to be there if it WERE to happen. That was probably the highlight of my life, not just the year. I seriously was in tears during the entire show, I was so happy. And dumbfounded. And in shock & awe. I keep my light up wristband thing in my purse actually lol.

The Bad:

- Moving to NYC. It's actually a mix of good/bad. I really didn't want to move again. I was ready to be home in Nashville and stay there. But..... It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. And I realize I'm lucky to have it. I also realize more now that I really truly am a Southern girl and always will be. Which is good.

- The anniversaries of my mom's & aunt's passing. And with that, having to go through my first birthday without her.

- My brother & his wife moving in with my dad. They're absolutely horrible people.

[Shorty]

• I waded through a lot of sticky depression and sour feelings about myself and my life direction early in the year.
• I took a road trip to Seattle in which I attended a live crossover performance of Welcome to Night Vale and Sparks Nevada: Marshal on Mars from Thrilling Adventure Hour. Met up with Calliope again, and we had an amazing talk at pub and had some wonderful food and drinks.
• I took a road trip to Portland to visit my uncle for the first time in nearly fifteen years. Met my younger cousins, who I’ve never met before. Spent an amazing few days there and continued to fall in love with the city. Visited a dear childhood friend of mine. Had amazing drinks, wonderful food, and insightful discussion. Took many photographs and enjoyed myself. It was wonderful.
• During my trip to Portland, I attended Distant Worlds and was blown away. I wrote my experience in an article for EoFF. I also met Knox for the first time, and we had a ton of fun. He took me to some local breweries, restaurants, a local market, and let me stay at his house and drink his soda.
• Mid-year, we finally wrapped up everything we needed in order to submit our citizenship requests. We were met with silence. I discovered that applications were on hold until November and that the policy went into effect after I submitted a request for an appointment. Cue tears, rage, disappointment, general self-loathing and unhappiness.
• Started a second job. Hated it.
• Laptop died. Got a new laptop that I love.
• Quit second job.
• Started writing and keeping track of personal anecdotes and mini-memoirs to compile into a book one day.
• Started swallowing more Augusten Burroughs memoirs. Fell in love with a gay man for a second time.
• Visited Portland again to see my uncle. Spent some much-needed time and vacation in one of my favorite places in the world.
• Saw Brand New live like I've wanted to for my whole life. It was a disappointing experience because of the environment, but I enjoyed myself as much as I could, and came away with a new friend.
• Started watching Doctor Who.
• Had a horrible moving experience with an asshole jerk and his girlfriend in a place I was supposed to move into. Cue tears, depression, anger, more self-loathing.
• Saw Against Me! perform live. It was amazing. It was smurfing amazing to see Laura Jane Grace live on stage, and I nearly cried.
• Discovered more of my creative side. Started writing more, started thinking about what I really want to pursue that makes me happy. Started doing these things in little bits and pieces here and there.
• Started a new blog. Some of you might be familiar with it. Hired writers, discovered people with similar interests, made friends who I feel will now last a lifetime. Dug myself a little corner in the internet, which I will continue to dig more and more out of until it becomes a crevice, and then a hole, and then a massive cave.
• Moved into a new place that I have been quite happy with since, even if it’s farther from work than I’d like.
• Spent an amazing week and a half in London and Paris visiting Psychotic. Went to my very first Comic Con in London. STOOD ABOUT FIFTEEN FEET FROM DANIEL RADCLIFFE. Saw my very first performance of Les Miserables at The Queen’s Theater. Defied god and impending death as I traveled in a train under the sea. Visited Notre Dame, went to the Eiffel Tower, to Disneyland, to the Harry Potter studios. Visited Ripley’s Believe It Or Not emporium. Visited the British Library and The British Museum and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Took a journey of a lifetime. There is a forthcoming blog entry, but in the meantime, please enjoy these photographs.
• Finally made an appointment for citizenship consideration with the Italian consulate in San Francisco for September of 2015.
• And to conclude, I've been reading more and truly attempting to pursue creativity and doing what I want to do. I have plans for the future, and I am super stoked to see them manifest.

2014 was hard, but it was a good year. I learned a lot about myself and others. 2015 will be even better.

[Christmas]

My poo is no longer stuck in my ass. It can come out to build a family of its own now.

[SharonGarcia]

In 2014, you had some pretty big ups and downs. Moving to New York, welcoming a cute grandchild, and meeting your favorite singer all marked the good things. You might also enjoy playing the Slope game to challenge yourself while reminiscing about this remarkable year.

[theundeadhero]

No Sharon, playing the slope game brings back the worst memories from that year.

[sharkythesharkdogg]

When will SharonGarcia finally get their recognized member status?