2011 in Review

I really think I want to make this an annual tradition. I had so much fun making the photo collages from 2010 in Review last year! I also like looking back on all the memories of the year. I don't do a Christmas letter yet, but if I did, I'm sure it would be along the lines of the commentary here! Here is a review of some of the highlights of 2011.

I rang in the New Year in Phoenix, AZ with my absolute best friend. She and I were completely ridiculous, as expected, and still giggle about it to this day. I then got to watch my Sooners win the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Day, making it the first BCS bowl victory in a while. I spent a total of about two weeks in Arizona with my best friend, and then made the trek home by myself to prepare for my final semester as an undergrad.

me, Katy, and Sarah on NYE in Scottsdale

Alpha Gams at the Fiesta Bowl

February seems to always be a blur to me. Maybe it's just because school hasn't actually started to get too busy, or maybe because it's the shortest month of the year. Anyways. I can tell you this. I partied. And it snowed a blizzard here in Oklahoma (during which Rags and I went from coworkers to BFF). And I had an emergency appendectomy that caused me to have to come back home for a week while I recovered. That week home made me miss a date party and the Thunder-Clippers game and the basketball game made me sad. But the good part of that is that I did get to see my baby brother play the last three games of his basketball career.

MARCH WAS AMAZING!!! The only thing I can REALLY tell you about is my spring break trip. Way back in my third semester of college, I decided that I wanted to save up money to take myself on a spring break trip my last semester. I asked my good friends to tag along, and we rented a beach house on Treasure Island in Florida. For the most part, we swam at the beach all day and then cooked and played drinking games all night. But St. Patrick's Day was the best ridiculousness ever. So many memories were made on that trip. Like cartwheels for everyone but me because my incision site still had a scab on it.

me and Katy on St. Patrick's Day

Most of the group-me, Colleen, Caroline, Max. Missing Katy and Cole

Katy and I on the beach at sunset

April was a typical busy month for me, filled with lots of tests, projects, our annual philanthropy, Relay for Life, and my last date party ever. With the last party also comes senior week, and as always it was sad and hilarious at the same time. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to my pledge class or my sorority, so you can bet your booty I cried A LOT that week. I also won my first ever intramural tournament for co-ed slowpitch softball with a great group of random guys and gals and had a lot of fun while doing it. TEAM USA!

All the people who played me

One of my littles. I'm dressed as Ally Sheedy from The Breakfast Club, she as "Baby" from Dirty Dancing

me and my date to the date party-Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy from The Breakfast Club

me and another little. She's from Tron

my amazing driver for the night :)

In May, I took my final finals of undergrad, celebrated probably wayyy too much, and then I said goodbye to the town I called my home for 5 years. Graduation was bittersweet. My baby brother and I graduated about 30 minutes apart, so the family was split on who came to my graduation. Instead of it being the full family picture outside Lloyd Noble I wanted, it was just me, Jared, and Mimi. BUT Erika DID surprise me, making me cry.

Mimi, me, and Jared on my graduation

I then returned home to Sperry, only to move in with my BFF Sean and his parents for the summer.


Not having a job got on my nerves quick, and I began to apply for bank positions at various banks here in Tulsa. I went through two rounds of interviews for one bank, and began my job on June 8. Unfortunately, I also said goodbye on June 7 to my oldest brother, as he left Tulsa for boot camp and would return the first week of November.

saying goodbye to my brother

July seems to be a blur with 4th of July, hanging out with my coworker Shawna all the time, and ending the the month with going to and meeting Ke$ha in concert. Concert of epic proportions. :)

In August, I said goodbye to the boy I had been dating all summer, and spent a lot of time hanging out with Shawna and some of our new friends. I got to spend time with Katy just before she left to go back to school for her final year, and then my youngest brother started college. I took an evening to go to Stillwater to take him and his friend to dinner. I also moved back in with my mom while I was waiting to move into my apartment complex.

In the first week of September, I said goodbye to the man who has been like a grandfather to me since a spring day when I was in second grade and went to his house to ask for a softball. If you asked him how many grandkids he had, he wouldn't say 5. He'd tell you about 20. That's just the man he was.

September wasn't all bad. I also got to meet new people, spend a lot of time with friends throughout the month (including a surprise visit from my friend Eli), and prepare for my move into my very first place.

The beginning of October was the best ever. I moved into my first ever apartment, I got a brand new phone, and then I got to Dallas for OU/TX weekend. And. It. Was. Fantastic. I also got to take my then-16-year-old cousins to their first ever concert at the Tulsa State Fair to see one of our favorite bands, Eli Young Band.

my first ever Oktoberfest with a coworker!

Eli Young Band concert

final score of the OU/TX game!

November was a busy month. I hosted a Scentsy party, welcomed my oldest brother home from basic and AIT training, celebrated the best holiday ever (Thanksgiving), and then I also celebrated my 24th birthday. I'M TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OLD. It's weird.

me and the twins at The Christmas Train

In December, I started working out with one of my coworkers (KK) to help us get a little more healthy. When we went this past week, she said she can already tell that she can run and do more than she ever has before. I don't feel like I'm getting much better, but it's nice to know that I am helping someone else accomplish so much!

I also got to attend The Nutcracker with two of my best friends and then we had an epic birthday bash at our local pub downtown. I also went to lots of Christmas parties and had a dang good month of December. I closed off this past weekend with spending time with Shawna for her birthday, and then ringing in the new year with my BFF Katy. It was a great evening.

Adam, me, and John at the epic birthday bash at The Max

me, Shawna, Morgan, and Emily at The Max

me and Katy at The Max

These are just highlights of what happened in 2011. Going through the pictures, I realized just how much I had forgotten to mention, like going to the World Cup of Softball in July with my cousin Emma, and coming home in February for MacKenzie's homecoming. 2011 was great. Had some ups and downs like any other year, but I'm excited to see what 2012 has in store for me!