2011 I have been waiting for you!

Every New Years I love to take a few moments to sit back and reminisce about the wonderful year and changes that have come with it.  This year more than others I feel the need to look back a bit further, back four years ago when I first found out (this exact weekend) that I had been accepted at the U of M dental program.  I hate talking about life beginning once I am out of school because that might suggest that I have not been living the past 21 years of my life and I just don't believe that.  I have had a wonderfully beautiful life in between the exams, stress and studying that go along with being a dental student, but to say I haven't been looking forward to 2011 would be a lie.

During our first few hours at the U of M my class was introduced to our name, The Class of 2011, and wow did 2011 feel like a lifetime away at that point!  I can't believe how much has changed, how much I have learned and how much I have gained both academically and personally since I came to Ann Arbor.  I love knowing that tonight we start the journey that 2011 will bring but that means I have to leave the safety and comfort of 2010 behind.  I love knowing that I feel ready to be done with school, that I have the skills and abilities that I need to be out in the "real world", but this safe nest of the school and at my Hamburg heaven is kind of nice and leaving the nest feels a bit scary.  

Lets fully reminisce for a moment:

2010 brought graduation for Cal followed by him getting his dream job in Madison Wi.  We moved half of our house to madison, which amazingly left me with a still quite full house, but a huge hole in my heart.  I became a D4, and enjoyed being treated as such (the big kids at school).  I passed part 1 of fourth year boards.  We played in the lake all summer and on the lake in the winter.  Cal is officially out of the military!!!!!! <---- I have been waiting and praying for that one for a LONG time!!!!  I made some new friends (Tabs, Liz and Annie) and became even closer with old friends (Becks and Tess).  And it is important to note that I have really re-discovered my passion for crafting.  Scrap booking, refinishing furniture and frames, jewelry, candles, embroidery, sewing, basically you name it, I will try it!  And of course I found some treasures at garage sales and antique stores.  So to sum it up, I have been SO blessed!  2010 was amazing!

But on with the new:

I have so much to look forward to in this coming new year starting with a Michigan bowl game on new years day ahahhha oh and of course the Badgers in Pasadena too!!  I have boards, boards and boards (thats right 3x the boards in the coming months, so if my creativity and blogging die out you must understand it is only temporary!), an amazing Mexico vacation to count down to, and  I have a best friends wedding and maybe even 2 (depending on Tessa's plans) to look forward to!!!!!  In 2011 I get to live with Cal again---ahhhh this might make me the most excited of all!  And I graduate and get to work--wooowww I can not even imagine doing dentistry for money, what would that even be like???  I get to start paying back loans-ahhhhhhhh (insert scared face here)!  So yes, even though I have enjoyed every single little moment that 2010 has brought me, I guess you can say that I have been waiting for 2011 for quite some time now!  Bring it on!