A Year in Review: 2016

Another year has come and gone. It's been a year of a lot of highs and some major lows. I began the year by going back to school with an actual purpose in mind. I've been in college since 2009, jumping from major to major and, to an extent, college to college. But nothing I went for seemed to click. Until I decided that since I really, really do not like people, I should go for the career I wanted as a child: a veterinarian. I decided to start out less ambitious though and I enrolled at CNM for the spring semester to start taking the classes I needed to get into the CNM Veterinary Technology program.

While the semester wasn't easy with the complications of chemistry, the endless paper writing for English, and the craziness
of theatre appreciation, I found myself enjoying being back in college for the first time ever. I found myself making friends and getting along with various classmates, but most importantly, I found myself actually succeeding in college the way I never had before. I ended the semester with all A's and made the Dean's List.

But the biggest success of the semester was taking the test required to get into the Vet Tech program. I had constantly heard how difficult the test was supposed to be and was more than a little apprehensive going to take it. I figured that I would take it once and get a feel for it and what questions would be asked so I could study and actually pass it the second time. To my complete and total disbelief, I passed it the first time with fairly good scores. I was over the moon. All I had to do was pass my summer classes and I was in!

I celebrated my 25th birthday in May and as a birthday present, my parents provided me the funds to add the wings I wanted to my
semi-colon tattoo. With my first tattoo complete, I began to toy with the idea of another tattoo. Still haven't quite decided on that one yet though.

The other excitement was getting a gym membership at Defined
Fitness which I actually used fairly faithfully for most of the year until the last couple of months when I stopped going altogether. One of my goals for 2017: start going to the gym again and convince my best friend to get a membership as well so that we can go together. How much working out would actually get done is anybody's guess.

One of the highlights of the year was getting to see Newsies at Popejoy which is now easily one of my favorite musicals. I've been listening to the music from the musical for years but to actually see it was just amazing. I've already told my parents that the next time it comes to Popejoy, I'm taking them with me, like it or not.

After a much too short break, the summer semester began in full force. It proved to be a much bigger challenge considering the shortened semester, but I managed to pull through all my classes with A's once again. This was such a huge achievement for me again to actually be succeeding in college in all my classes and not failing them or just barely passing.

One of the biggest highlights of the year was going on my first road trip with my best friend. We rented a condo up in Durango and spent almost two days four-wheeling around Silverton and exploring the beauties of Colorado. Getting to share my favorite places on earth with my best friend was one of the greatest things ever. I honestly hope this becomes a yearly thing because it was just so much fun and such a great experience.

The end of August saw me getting my laid off from the job I'd been at for a year and a half as the company was going out of business. Ironically a few weeks later, my former boss was able to find a buyer for the company and so the business is still running. Considering that the place had been an absolute hell, I chose not to reapply and figured I would go jobless for the semester while I got used to my classes.

The fall saw me starting my classes as a vet tech major, scrubs, lab coat and all. It was incredibly exciting to be getting started on a career path that I was truly excited about and felt I could succeed at. While the material turned out to be much different than I thought, far more science and math than excepted, I found myself actually doing well. My mom had always told me I should maybe
find something in the medical field (she's a medical technologist) but I firmly resisted the idea and was determined to never do anything medical. How ironic that I ended up going into the medical field after all, just with animals instead of people! It's been funny hearing my mom talk about work and actually understanding more of what she's saying, the tests being run, blood counts, etc. It makes me feel like I'm really learning. Plus there was the benefit of getting to play with cute kittens and puppies, making friends with a cockatoo, and meeting awesome people.

The semester also saw me going out with friends for the first time for food and drinks. I know, I'm 25 years old and the only people I have ever had a drink with were family or my best friend. It was a fun time getting to know these other women that I'll be with for the next year and a half. I'm usually a very shy, quiet person, but these women actually make me feel really comfortable and I felt like I could be myself, something that rarely happens around most of the people I know except a select few.

A successful semester ended with all A's and one very high B. I was pleased that I had survived my first semester in the program and so was able to move on to the second semester. I know I've said it multiple times in this post, but this was another major accomplishment for me academically. Now going into the new semester, I feel a lot more confident in my ability to succeed in this program.

After the end of the semester, I did something crazy and totally impractical and adopted another dog. She's a little Chihuahua/Pug mix and is the sweetest, cutest dog in all of existence. Yes, I'm biased. I absolutely adore her though and she's managed to steal my parents' hearts as well. I mean, look at that face. Who could possibly resist its charms?

Another change shortly after the end of the semester was finding a new job at a kennel in Corrales. While it's a bit of a drive, I've found that I
really don't mind. I don't have to deal with people at all and I work in the cat room, meaning that I'm surrounded by kitties for almost five hours a day. I love it. It's pretty basic work, cleaning the cages, doing dishes, sweeping, and mopping. I've honestly found it to be quite relaxing. I'm kind of sad that now with school starting up, I'll only be working three days a week.

The hardest part of the year was my grandmother passing away the Wednesday before Christmas. While it wasn't as much of a shock as the passing of my paternal grandfather and maternal grandmother, the fact that her mental and physical health deteriorated so incredibly quickly between Thanksgiving and the day she died was difficult to witness. Still, it was a minor comfort that both my parents and I got to see her and sit with her for a while the day that she died. And it's comforting to know that she's no longer in pain.

So while the year has certainly had it's challenges, most have been good challenges that helped me grow, gave me confidence in myself and were generally positive experiences. I'm proud of where I am in life now. I'm proud of how much I accomplished in one year. And I'm excited to see where this year will take me. I have my fingers crossed that it's going to be a good year and that I can be as successful this year and I was last year. And I have hopes that this will be a good year for my friends and family. A lot changed last year, but here's to hoping that 2017 is good to everyone and that we all find happiness and success.