Reflections on 2016

Well, another year is coming to a close and I am lucky enough to have the type of job that gives me a break at the end of the year which allows and lends itself to being reflective. So, I usually take these two weeks to think about life, where I am and how I got here, as well as the bumps and bruises and good times along the way throughout the year. This year was no different, providing lots of experiences, good and not so good, but nothing that I would ever regret. That's the biggest thing I've learned over the years of my journey through adulthood- no regrets.

This year I was able to complete the necessary courses to become certified as an Assistant Principal with hopes of finding a suitable job at a new school next year. I also moved up to teaching 1st grade at the same school I've been at now for 5 years, although that has also given me the itch to leave and find something new, to challenge myself somewhere new with a new group of colleagues and a whole new batch of kids, although I do enjoy the comfort of the environment I am in every day. Something is pushing me out of the door and into a new one. In through the "Out" door.

I also began a long-distance relationship with a woman I met online, on a website designed as a forum, a place for people to chat and just have a place to comfortably be themselves behind the disguise of the internet and keyboards. It all happened quickly and quite unexpectedly, to be honest, but it was wonderful. We spoke every day on the phone and then in June I decided to take a road trip out to Minnesota (a 22 hour drive) to finally meet her. I spent 12 days out there and it was like we had known each other far longing than simply the 5 months we had been talking. It was such a great experience that I decided to go back in August, before school started, and unfortunately, things were different and tense between us, which prompted me to leave early and thus we stopped talking altogether, which was very difficult for me, to go from talking to someone daily, throughout the day to absolutely nothing. There were a couple of times I reached out to no avail, but perhaps it is for the best. All good things come to an end, I suppose. And the other cliche adage of "if you love something, let it go, if it comes back to you then it was meant to be."

And then, of course, there were all the concerts I went to (some alone, some with my sister, some with friends). I figured out a couple of years ago that concerts are what makes me happy, they are my "happy place" so to speak, and sure i could spend money on trips or material things, but ultimately concerts are where I find my best memories. And this year I went to A LOT. In fact, a couple of years ago I started keeping a list. I'm a list-maker, after all.

1. 1-29  Sonya Kitchell/Sara Haillie Richardson
2. 1-27  Wilco
3. 1-25  The Weather Station
4. 1-23  Anna Nalick
5. 1-22 Torres/Palehound
6. 2-4 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
7. 2-12 Caspian/Defeater/O’Brother
8. 2-19 Kacey Musgraves
9. 2-22 Coheed and Cambria/Glassjaw
10. 3-1 Neko Case
11. 3-3 Ra Ra Riot
12. 3-26 Lake Street Dive
13. 3-11 Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds
14. 3-17 Metric
15. 3-25 The Felice Brothers/ Aubrie Sellers
16. 4-8 Puscifer
17. 4-13 Between the Buried and Me/August Burns Red
18. 4-15 The Ballroom Thieves w/MYRO
19. 4-16 Murder by Death
20. 4-17 Murder by Death
21. 4-21 The World is a Beautiful Place…
22. 5-6 M. Ward/NAS (Nice As Fuck with Jenny Lewis)
23. 5-8 Hop Along/Speedy Ortiz
24. 5-9 Frightened Rabbit/Caveman
25. 5-10 Chelsea Wolfe
26. 5-19 The Kills/L.A. Witch
27. 5-20 Scissorfight/Murcielago
28. 5-29 Lake Street Dive/The Ballroom Thieves
29. 5-31 Alison Weiss/Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties
30. 6-3 Chrvches/Potty Mouth
31. 6-8 Birdy/Bahari
32. 6-9 Conor Oberst/Felice Brothers
33. 6-15 Taking Back Sunday/Dashboard Confessional/Saosin/The Early November
34. 6-16 Dixie Chicks/Anderson East
35. 6-19 Thrice/La Dispute
36. 6-21 Gregory Alan Iskov w/MYRO
37. 7-9 Zella Day/Lawrence Taylor
38. 7-10 Lauryn Hill
39. 7-12 Hey Mercedes/Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band/The World is a Beautiful Place...
40. 7-14 The Hotelier/Bellows
41. 7-15 Modest Mouse/Brand New
42. 7-19 Guns n’ Roses/Lenny Kravitz
43. 7-22 Frightened Rabbit/Julien Baker
44. 7-25 Silversun Pickups/The Weakened Friends
45. 7-29 The Paper Kites/Larkin Poe
46. 7-30 Grace Potter (L.L. Bean)
47. 7-31 Beirut
48. 8-2 Best Coast/The Stargazer Lilies
49. 8-5 Pearl Jam
50. 8-7 Pearl Jam
51. 8-9 Belly
52. 8-21 Prophets of Rage/AWOL Nation
53. 8-28 Lennon/Claypool Delirium
54. 9-2 Anthony Green
55. 9-13 Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins
56. 9-20 The Kills/L.A. Witch
57. 9-21 CHVRCHES/Weakened Friends
58. 10-2 Taking Back Sunday/You Blew It
59. 10-3 Built to Spill/Hop Along
60. 10-6 Warpaint
61. 10-9 Anthony Bourdain
62. 10-14 Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds/KOLARS
63. 10-15 Brand New/The Front Bottoms/Modern Baseball
64. 10-20 Joyce Manor/The Hotelier
65. 10-28 Kat Wright and the Indomitable Soul Band/Armies
66. 11-11 Lydia/June Divided/Brian Swindle (Have Mercy)
67. 11-12 The Felice Brothers/Spirit Family Reunion
68. 11-18 Caspian/The Appleseed Cast
69. 11-19 Letters to Cleo/Weakened Friends
70. 11-27 Beatles Night
71. 12-2 Heather Pierson Jazz Trio (A Charlie Brown Christmas)
72. 12-8 Matt Pond PA/Moving Panoramas
73. 12-12 Delta Rae/Penny and Sparrow