What a year it has been. This has probably been the most hectic year of my life. I have suffered a great deal of loss and sadness, but at the same time, it seems that the year balanced itself out by the end with a whopping dose of happiness. Let me break it down.
First, the bad: I lost a lot of people this year. Not only did I have a few friendships come to natural ends–nothing dramatic, just quiet little natural driftings–but I had a great deal of permanent loss. In February, I lost my grandfather on my mother’s side. He was in poor health, and his death was not entirely a surprise, but it still hurt nonetheless to lose him, particularly because it was my first time losing a grandparent. Unfortunately, as the year continued, it was also not my last. In September, I lost my grandmother on my father’s side, a far more jarring event in that it was wholly unexpected. She was as sharp as a tack to her very last day, and full of joy and life. Her death shook me pretty hard; in all honesty, I’m still having some trouble coping with it. Outside of blood relatives but still family all the same, we also lost one of our dearest family friends to a long battle with cancer in August. It has been an incredibly hard year, but all of the loss has brought the family closer together.
However, 2011 did not take without giving in return. I graduated with my masters degree in history this year after two and a half years of hard work and seemingly endless reading. I worked very hard to accomplish this, and I’m very proud of the effort I made to achieve this goal. And on top of my graduation, I also got engaged this year! The Swede got on one knee and asked for my hand on the night of December 22nd, and of course, I said yes. A thousand times, yes. I could not have found a more amazing man to spend the rest of my life with. Through all the good and bad of this year, he was a solid foundation of support, comfort, and love. I am happy spending time with him, whether we are sitting in front of the TV watching a football game with a beer or out winning trivia with our friends. He is perfect for me. Of course I said yes!
The year is winding down now. Here’s to a happy, healthy 2012–and a whole lot of wedding planning. Bring it on!