Coming to you from Birmingham, Alabama (not Atlanta, Georgia, as originally planned), listening to Widespread Panic NYE via Sirius XM channel 29 on my computer (not live from Phillips Arena, as originally planned) ...
Let's see if I can remember much of 2013 before these past few months ...
January - Rang in the new year in Auburn, sleeping, with a broken toe. Enjoyed Mo's company the next day, night, and following morning (dinner at Arricia, pedis and lunch at Amsterdam the next day). Went back to Birmingham for a bit. Sold Allie the Acura, bought a minivan that didn't fit in my garage, returned it (thank you, CarMax!) and headed back to Auburn in Mom's car to prepare for League Aid.
February - Got out of the broken toe boot. League Aid. Huge surprise success! Returned to Birmingham, bought a Subaru Forester and cursed the car every time I got in it. Kid Rock concert. (I think some people hadn't left their Y2K shelters since he busted out on the scene.) Finally got down Christmas decorations at the tail end of the month.
March - Ummm ... pretty much consumed with planning for turning 30. And I started shooting whiskey. Straight up. Word.
April - Bought myself a VW Eos for my birthday and it is THE BEST CAR I HAVE EVER OWNED. Saw Dave Matthews Band. Turned 30 (Lakeview pub and street vendor crawl, sleep, Avondale Brewery, Melting Pot with family and close friends, attempted "Mad Men" viewing party). Woke up one morning in a panic due to my apparent biological clock. Got over the panic. Rusted Root concert. Grand hippie road trip to Atlanta - Black Crowes, Widespread Panic x2. Additionally in ATL, ate some good food (Mary Mac's, Daddy D'z), Little Five Points, GA Aquarium, Underground ATL, got drunk with these cool folks on a Botanical Gardens tour. Alice in Chains concert.
May - Tim McGraw concert, Toad the Wet Sprocket concert. Started house hunting, ummmmm... I don't know if I'm going to want to remember the Cigar Bar night or not. That's a good story. It required a couple nights in Auburn to decompress before heading to Knoxville. But before I could go to Knoxville, I had a special night planned with a special friend. The night went horribly awry and there are some crazy pictures to prove it.
June - Wow. At first, it seemed rather uneventful, then I remember how it started. After that horribly awry night, my special friend ended up passed out in my foyer and upon waking up on June 1, we spent a wonderful morning napping off the night before and getting to know each other better. Nothing naughty or scandalous. Just cementing a friendship. I headed off to Knoxville, had to stay the night when I was almost an hour away because the weather was THAT bad. Was totally in my element in Knoxville. And it was hot for once. Two nights of Widespread. Got back to Birmingham and let the house hunt continue ... Lilly acted a slut ... was either drugged or I learned my limit on Fireball the hard way ... house hunt.
July - House hunt. Boy drama. Widespread Panic. Wow. It was awesome! House hunt.
August - Moved out of the townhouse, into Mom's house and storage. Matchbox 20/Goo Goo Dolls concert. Started the final preparations to close on the new place. Spent a lot of time in Auburn this month. Drank a lot. Cursed a lot. Feared a nervous breakdown. Oh, and hello, football season! Joined a pool league.
September - Football. Football. Got a new baby cousin. Mumford & Sons concert. Junior League of Birmingham kicks off. Black Crowes with Space. Closed on house. Made sweet memories. Mom's birthday. Moved out of storage.
October - Widespread in Tuscaloosa. Auburn weekend with Space. Started work on house. Felt like I had a boyfriend for about two weeks. Montgomery for Sarah and Ian's wedding reception. Got sick. Halloween.
November - What?!? Where did October go? Honestly, at this point right now, I would love to have October and the first half of November back. I spent the first half of the month in the throes of rental drama, home repairs stalled, trying to stay warm at night, and just overall stressed. Then Granny died. It was so unexpected and so, so sad. Auburn beat Georgia. Alabama concerts. Auburn moved up two spots on the BCS and didn't even play that week. (That's when I knew something really special was happening.) Thanksgiving. Auburn won the Iron Bowl. And I started to kick a little ass at pool, finally.
December - Auburn won the SEC championship! And Ohio State lost their conference championship! Nana Funks annual Christmas party. Got a pedicure, the pedicurist yanked my formerly broken toe a little too hard, and well, my annual Christmas party, Christmas, got to the podiatrist, and me and my left little toe have come full circle since last year. And that, my friends, is why I am not in Atlanta. I didn't think it wise to be flying solo, bundled up, toting my poster tube across my chest and my Kavu backpack across my back, hobbling around downtown Atlanta on New Year's Eve and braving a concert in the boot.
I think I went to more concerts than I mentioned. I just can't remember them all. Oops :( Concert of the year definitely goes to Alice in Chains. Ohmigosh. That show was so beautiful and energizing! Loved it! Now, I really enjoyed some Widespread, and although I missed a total of six shows I intended to go to, I will have to put Widespread in their own category and say that the Birmingham and Spring Atlanta shows were the best, and there is no way to compare the two to determine which was actually the best show.
Let's see ... advice of the year: if something feels wrong about a house deal, don't go through with it. So much was wrong with other places, and this one really was in the best structural condition, but the negotiation was so not worth it. I said so many times I was over it and done with the deal, and there were so many opportunities for me to get out of it, and I don't think people really took me seriously when I said I didn't want the house any more. I couldn't even take myself seriously. I was so stressed I had no idea whether my decision was based on anxiety or truth. I've only spent three scattered nights in my new place and I had someone spend the night with me. That house is creepy at night and even though things are moving along, I just feel like it's stalled. And I really don't care. Honestly, I am terrified of living by myself in that house and there have been so many painful memories and emotions because of it I am beginning to resent the house a little bit.
So, I had a lot of fun this year, but I also experienced a lot of emotional pain. I'm ready to clean slate this bitch and move forward.
In the new year, I will ...
Be conscientious of how I treat myself. I'm not going to treat myself to mani pedis, massages, nights in hotels, room service, fancy meals, happy hours, retail therapy, etc, just because I had a bad day or week and/or just felt like I needed it. I'll still do all that to a degree, but not justify it as a band aid for the real problems. Instead, I am going to focus on nourishing myself in a positive way. My me-time and personal treats are not going to be mostly empty any more. Since I'm gaining confidence and skill in pool, I am going to pursue that. I am going to keep up with the bass and try to focus more to excel in that. Maybe I'll go back to school. Maybe I'll start going to church. (I really, truly intend to, but I also have intended to since February, and every week, Sunday rolls around, and I'm either out of town or forget what day it is.) Maybe, if I'm not obsessively house hunting, recovering from pneumonia, or experiencing a broken/near broken toe, I'll start working the gym back into my life. Maybe, if I ever feel comfortable in my home, I'll start cooking all those healthy, delicious meals I used to cook, and try a few new dishes out.
Force myself to go to Auburn for at least a few days every month. I'm keeping my "vacation condo" for a reason, and I better put it to good use.
Sell at least one item from Queen B.
