the NEW of the YEAR

Last year, I made a list of all the new things I had tried that year (2007), and more or less made a resolution to do the same kind of thing this past year (2008). I generally try to go new places, try new things, etc. I don't necessarily keep track of them, so I'll just make an overall list of new things I tried/experienced in 2008.

In chronological order (or close enough):
*Finished my 1st semester as a teacher
*Went to St. Louis for a record low of 24 hours
*Earned a free flight from Southwest
*Took an ESL exam and passed
*Got accidentally fired
*Had a superintendent apologize to me for her mistake
*Was a teacher sponsor for a math competition
*Had 2 weeks of Spring Break
*Voted in the Texas Primary
*Experienced the joy of IKEA
*Threw Andrew a surprise party
*Bought my first laptop
*Finished my internship/won awards as an intern
*Voted for the American Idol winner
*Moved to a 2br/2ba apartment with a pool!
*Watched my seniors graduate
*Finished my 1st year as a teacher!
*Got my first pet!
*My first summer on salary
*Got a team of teenagers and adults ready to go on an international mission trip
*Spent 11 days straight without my husband
*Experienced the joy of American Idol Karaoke
*Uploaded my first video onto youtube
*Went to the Dr. Pepper Museum in Waco, TX
*Went to Austin and saw UT and the capital building
*Had a surprise birthday party
*Experienced public transportation in Ft. Worth and Dallas
*Voted for the first time in a presidential election
*Successfully sponsored a school-wide mock election
*Went to a toga party
*Got cable/dvr for the first time ever

Those are the things I can think of now. I may add later. But it is always refreshing to look back at the new things I tried/experienced and realize that each year really is NEW. It's a chance to try something different and explore the world around me. I get to grow and learn and overcome.
I hope each year, you get to experience the same thing.