24 ways it was a Golden Year
When I was younger I used to think it would be so fun to be the same age as the day I was born, which was 24; some may call this your golden year. I think it appeals to those who were born later in the month since it doesn't quite have the same appeal when you're 1 or 2 years old. I knew the changing of my age wouldn’t make a difference but I had high hopes that it would be a special and memorable year in a good way. Going into this year, I never would've guessed the pandemic was about to start nor did I foresee any of the surprises this year brought. All things considered, I made the most of it and I wanted to share 24 things which made this past year golden. The list includes some large changes as well as some small or joyful memories:
1. I finished graduate school at the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating with a masters in digital marketing in December 2019. Looking back, I’m grateful I graduated at the end of 2019 since I was able to have a graduation ceremony. Throughout graduate school, I actually wanted to graduate in the spring of 2020 since I thought 2020 would be a fun year to graduate, hindsight is 2020 I guess.
2. During my last semester in graduate school, my team and I won a semester long group marketing project with an HVAC company Lennox. After our presentation, we won first place and earned a scholarship.
3. Tutoring math during grad school sparked my interest in education. I wanted to become a professor but found tutoring rewarding and this led me to pursue my alternative teaching certification.
4. Landing a job as a 6th grade math teacher at an amazing school district during a pandemic
5. My students who I tutored and now those I teach. I am grateful everyday to be able to teach them and be a small part in their life right now. They have taught me a lot as well. I am amazed how resilient and positive they have been through this crazy and hectic year.
6. A family road trip to Vail, Colorado over the summer- it was so nice to quite literally social distance, get outdoors and breathe in the mountain air. The trip was memorable and while we were there, I landed a position as a math teacher. Our trip was also shared in a local magazine:
7. Small group backyard dinners with friends or family
8. Reading Harry Potter- if you’d like to see some of my favorite quotes from the series click here
9. The show Imposters on Netflix, it’s amazing. I've never binged a show before I saw Imposters but we binged this one. I'd highly recommend if you're looking for a new show to watch.
10. Simple outside lunches during the Spring, 2020- maybe we noticed this since we were home more than usual but Texas had a beautiful spring
11. A fall weekend getaway in Broken Bow, Oklahoma- we went hiking, made s'mores and enjoyed some much needed downtime.
12. Evening bike rides & dog walks- simple pleasures
13. Mpix Spain photo album summer project- I finally went through all of my photos I had from my undergrad senior year study abroad trip to Granada, Spain and made a photo album. It was fun to relive such a great trip during a year where travel became distant for a while.
14. More time for photography- during the summer we drove out to Richardson and south of Burleson to take some beautiful wildflower photos
15. Lantern walks at the lake with family- it’s been fun to also play around with my camera and learn about night photography. Click here to see my post about evening photography.
16. Movie nights- 2020 also gave me plenty of free stay at home evenings to watch some movies both new and old. If you're looking for a new movie to watch, I'd recommend The Secret: Dare to Dream. It's a feel good and uplifting movie. I loved the optimism from this quote in the movie and found it fitting for the year, “I’m open to the possibility that whatever happens, even the bad stuff can lead to better things”.
17. Father of the Bride: Part 3ish- okay, so it definitely was a little cheesy but it brought some good laughs and some sweet nostalgia. I linked it below if you'd like to watch.
18. Summer jeep rides
19. Community & Connection- even though it was a year where many social events were cancelled it was fun to catch up through face-time with people I normally don’t get to see.
20. More time to read- I read 20 books in 2020.
21. Slower pace- in a normal year there always seemed to be something the next weekend or next day but time seemed to slow down a little. I enjoyed a slower pace and I also noticed it in my family and friends, I think everyone was a little more present.
22. Playing the guitar- I learned how to play classical gas and hallelujah on the guitar.
23. Being a guest on a podcast- You can listen to it over on the Careerfluencer Podcast, I shared my career path so far in addition to tips I found helpful along the way. Thank you Cynthia for being a great listener while I shared a handful of different stories and thoughts. You did an amazing job on organizing and highlighting parts which will be helpful to others.
24. Starting an online blog- I am amazed people have already found my blog when I haven’t shared it on my social media accounts. I’ve told a handful of people but I am grateful to those who found my little corner of the internet and shared feedback. Thank you, I hope all of you are having a great start to 2021! Wishing you health and joy during this year.