It's THE Year!

It's the year I'll be traveling to Africa! 2010 is the start of not only an amazing year but an amazing decade! I can just feel it. At this time in 10 years I will have just turned 30 years old and who knows where I'll be. Currently, I'm writing this post from the living room of my parents house and watching my brother play our Wii Fit Plus. In 2020, I could be on a different continent (or a different planet) or married with kids or in the same place or in a box with a fox, ya never know!

This past decade was pretty incredible. I've been pretty lucky!
Here's a list to recap my decade (in no particular order):

• Competed in Math Counts :)
• Traveled without my parents for the first time. I went to Texas with my cousin Kali to visit with our Aunt and Uncle, cousin Madelyn, and Grandpa Bill.
• Conquered Middle School!
  
• Traveled to Australia in 2004 as a People to People Student Ambassador.
  
• Joined every club imaginable at VVHS.
• Became the Class of 2008's VP.
• Tried out the Track team for a couple of years.
  
• Learned how to play golf.
• Joined the Golf team.
• Traveled to Honduras in 2006 with the Rotary Club. 
• Attended the 2006 HOBY seminar and met some Outstanding people.
• Volunteered as a staff member for HOBY 2007 and 2008.
  
• Got braces...got them taken off...then put back on...then taken back off
• Learned to "play" the oboe.
• Got all four wisdom teeth cut out. Watched National Treasure approximately 4 times in a row while being on painkillers.
  
• Picked up the bass clarinet.
• Marched in Disney World's Magic Kingdom.
  
• Played in four pit orchestras for the HS musicals (The Wizard of Oz was by far my favorite!).
• Went on tour in Europe for a couple of weeks with a youth wind ensemble, The Ohio Ambassadors of Music. (3rd chair!)
• Saw Wicked in London, England.
  
• Became NHS president
• Got implants...of the dental variety. (2 surgeries, learned how to swallow pills, lots of pudding)
  
• Joined the Academic Team. Or the A-team, if you will.
• Made first chair bass clarinet in the Tri-State Honor Band.
• Ice-skated for the fist time in the middle of a mall in Houston, TX.
• Went on a couple of mission trips with my youth group.
• Gained a sister-in-law in the summer of 2008.
•  Worked at Brown's Run Country Club for three summers. Got hit in the face with a steel hand ball picker, drove the ball picker on the range, and cleaned about a bajillion golf clubs.
• Got accepted to Kent State University's Honors College.
  
• Lived (and still do) in a dorm and learned that I hate living in a dorm.
• Got my first C and D ever (besides freshman gym in HS haha)...and on the same report card to boot!
• Saw, and got paid to see, Flight of the Concords.
  
• Got two speeding tickets and pulled over approximately five times.
• Spent a summer as an Americorps volunteer.

It's not a long list but it's a good list. I can't wait to get started on this new decade!

Speaking of which, I've got some plans in store:

• Make it on to the Amazing Race with my dad.
• Do a couple years of service.
• Get a big person job.
• Buy a home.
• Get married.
•  Meet someone from my favorite famous people list.

That's all I have for now! Happy New Year!




Days until I land in Africa: 196