2011: Pass in Review

As I find myself making plans for New Year's Eve and enjoying all this extra time Casey has off lately, I look back at this year that has flown by.   2011 was a great year overall for us.  So great that part of me wants to stay to enjoy it some more.  But, 2012 is already starting to sound amazing, too, so  I am eager to move ahead.  I will take a moment to look at all the great parts of this year, though, and share them with everyone (if anyone) reads this.

 As 2011 started, I had just graduated from college and was already getting interviews for jobs.  None of them panned out, but I did get lucky that an opportunity presented itself within OfficeMax and I got a chance to take on a more supervisory role and bring in some extra money while Casey finished school.  This allowed Casey to work a little less and focus more on the huge course load he had during his last semester.

 Spring/Summer brought Casey's graduation and a whole slew of applications and interviews for both of us.  I drove all over the state on my quest for a teaching position, Casey applied for jobs as close as Nashville and as far away as Seattle, and I started looking into licensure requirements in other states.  We even went on a late-night expedition to Atlanta so Casey could interview for a position.  We made an agreement that whoever accepted a job first controlled where we moved (if moving was required) and made the most of our job hunting time.  Within a week's period in late June, Casey had 6 interviews and was offered a total of 4 positions.  He accepted what he thought was the best option (sorry, Atlanta...no dice) and got ready to start his career.  I quit my job after his first paycheck at his new, "big boy" job and we were excited about this new chapter in our lives.

 Now, as the year ends, Casey has just been offered a pretty serious promotion with a 30% pay increase.  In less than 6 months, he has already caught big wig attention at work and knows many of the top executives (FYI he works for a company of 40-50 employees, so it's not huge).  I am just subbing and teaching flute lessons (well, attempting the lessons part...sadly the market here is a little flooded), but his income more than pays for what we need and his raise is going to allow us to really start saving and planning for the new year.

We also just moved into a new, awesome apartment.  We increased our square footage by about 50% (we added about 500 sq. ft. to our apartment size) and got a great deal.  It is close to the interstate, major shopping centers in town, and away from campus.  We are still getting settled (after 3.5 years I forgot what a pain it is to move...), but we are loving it so far! 

We've got a lot planned for the coming year, but I feel that it deems another entry.  We have come a long way in 2011, and I can't wait for everything that is in store for us as we continue our journey together.