one year

last year i was boarding a plane in shannon and flying back to new jersey on march 24th. i have been back in the states for a year now and what a year it has been. the last 365 days have been pretty incredible and i've decided to write a post summing up the fabulousness of the last year rather than a post about the sadness of missing ireland.

quick note for all the new readers - i lived in cork, ireland from september 2007 to march 2009 and had an absolutely amazing time doing my masters in history, working & traveling.

so since i landed at newark liberty international airport at 11.30 am i have:

-bought a new car - colby my 2009 chevy cobalt who i just hit 18,000 miles on yesterday

-moved to connecticut with my college roomie 5 days later

-started teaching middle school students about whaling, maritime history and working on a ship and loving it

-my college loves and i reuniting in providence/boston and ct multiple times

-making some bad decisions with gator...

- cheering on one of my best friends as she ran the boston marathon

-danish ghosts at work

-seeing a good friend of mine catie and going to a bruce springsteen concert!

-crazy drinking in connecticut. between margarita nights, saturday nights and parties...

-applying to a million and seven teaching jobs

-helping amy coach rowing

-being super sad to leave connecticut

-home in jersey for a few days

-some kitty drama with scarlett being eaten and lillian being attacked but surviving and putting alice/trixie to sleep

-moving down to nova/dc for the summer to work at a high school leadership conference

-having the best summer roomie, crazy 7-11 runs, lots of tswift/kclarkson/mcyrus,

-team westpark and the happy hours

-dating the boy for the summer

- fun times with high school students in dc/nyc for 7 weeks

-getting a teaching job in nj

-enjoying the month of august in the jersey shore,hiking,lots of pa, nyc

- a crewie reunion in maryland

-joining my sorority alumni chapter

-a crazy fall pretty much spent at school but loving my co-workers and some great students

-seeing my first crew regatta in 2 years

- a redic halloween in connecticut

-going back to wac/maryland for the first time since graduation

-meeting friends in nyc whenever i want

- a first thanksgiving with my family in a long time and the parade in nyc

-started coaching the ski team

-a nice christmas with my family

-a quiet nye with erin

-started seeing matt

-seeing friends for dinner

- still loving my teaching job

-an awesome trip to kansas to see patricia

-waaaay too much snow

- putting puppy to sleep :(

-riverdance!

and here i am today... it was a pretty awesome year, full of the unexpected. because when my plane landed i knew i was moving to connecticut until june and then the unknown. and i have been so lucky that it was a positive year and so many incredible things have happened. i've met so many amazing people, made new friends and had a few crazy adventures.

my heart will always be in ireland and i am so glad that i had the opportunity to live there, but i really have been happy with my decision to move back to the states and everything i've been able to do this year.