The One Where I Recap the '11 Resolutions.

Last year, on January 4th, I took the time to blog about my 2011 resolutions.

I'm going to take the time today to recap those resolutions. I fought doing this because... well... I didn't do all of them. It's a little embarrassing to say, "Hey, here's what I said I would do in 2011, and I didn't really do it. I only sort of did it."

But I did sort of do it. More than sort of, I guess. I'll stop all this jabber and just move on so you can see exactly what I mean.

So... here they are... Angela's 2011 Resolutions:

Lose 18 more pounds.

Resolution semi-achieved, but not really. I lost 13 pounds throughout the rest of the year. That means I still have another five to go. Within this resolution, I also aimed more materialistically at fitting into a size 2. And I did. You can read about the day it first happened here. Size 4 is still the most comfortable, but a 2 just as comfortably can't be that far away. Right? The most important thing is that I have maintained healthily within all the weight I've lost. I've figured out what foods are healthy and what foods aren't, when to stop eating, and how to continue to enjoy food. I do gorge myself on occasion (and I'm not ashamed of it, which is also progress), but I can always come right back with healthy eating. It's been easy, honestly.

Work out.

Resolution not achieved. This is the one I'm most embarrassed by. It lasted about two months, working out at least four times a week. I ran a lot, I walked a lot, I went to the gym, I even bought a Wii Fit and used that as my source of working out for a little while. And then, somewhere along the way, I stopped. It became a burden more than anything, and I was getting behind with school. So I weeded out one of the only things I could. I'm not proud of it, and I really would like to work it into my life again, but this year didn't seem ideal.

Get A's.

I took 11 classes this year (worth 32 credits), from January thru December. I got an A or an A- in 7 of the 11 classes. I got two Bs, a C, and a D (yikes). I worked my tail off and walked away with a cumulative 3.4 GPA (over those three semesters that I took). I can't complain too much. The resolution was to make my grades as perfect as I could; while I do feel like that C and that D weren't necessary, I did what I could, and I certainly did better than last year. What more can I ask for there?

Make new friends.

Boy, oh boy. My garden of friends grew beautifully. While my time at Weber State did lessen and some of the friendships I built there did fade, I grew to know more people elsewhere and on many different occasions. In addition to the new people around me, I was also able to hold onto the sweet friends I had before. I weeded out some of the negativity that was constantly in my life and allowed myself to build a positive circle of friends, one that I feel completely safe, completely taken care of, completely equal, and completely happy in.

Improve as a performer.
It is my hope that this will be a resolution I aim for constantly. I hope to never reach the point where I stop improving, and I know it is in my control that I continue to learn. This year was very good to me, and I had a blast with every second of it. In A Tale of Two Cities, I was the villain: a first. As many of you will recall, Tale was a tender little experience for me. I met and got to know one of my favorite directors (and favorite people, too); I met and got to know some very talented individuals. I met and got to know some wonderful audience members. And I learned from every single person I came in contact with. For the first time ever with a show, I was utterly and completely open to learning absolutely everything I could. It was a humbling experience and one that I will never, ever forget. Immediately following Tale was Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. In the role I was dying to play, in a role I dreamed of playing, and in a role unlike any I had ever played. The rehearsal process was wonderful... easy, even. And every second was fun-filled. Truly. That show was a PARTY all the time. Every performance was an adrenaline rush. I spent so much time with some of my very best friends. Even now, I ache for it. Right after Dirty Rotten was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. This was a role I had played before, and thank goodness for that, because the music came easily to me while I struggled with just about everything else. I'm not a dancer, but the role of the Narrator in this production was involved in many a number with the ensemble. It pushed me more than I thought it would, honestly. It made me really hunker down. As time rolled on, I did begin to feel comfortable in the role. The audiences were hysterical, and the cast was SO FUN. I loved feeling like a rockstar in the costumes; I loved belting my brains out. I loved it, and it exhausted the bejeebies out of me. After Joseph came A Christmas Carol. I sang a couple of solos, danced a ditty, and had a few lines. The role was very small, yes, but the role isn't always what makes a show special. More often than not, it's the people. And these people, from the very beginning, became a family to me. I loved rehearsals with (again) one of my favorite directors/people, and I loved the eventual performances, even if it meant five costume and wig changes. It was the most perfect way to celebrate the season. And it really was a beautiful little show. All in all - and I say this with hopes that no one will misinterpret this by thinking that I'm blowing my own horn - I feel that, yes, I did grow as a performer. I was pushed and pulled and poked and prodded and torn down and lifted up. If I didn't improve in all of that, I've got some rethinking to do, don't I?

Graduate.
Yeah. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO did it. Finally.
And I am so thrilled and... even proud of myself.

Move to Salt Lake.
Yep. I can check this one off, too. I made the move back in June, and I am so happy to be here. I love the city, and I love being this close to everything. We may not live in the coolest or classiest apartment complexes, but it's really not too bad. Now that I've graduated, I really won't have to go to Ogden anymore. And I can't say I'll miss it... because I love it so much here!

Bring more positivity into my life. Redefine friendships.
This one goes hand-in-hand with the "making new friends" resolution. I feel that this was absolutely accomplished. I am so grateful for every single one of my friends, old and new, and for the positivity they constantly bless my life with. I am the luckiest girl in the world, I know that.

Life was so sweet to me this year. I may not have passed the resolution test with flying colors, but I got by and I got by and I'm proud of how I got by. I may not have exercised as much as I wanted; I may not have gotten ALL A's in my classes; I may not have lost five more pounds... but the things that REALLY counted happened, didn't they? I can say that, can't I? I really can't complain.

I'm happy with you, 2011. You made me better and you made me want to be better all the time.