2012: Year in Review

If you would have told me a year ago that I would be where I am today, there is no way I would have ever believed you.

And that's the truth.

If 2011 was the Year of the Mimosa, so was 2012. Kidding! Kind of. I'd say that 2012 was the Year of Travel. And growth. In January, I celebrated one year of living in Colorado with good friends at the Irish Snug, experiencing a little something called Tebow Time. A few short weeks later, I was on the slopes in Steamboat and feeling the heat in Strawberry Hot Springs.

February brought my first snow day (let's hope for more in 2013!) and celebrated a birthday for HSCOOC, it's fourth or first, depending on your view on leap years. And Valentine's Day, I celebrated Valentine's Day.

And then in March, my world got absolutely flipped upside down. For the first time in my life, I was the girl crumbling against the door as I found out that even when you meet at 30,000 feet, it can all come crashing down in an instant. Since it was the first time in my life that I crumbled, I allowed myself to do so - I was not OK and I wasn't going to fight it. Eventually, of course, the six glasses of wine turned in to two and the numbness began to subside. And eventually, I found shiny, happy Katie again with help from great friends, understanding family and the acceptance that sometimes you do not get answers. Even 9 months later, I do not have answers to my breakup with Noah but I've made peace with that. I wrote a letter, we had a beer and that was my closure.

Well, that and a booked trip to London.

The end of April brought me back in the online dating world, a place I had hoped to never be again but this time was different - this time was FUN because I wasn't looking for anything serious for obvious reasons (see above). And well, we were writing about it. I wanted to laugh, I wanted to eat, I wanted to drink and I wanted to feel alive - and luckily, my first date did just that. A bloodied knee, tequila shots, shuffleboard and a slap in the face...to most, it probably would have been the worst date in history. To me, it was exactly what I needed. And Neil kept being exactly what I needed for the next six months. We saw each other a few times a week, sometimes more, sometimes less. Sometimes we ate in. Sometimes we went out and got hammered. Sometimes we'd talk. Sometimes we wouldn't. But every single time, we had a blast. And I have never, ever encountered a man who was more open to talking than Neil. Instead of running in the opposite direction, he'd scoot closer and ask me 'what's up, darlin?'. We always had the same conversation - is this turning in to more? Do we want it to? But we always came back to square one. And although it ended, very amicably, my time with Neil taught me two things - one, sometimes square one is exactly where two people need to be and two, that southern gentlemen truly do exist.

And I was seeing others, too. Jeff Goldblum with his Bachelorette date. Ethan with his Peanut Butter and Jellies. And then there was Nick. But Nick and I were friends. And then sometimes we'd have some wine and make out. And then it would get weird. And then we'd be friends. And then sometimes we'd have some wine and make out. And then it would get weird. I didn't know what was going on with Nick. Hell, I didn't know what was going on period. What I did know was that above and beyond all the aforementioned, I was, I am (we call this foreshadowing), the absolute best version of myself with Nick.

But we'll get to that.

April also brought a ski trip with my dad, which thanks to our lack of snow, actually ended up being more of a beer tasting trip with my dad. May was full of celebration - the first, a Quincenera to celebrate Scream's 15th birthday, the second, a bachelorette trip for +more, a bride to be and the last (and the best), a wedding for Lauren and Scott. Then I turned 29 in June and had my first (certainly not my last) bottle of Veuve Rose to commence Champangeloe. In July, I celebrated Independence Eve with good friends spread on a blue blanket, dressed in white, drinking red wine, listening to the Colorado Symphony - how do you get more patriotic than that? And Pengs surprised me with a train trip through the Royal Gorge and we introduced Lisa to Colorado.

The entire summer was filled with concerts at Red Rocks. Somehow, they had managed to fill the bill with all of my favorites - Head and the Heart, Blind Pilot, The Shins, Florence + the Machine, Bon Iver, Mumford and Sons - so we danced, we sang and yes, even some of us (me) cried.

September was our annual trip to Disneyland and my very first helicopter ride as we flew from outside of Vegas and landed in the Grand Canyon, an experience I will never forget. In October, my +more came to visit for a taste for Fall. And the month ended with a Day of the Dead Halloween night.

I've noticed that November tends to be my big month - in 2011, it was the month that I met that boy on a plane. In 2012, it was when I went to London and when Nick and I finally stopped getting weird and decided that hey, maybe we should give this whole relationship thing a shot. I wish I could tell you it's been a cake walk, but it hasn't. This relationship challenges me on a daily basis but I've learned so much about myself in the short two months we've been together. I'm not rushing, I'm not anticipating. I'm just really enjoying getting to spend time with a person whom I adore, respect and who makes me laugh harder than you do.

December has been filled with visits and boxes. Kid Sis and David came to visit and heard my 'why you should move to Denver' pitch. I spent my first (white!) Christmas in Denver with my mom and Sam. I can't even begin to explain to you how much it meant to me that when I said "I'm so sorry, but I'm not coming home for the holidays this year...." they made it happen and hopefully, enjoyed seeing this city decked out in lights and holiday joy with snow on the ground, as much as I have.

The boxes are because I am moving UP, literally and figuratively. As much as I have loved #17, my very first Denver apartment - filled with exposed brick, hardwood floors and a claw foot tub - I am bidding it farewell on January 1 with a move to Summerhouse. If you're not busy over the next week, I could use some help moving a few boxes about five blocks. I promise your help will be rewarded with an open door to my new amazing apartment with views of the city to die for. And you know that that open door comes with mimosas.

Short notes. C-O-M-E-B-A-C-K. Spot It. Second Annual Superbowl Face Painting Party. Thursdays at Streets of London. Jamba Juice over breakups. Wiz's Bar Crawl. Hunger Games. Beta. Dining Out for Life. Rockies Games. This is the Voice. Double Mint Twins kayaking. Jazz in the Park. Sangria. A rained out Zoo Cruiser Ride. Yves Saint Laurent. Moonrise Kingdom. Camping. June 30th. Bike rides. Sweet Action. SamSam. Stealing sausages. Strongballs. Pengs on trains. Le Central. UMS. Film on the Rocks. Top of the Town. Suburban dinner dates. Nat Geo. Dons. Cam at the Corn Maze. Lucky finds! Mixed Taste at MCA. 2nd Annual Cousin Day at Waterworld. Let's go to Iceland. Summer Scream at Lakeside. Carry On. Manning. Tour de Fat. Geena Davis. X Bar Dance Party. Long Long spelt Lang Lang. #whitegirlproblems. Beauty Bar. London. Westminster Abbey. The Eye. Stonehenge. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm quite pissed." Dancing to 'Call Me Maybe.' Matilda. Meeting BFH. The Tate and Rothko. The Lumineers. Warren Miller. Copper with Nick. Winters Mist. Mussels on Thanksgiving. Hot Tubs. Curse Me Good. Cosby Con. Vesper love affair. Backyard ziplining. A white Christmas. 

And a happy New Year.