I've been reflecting on 2014 as the year comes to a close. After getting off to a very rough start, it turned around in a major way. In the end, it was one of the best years I've had in recent memory. I'm going to share some of the reflections of the events that shaped 2014.
As I said in the opening, the year got off to a very rough start. I started the year unemployed after being let go from a temporary assignment at Verisk Health, which as you will read later turned out to be a very good thing. I spent the year still living at home with the parents while trying to rebuild my financial stability. My birthday was a major downer, which I previously blogged about.
So how did 2014 turn out to be such a wonderful year after that rough start? Well the turnaround began in March when I was offered a temporary position with Dealertrack. The temp agency found me, and I sure am glad they did. After spending nine months as a temporary employee, I was offered a position directly with Dealertrack. My start date for the new position is 1/5/15. It's a more technical oriented position, which is absolutely perfect for my tech geek self. After 4 long years of bouncing around as a temp since leaving Zions, it feels like I have finally found the right company for me to grow with. This is a definite highlight of the year.
I also finally fulfilled a lifelong dream. I have always longed to be a ballet dancer. For 7 years I have watched Ballet West from the audience with great joy. Always admiring the dancers, and wishing to emulate them. Well in the Summer I finally did something about it. I first reached out to Allison DeBona (Soloist with Ballet West) for private ballet lessons. I experienced my first ballet class ever with her on 5/31/14. It was incredible, and she is a fabulous teacher. That was my only class with Allison, as I moved over to private lessons with Elizabeth McGrath (recently retired First Soloist with Ballet West). I have now taken a total of 10 ballet classes, with 9 of those being taught by Elizabeth. It's been absolutely amazing for me to finally live out this dream. Elizabeth is such an awesome teacher, and I am so lucky to be learning from her. I'm so very thankful for the opportunity to make this dream a reality. I am just so happy when I am in ballet class, and really look forward to learning even more. It really is never too late to live out your dreams. Don't let age or fear hold you back.
I visited a city I had longed to visit for many years. In September I took a road trip to San Francisco!! Unfortunately I had to go solo, but I still had a great time. I was motivated to take the trip by Within Temptation announcing a limited US tour. For those unaware, they are a symphonic metal band from The Netherlands. They are very popular in Europe, but repetitively unknown in the US. Instead of visiting one of the cities I had already been to previously, I chose to visit San Francisco. I stayed in the home of a wonderful married couple (Noah and Andy) in Oakland. I visited Ghirardelli Square, which is a very big deal if you know me well. I biked across the Golden Gate Bridge. I attended the Within Temptation concert. I attended the 49ers game against the Eagles at their new home Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. Overall it was a wonderfully memorable trip, and I can't wait to visit the Bay Area again soon.
It was an incredible year for music. I attended many concerts put on by my top favorite artists. Several of those artists put out new music as well, but I'll save that for a blog post about my top albums of the year. For now, her's a list of all the concerts I attended this year:
1/17/14 - Panic! At The Disco live at in The Venue in Salt Lake City
3/28/14 - Jillette Johnson at Kilby Court in Salt Lake City (+Private radio performance at My 99.5)
4/15/14 - Katie Herzig at Urban Lounge in Sat Lake City
4/21/14 - Sevendust at The Complex in Salt Lake City
4/29/14 - Ingrid Michaelson private radio performance at My 99.5 in Salt Lake City
6/14/14 - OneRepublic at Usana Amphitheatre in West Valley City (+Private radio performance at My 99.5)
8/3/14 - Sara Bareilles at Saltair in Salt Lake City
8/4/14 - Lady Gaga at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City
9/25/14 - Within Temptation in San Francisco
11/7/17 - Jillette Johnson at The Complex in Salt Lake City
11/8/14 - LIGHTS at The Complex in Salt Lake City (Read about it here)
I made several new friends along the way in 2014. I thank you all for coming into my life. It's always a great thing to meet new people with common interests. Even better when they accept me for who I am without judgment.
As you can see, 2014 really was a wonderful year. So many great things happened for me in 2014. I am looking forward to 2015 with high hopes for an even better year. Thanks for the memories 2014!
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