Treat Yo Self 2011

2011 wrap up. 

• I moved from one town to another. My brother left for a mission and I got his iPhone. And as you can see from the photo below, I really got into Instagram. 
• I flew to California three or four times to get cookies from Trader Joe's see my nephews.
• Books read total for the year: 98. Possibly 99 by December 31 or a smaller number if I remove all those repeated audio books (I drove a lot this year and have a small collection of audio books).
• I'll probably never remove them.

My parents moved to China for a mission and I got their house (temporarily). Long term house sitting for Republicans means I'm also a gun owner now. One thing about living by yourself that I've discovered is that EVERYONE who visits asks the same question. "Is it scary living on your own in this house?" This never stops being a weird and slightly condescending question, and it's not one I ever got living alone in an apartment. So I always want to say, not really, I've got like three guns. Which is a lie. I have a lot more.

I planted a lot of flowers, became a museum docent and remain confused by Pinterest. So, while I turned 28 and was twice mistaken for 18 this year, I am actually 80 years old. That being confused for 18 is not a back door brag, I firmly believe it was due to perceived immaturity and chin acne.

My sister, brother-in-law and three of my nephews moved to Norway. I'm traveling to Norway next spring to visit, so Instagram followers and any remaining blog readers are going to see all the Instagram'd Norway they can handle. My fifth nephew was born this August. He's now lived in Norway longer than he's lived in America, which means he's basically a Socialist. I recently decided I have six nephews because my sister's dog counts as one.

Parks and Recreation has been really good this year. It's a real shame not everyone in America is watching it, because I firmly believe all Americans can become united in having a crush on Ben Wyatt.

I went to five presidential libraries: Lyndon Johnson, George H. W. Bush, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. I saw three grave sites: Johnson, Nixon and Reagan (while Bush is still alive, I didn't have time to visit his future grave site). And I visited two birth sites: Johnson and Nixon.  

I tried raw okra, fried okra and fried snickers for the first time. One was tolerable, one was amazing and one was MIND BLOWING. Bonus points if you can correctly guess which was which.