Year in Review: 2013

    So now that it's almost over, everyone is reminiscing about the past year and the highlights that mean the most to them.  As I have had a pretty stellar year, I guess I'll do the same.  These are the best moments from my 2013, counting down to the best:)

    Substituting has become one of the best decisions I have ever made.  Honestly, I didn't think I'd ever become a teacher, but after I got more invested in my degree and experimented with substitute teaching, I grew to love the kids at my school and I will be very sad when I have to leave them for my internship next year.  I've become fond of the middle school environment and I'm excited to see where the new year takes me and my career.

    I got a chance to go zip-lining with my in-laws this fall and it was a great experience.  If you know me at all, I'm terrified of heights, so this was also a huge challenge for me.  However, I had a ton of support from my new family and they helped me through it.  There were moments where I was more scared than excited, but I would still do it again if given the opportunity and I urge anyone thinking about it to do the same.  So much fun!

    This year my husband and I got to go to two amazing Comic Conventions in New England.  We went to the Boston Comic Con and then the Rhode Island Comic Con, which were both packed with books, celebrities, costumes and more.  I had never been to one before, but my husband wants to go into that line of business some day and let me tell you, if he does, I would have absolutely no problem going to any of those with him to support him.  They are nice people, the literary works are intricate and the artists are extraordinary, so it's definitely an experience worth having.  I'm looking forward to visiting more in 2014.

    We moved from Dover to Exeter to Newmarket, NH this year.  It was stressful, but totally worth it.  We went from living with other people to living with my father to finally living on our own.  Sometimes we need to move back home, just for a little while, to get back on your feet and set your affairs in order.  For now we're happy in our tiny apartment, but we're patiently waiting for a chance to get a house.  You have to start small to move up.

    St. Louis was an awesome highlight for my 2013.  We went for business, but if you had been there you could barely tell.  It was one of the most fun trips I've been on and I would do it again in a heartbeat.  So many genuinely nice people in one place, such good food and great sight-seeing made for a great mini vacation.  Hopefully I get more chances to travel in 2014.

    I graduated in 2013!  It doesn't feel like it because I'm still in school for my Masters, but I obtained a Bachelor's degree.  It's a great achievement for anyone to finish college, and the fact that I went back for round two is even more great, (and somewhat crazy, according to some people).  I am proud of my degree and I will be even more proud when I am officially certified by the state of New Hampshire as a licensed educator.  Then I can have my own students and I can finally start my career.  I am excited about what's left to come on this journey, including a lot of interviews and starting the internship process next fall, so I guess we'll see where I end up.

(us at Space Mountain for the 4th time)

    One of the top moments for me in 2013 was my honeymoon.  We are truly kids at heart, so going to Disneyworld was one of the best trips of my life.  I've been before loads of times, but this time we were in control, we made the rules and we did whatever we wanted to do.  We ate magnificent food, spent some quality time together and made a lot of memories we can share with our kids in the future.  My favorite parts were probably everything we did at Epcot and also our trip to Universal Studios on Tom's birthday and going to Harry Potter World:)  That made my life complete!

BUTTER BEER!!

(photo credit: kivalophotography)

    The very best moment for me this year has to be my wedding.  It was a long time coming.  We've been together for five years now, and the only thing I ever felt that was missing was being his wife.  It was the crowning moment on a lifetime of disappointment, hardships and struggling with relationships.  I finally found my soul mate and I couldn't have asked for a better man.  We are looking forward to the years to come and what the future may hold for us.  We are enjoying our married life so far and it feels so great to be Mrs. Lapierre.  I love him more than words could ever say.

(photo credit: kivalophotography)

    So that was my year in review for 2013!  So many great moments to pick from, it was hard to chose just a few.  Otherwise, this would've gone on forever...  I had a lot of terrible things happen this year as well, like my health problems, Lupus flares and other things, which I didn't necessarily want to include in here, but they are still a part of my life that I have to live with.  Tom takes good care of me, so I'm looking forward to a happier and healthier 2014.  There will be lots of changes, many obstacles and hopefully some rewards for all my hard work in the coming months.  We'll have to wait and see!  Thursday's blog is up in the air as of now, but I'm hoping to have some pictures from tonight for you guys, so stay tuned.  If you have an idea for what I should talk about on Thursday, leave it in the comments!  Otherwise, I'll think of something.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

*HAPPY NEW YEAR!!*

End of Blogmas and Retail Woes

    With Blogmas officially coming to a close, I'd like to say thank you to all my family and friends who contributed to my awesome Christmas.  I had a great day and made my goal of seeing everyone a reality, so it was worth driving around all day.  I will not soon forget this Christmas, so I hope next year is just as good!  Now with the New Year rolling in, there are some preparations that must be done.

    I did end up getting a lot of the things I wanted, mainly warmer clothing so that I don't freeze to death at work.  I also got a pretty awesome Power Ranger morpher with power coins, the complete Harry Potter DVD collection and Chromecast, so now I can watch my YouTube channels on my TV!  I also got two books that I'm excited to read: the Amy Tan novel I mentioned a while back called The Valley of Amazement and The Book Thief.  After the first of the year, I will be starting to read for leisure again, so on Thursdays I will be posting the books I'm reading, the progress I've made in the book and my initial thoughts so far.  This will culminate into a book review on my Reviews page, but I'm excited to dive back into my literature.  I also can't wait to go back to school because I miss my kiddos!

    Post-Christmas for kids usually involves continual play with toys received the previous morning and so on, (until eventually bored).  But for adults, it's a little different.  We have jobs, priorities and plans that are typically unknown to the younger generation.  Any errands Mom or Dad have to run the day after Christmas are none of my concern; I'll just stay here and play Pokemon all afternoon while you're gone.  The day after Christmas is the most hectic shopping day of the year, save for Black Friday.  Everyone NEEDS to return unwanted gifts as soon as possible, for fear of bursting into flame and being sent straight to Hell.  Or so I believe, because that's the way most people act...

    Just some tips for those shoppers who may feel a bit overwhelmed or anyone who thinks that retail personnel are like peasants: DO NOT freak out at the customer service representatives.  We are just that, representatives.  It is likely that we have zero control over what happens in the store we work in, including the price of certain Christmas items that have had less than 24 hours to rot on our shelves.
    I'm sorry this snow globe wasn't 50% off like you thought, but honestly I think it was just in the wrong section.  Not good enough?  Let me just change the price for you so it's practically free.  Are you happy now?  No?  You'd still like to see a manager so you can complain to him about our Christmas merchandise that is STILL "ridiculously priced" and that we should fix it immediately?  Like you'll be back tomorrow to check...  Ok, I'll get right on that...

    Calm down.  Take a deep breath, check to see where you are going, (no, really, some people come in and forget where they are within a five minute time frame...), and be nice.  Treat the cashiers and the customer service representatives like real people because we are real people.  The only thing separating you from us is a counter and trust me, sometimes I wish the counter wasn't there so I can slug the person in front of me, but I smile and tell them to "Have a nice day," because it's my job and we have little to no control in what goes on around us.  Just keep that in mind if you need to do some Christmas returns or exchanges.  If you are nice to us, we'll be nice to you.  It's that simple.
    Anyway, that's basically all I have for today.  The day after Christmas can be somewhat depressing for some people, so I try to keep the spirit alive for at least another week before giving up and hoping for Valentine's Day.  The truth is nothing really happens again until summer vacation, so you're just waiting for another break in the clouds.  I will be posting again Tuesday about New Years Eve and popular trends and traditions.  Looking forward to spending time with friends again soon!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.