Goodbye 2011

I'm not gonna lie. Two Thousand and Eleven was not an easy year for me. It was hard. I've been living at home for the entire year. It was a year of fear, worry, dread and unknowing. I had no money. I was in the hole a bit. I needed to save and figure life out. I changed my mind so many times. One minute I was preparing to teach English in Taiwan. The next I was looking for a job outside of Oregon. The next I was planning on moving to Tennessee to pursue music (I was seriously considering it.) Then finally I settled on Grad school. But I only applied to one, because the thought of preparing to apply to more than one overwhelmed me. Luckily, I made it in. I feel good about it. I finally have direction.

But, as I look back on 2011, it wasn't all bad. In fact, a LOT of great things took place. Here are some photos documenting the good times...in order of when they took place. :)

1) My brother and I put our money together and bought some good recording equipment for a home studio. We've loved it.

2) I took a trip back to my mission. MJM, baby! It was a blast.

Bro Kevin, cousin Paul and I all tried out for American Idol! It was so much fun. None of us made it past the first round (this season had better be GOOOOOD :)), but the experience was a blast. It was so fun having Paul visit and wandering the streets of downtown Portland with him. Good times for sure.

Made a few trips to visit the hermana up in Seattle before baby Perry joined us. Good stinkin' times.

And while in Seattle I discovered my new favorite chocolate: Theo's Coconut Curry. YUM.

I went to the Sara Barielles concert all by my lonesome. It was a FABULOUS experience. Freeing to do something I wanted to do, on my own...no one holding my hand. And it's honestly one of the best concerts I've ever been to. Even better than SOME of the Amy concerts I've attended. SOME...not all. :)

I finally went to VooDoo doughnuts for the first time in my life! I can now call myself a true Portlander...ever though I was raised here. :) My good pals Missy and Julia accompanied me.

My hermana helped me get a make-over...new hair, new clothes...and she's a big inspiration for the weight I've lost. I started living a paleo lifestyle and working out more. So far I've lost 20 lbs...would be more, but the holidays killed me. I'm back on track though, and I'm counting on losing even more this year (I got a late start last year. :))

Baby Perry Willow Ulrich was born, August 25th, 2011!!! One of the coolest experiences of my life was hearing her first cries alongside my brother from out in the hall. Nope...I wasn't in there, and I'm glad I wasn't. :) I did get to hear everything, though.

AMY GRANT concert!!!! First one in 7 years. It was FAB.

The Thanksgiving trip to the snowy lake was great. Great time for reflection. Great beauty. Peaceful. Family time. Good trip all around.

My friend, Karen Brucker, won tickets to a private concert with Snow Patrol and invited me to tag along. SUPER fun.

I was able to witness Perry's first Christmas. She's so adorable. I love her to freakin' pieces.

I ended the year with the greatest birthday I've ever had. A bunch of my friends and family gathered together and made over 160 sack lunches. Several of us went downtown and passed them ALL out to the homeless. Very cool experience. It did leave me with a desire to do more, though. I'm thinking I'll do a lot more work with the homeless in the future. Good times though...good times for sure.

So, while 2011 was a hard year, it was a super good year as well. I'm very grateful for the experiences I had and the joy I felt. I can't wait to see what 2012 brings. Stay tuned for my 2012 resolutions! Happy New Year!