Farewell, 2011 :.: my 24th birthday :.: looking forward!

THIS IS... my last entry of 2011! Man, this year passed by quickly. I am happy with everything that went on this year! I graduated college, traveled to NYC, got a job at Panera Bread, moved into an apartment, spent time with friends, felt inspired on so many levels, and I turned 24 years old! Here are some pictures from MY 2011. :)

Remember the college Sunday school "Home Away from Home" group I was part of? This is back in January. The ladies stayed late that evening to make bracelets! :D From left to right: Clarissa, Katie, Tracy, Katie, me, Britt, Sylvia, Sarah, and Glee.

This is from the Lakeholm ladies' retreat I attended in early February. I loved this ranch! So cozy and fun. I would like to return someday. :)

Ouch! Be careful of wet floors. This is when I sprained my wrist at the end of February. It took about 4 weeks to heal.

Welcome to March! College was not all academics. This is when Katie, Kristianna, Kristi ate at Fiesta Mexicana, followed by seeing Gnomeo & Juliet... and then I think we all went for ice cream that night.

This is also in March. In Mount Vernon is a very well-known eatery called Southside Diner. Well, people were in shock when it was my second year at MVNU and that I had never eaten at Southside Diner. So, this was my first time there. It was a girls' day out after church. :) Me, my roommate Jenn, Emalee, Katie, Brittany, Kristianna, and Kristina.

April! Spring break! Trip to Florida. I love this picture of my niece and me. And yes, my hair is a mess, but I was having too much of a good time to care. :)

Here's everyone! John & Kristi, and Grace and Noah. Me on the floor. Mom and dad. And Ebony, the dog.

There's me in Florida.

And I wanted to show one of my favorite "photography" pics. I love how I captured the bird in it as well. :)

In New York City! My favorite summer memory. This is at the cathedral after mass. Bobby, me, Ariana, Dawn, and Dr. & Mrs. Wiley.

It was really nice going to NYC for my last summer class. I really enjoyed it, and I wish I could share ALL the pictures again, right here, right now. This trip was in June.

This is at the end of June, when I got hired at Panera Bread. There have been some changes in the dress code since this picture, such as shoes, the hat, the type of khaki's we can wear, etc., but same apron, same nametag, etc. It's hard to believe that it's been 6 months since I started working at Panera. Maybe sometime, I can pictures of the place.

Stacey is my closest friend from high school. This picture is of us hanging out at Roscoe Village back in July.

Cindy, me and Stacey on the 4th of July. We went to Acres of Fun in Wooster.

And I was happy to see fireworks this year. This picture turned out the best. :)

September! This was my first visit to the Wayne County fair. I loved it! :D Honestly, not much happened between September and November. *ponders* I continued working at Panera, hung out with Stacey from time to time, and then the holidays came, as well as my college graduation and apartment move-in in DECEMBER! I know I recently posted pictures of both events, but here they are again. :D

And that was my 2011. And my 2011 ended with me being a year older. My birthday was on Thursday! :)

Here I am! 24 years old. :) This year for my birthday, my parents took me out to IHOP. We don't have one in the area, or where I just moved, but I was really craving IHOP during the last several weeks, so I chose that for my birthday meal. Hehe. I usually choose Olive Garden for my birthday, but this year I wanted something else. And I didn't even get pancakes! Haha. Here are some pictures. :)

And then, we came back to my apartment and celebrated. :)

It was a good birthday! :) And 2011 was a good year. I am really looking forward to a new year though! I love this time of year. I love how everything feels so new and so fresh, and although last year I fell asleep before the countdown to 2011, I am planning to count down tonight. Happy New Year, everyone!