Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Top 12 Moments of 2012

1. Finally dying my hair. I talked about doing it for years and years and last January, shortly after the first, I finally did it with the help of my buddies.


Look at how red it was! Also, enjoy this photo of Maggie and I with a dinosaur.

2. So, in August of 2011, I hurt my knee at Austin City Limits by standing up. No, really. That's actually what happened. Britny and I were sitting on a blanket, listening to Fleet Foxes and decided to move over to Randy Newman. I stood up and something snapped and then I was sitting down again. It was misdiagnosed for a long, long time which left me walking with a limp like an old school pimp for the rest of 2011. I wore a brace for about a month, but it didn't do anything. If I turned a certain way, it would swell up and I would basically be hobbling.

This is what happened right before I was supposed to go to Lubbock to spend New Year's with my buddies. I went anyway and after getting back, I was at the doctor for it again. I got an MRI, which was weird that it wasn't done sooner considering, and found out that I had a big tear my cartilage under my left knee cap. I had surgery on January 13th. I remember because it was a Friday and I was already nervous enough without that added superstition. I spent the rest of January and most of February on crutches, not to mention a month of physical therapy after that, but this is definitely one of my top moments for the year. The first time I was able to go up a set of stairs like a normal person, without having to clutch the railing like my life depended on it as I swung my leg up at an angle to get it up over the step was AMAZING. I was so thrilled that I wanted to dance a jig, but I knew I would hurt myself again, so I refrained.

3. Seeing Mumford & Sons and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros with Maggie during Spring Break. FOR FREE.


4. Belated birthdays and fort-building with my buddies. This was the last time we all hung out before our whole dynamic changed over the summer. It's very bittersweet to look on now, but definitely one of my favorite moments of the year.

5. Crazy one-day road trip back to Austin during my very brief two-week summer vacation with Maggie and Britny for Starkid's APOCALYPTOUR. We got to Austin a few hours before the show started and left around one in the morning, getting back home around five. The overall trip was less crazy and more exhausting, but great nonetheless.



6. Seeing The Head and the Heart at Waterloo for free, even if they only had time to play four songs, was awesome. Enjoy the audio from the videos I took if you have the time. They were spectacular to see perform live.


7. My older brother got married this summer. I'm the youngest of four, two brothers and one sister, and Jeremy is the first to get married. The entire wedding was beautiful and so much fun. There was a live band for the reception, a photo booth area full of silly props, and an open bar. Towards the end of the night, people were dancing with said props, which included mullet whigs, fake mustaches, and several plastic weapons.

My whole family was dancing together the last few songs. When "I'll Stop the World and Melt With You" started playing, the last song of the night, it was felt like a scene from a movie.


Jeremy put Elizabeth up on his shoulders and I'm pretty sure every single person there was dancing. The moment was so full of joy and just sheer happiness. It was one of those moments that you know it's exactly where you are supposed to be.

8. Getting an apartment with my sister was a last minute decision (especially because I didn't find out I didn't have a dorm until the middle of July), but I was so happy to be out of the dorms. I love having a bathroom that I only have to share my sister instead of 20 or so people. I love being able to take showers without shoes and not having to cart so much stuff into the bathroom to get ready everyday. I especially, and irrationally, love having the ability to light candles whenever I feel like it.


9. Maggie, Kaitlyn and I ran a Color Me Rad 5K in Dallas, and I had a blast. Even after my surgery, my knee was bothering me over the summer and I wasn't able to run as much as I should have. Although I didn't run the entire thing, I was able to run a lot of it pain-free with the help of a cheap knee brace and it was SO EXCITING. I feel like I can't appropriately convey how jazzed I was to be running and not limping.


10. KaCee was able to come down and go to Austin City Limits with me this past October and it was so awesome. We saw a lot of great bands, including Jack White, The Black Keys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Florence + The Machine, and so many others. 

One of my favorites from the weekend was Band of Skulls. The first day of ACL was almost unbearably hot and sunny. So, naturally the second day, when Band of Skulls was playing, it was cool and rainy. It started pouring after they had played like, two songs. KaCee and I, with many others, stayed near the stage and waited to see if they could dry the equipment in time to play a few more. KaCee had a poncho so she stayed relatively dry. I did not have a poncho or an umbrella, so I was drenched. The rain stopped momentarily and they did play a few more, including "I Know What I Am" and "Light of the Morning." It started up again towards the end of it though and because of that, it was one of the most shows badass shows I think I've ever seen live.

11. For a class this semester, I had to live blog the election. I went to the Democratic Watch Party in downtown Austin and though at the time it was super stressful, it was incredible. Though I much prefer feature stories and human interest pieces, covering the election was exciting. I met some very interesting people, got some great quotes and perspective for my group's blog and made an A!


12. My friend Mary got married at the beginning of December. She is a very talented photographer and their wedding was crazy and colorful (Mary's colors were glitter and rainbow) and it was all just so Mary.
The bachelorette party great too, though not as crazy as most. We caught a show at Esther's Follies, a comedy club in downtown Austin, and had some Amy's ice cream afterwards.


After the wedding, Maggie, KaCee, Britny and I spent most of the night in a Whataburger in our fancy attire, being loud and obnoxious. We spent the night at my apartment and didn't wake up until way late in the afternoon. It was a great and emotional weekend, but made dealing with the last week of class very difficult.

Despite these great moments, this year as a whole was very trying. I can't wait for all the possibilities that 2013 will bring.

- Melany