{{Change}}

I know it’s a week late, but I just couldn’t feel inspired to write, and I don’t want to do it to “just do it.” So almost a week after New Years I finally got it together and felt like looking back through 2012.

If I could sum 2012 up into one word it would be, change.

A lot of things changed in 2012. Mostly my address, but also my personality, how I view life, my writing style, my personal style, my 401k, and many more.

Even though my life seems to take a different turn on the almost daily, I don’t regret any decision that I have made in 2012. There were some seriously gut wrenching, life-altering, throw all inhibitions to the wind decisions as well some smaller more personal decisions.

What I don’t want to do is go charging head first into 2013 and forget everything that happened this year. I want to remember how I felt in all of the moments of 2012. Because of this I am starting 2013 with another word, reflection.

January - In late January I moved from North Carolina to Herndon, VA. {{Which all of you know, but I am writing this for myself to look back on.}} With a lot of excitement and a little bit of fear, I dove head first into my life’s new adventure. I chased my dreams of working in Washington D.C. and I don’t regret it. When I moved I didn’t have a job, or heck, an interview, but I was told in order for me to make things happen I “had to be there.” Two days after I moved, I had two interviews for internships, both an hour and a half commute from where I was currently living. Two days after that… I had two job offers and then two days after THAT I started a job as the communications intern for AFP.

February wasn’t a particularly difficult month I would say, but it was a lot different. There was still so much excitement from the move, I had just started my communications internship with AFP, I went to Texas and then I went home. After I visited NC for the first time after moving, I realized how much I missed it. The southern hospitality, Bojangles, my friends, snowboarding and above all else, being accessible. I just wasn’t accessible in DC, and that was very hard for me to grasp. I began to appreciate all those times I was able to go home for an evening when I was in college, the daily chats with my mom, the few times I was able to Skype with friends or just be a part of my “old life.” I also became a professional DC explorer. For reals y’all, the Smithsonian museums were my jam. I even have a special bench in the Air and Space museum where I would just watch people and look at everything around me. I also have a secret bench in the Art Museum… and a spot on the National Mall. I will just continue to believe no one else sits on those benches.

I gained a lot of independence in March. I don’t know if independence would be the right word. What I am looking for is, “I started doing a lot of things by myself and wasn’t scared of it.” I guess independence fits the bill. I went to NC State Alumni events without knowing a soul. I started playing on multiple sports teams where I just signed up, again not knowing anybody. I continued exploring the city all by my lonesome. Living in a small town where you know everybody, either because you are friends with them or because they know your mother, you don’t do things alone. You wouldn’t dare walk into a museum by yourself when you could call up several people and ask them to go with you. I didn’t have that in DC so I was forced to be on my own. And you know what? I love how that has changed me. It sucked having no friends, don’t get me wrong, but being alone is good for the soul. You should try it sometime. I am a converted introvert and I am 100% okay with that development in my personality. March was also the month that I realized if I wanted to become more social, and actually make friends, I was going to have to move closer to the city. It took me three hours, and until 1am to get home from a soccer game one night. Yeah. Try them apples. They don’t taste too good.

I turned 23 in April and it was hands down the worst birthday of my entire life. The worst. I moved on my birthday, and that added bit of change wasn’t doing me any good on my big day. My family came up to DC and brought Sadie with them, which was good, except that it rained… the entire weekend. We didn’t get to do any of the fun DC things I was hoping to do. I didn’t get to “show off” my new city, my new life that I created. They didn’t even want to see my office because the weather was so miserable. We spent the weekend shopping for things I needed. It was very rushed, nobody wanted to do any of that, and it was all around a horrific experience. And after the weekend planned by the Devil himself, my parents left. Or they tried to, until I ran out into the rain crying my newly 23-year-old eyes out and chased them down… sat in the car weeping for 30 minutes begging them for me to take me back with them… and ultimately went into my new room and cried some more. Pretty sure this is when I started watching Lost. The only good thing that happened that day; I discovered Jack. I would link back to a post I wrote about my birthday, except I didn’t write one. And I didn’t take any pictures, that bad. Oh, and I traveled to Pennsylvania for my cousins bridal shower. That was fun, until I had to drive back to DC and discovered the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Read: Also created by the Devil.

Let’s just pretend like I didn’t wake up at 5am to drive to PA… and I actually brushed my hair.

I felt a lot this past year, and most of it all started in May. Before DC I developed this habit I like to refer as my “super power.” I call it a super power because it sounds a lot better than emotionally unstable. Either way, I can turn off feelings very easily for some reason. Once the flip is switched it usually never flips back the other way. What really matters was that I could not escape my feelings in DC and was forced to “feel” them. I was forced to feel lonely, sad, hurt, at times worthless and many other negative feelings. What I learned was that once I felt everything I was able to evaluate them and turn them into good. Being happy was a choice I had to make, and I did, because I allowed myself to feel everything. My favorite thing about May is that I went to my first Washington Nationals baseball game! I love baseball, and I had a blast at the game! (Except it was so hot. Do not wear Khaki shorts when its 104 degrees out. You will not want to stand up and the stupid ball park guards will not let you prop your feet up to air out your butt. Now we will see how many of you actually read this far. Another big event was that my little brother graduated from high school, and I spent Memorial Day at the Lake.

If I could pin-point a time in DC where things started really looking up for me, it would be June. Not only did I get hired on as a full-time, salaried, holy shoot balls I have a retirement fund and benefits employee; I made friends. The whole friends thing was an issue that I really struggled with. When it comes to friends I am very much a quality over quantity, and I was having a really hard time finding people that I actually wanted to spend time with. June came with warmer temperatures, Nationals baseball and good people. Priscilla, Drew, Whitney and Amanda became “my people.” They were people I wanted to spend my time with, and it was as if the skies opened and God rained down Southern Belles. I also discovered brunch. The discovery of the weekends best kept secret was nothing short of epic. Oh, and I went to Vegas and family vacation. You could say I had a lot of fun.

July is hands down my favorite month spent in Washington. After Memorial Day I didn’t go home to NC until LABOR DAY. That is like a long time for co-dependent people like myself. I was just having so much fun with my now real friends that I couldn’t leave! There was one time I wish I could have gone home, but I had this thing called a full-time job so I couldn’t run away. That was during the heat wave from hell when our power was out. I mean out, out for 6 days in the 104 degree humid, wet, disgusto, nasty, make-me-wanna-die heat. this was also over the Fourth of July. The 4th is when I really became friends with Drew. We went to some strangers (to me) house and spent the majority of the day with them cooking out and talking. I met two people who knew two separate people that I grew up with. Drew ended up going to another friends house, I stayed with the strangers now friends (I have a habit of making friends out of complete strangers) and watched the Olympics. Praise the Heavenly Father above this house had air conditioning. Sadie was staying with another friend that had AC so she wouldn’t die. It ended up being the best Fourth. I spent the evening on National Mall watching fireworks and enjoying the free music from a lot of people I can’t remember. I was too busy enjoying my company to really pay attention. Oh, and my cousin got married.

In August both of my best friends in DC suddenly left. Whitney left for graduate school back down in Mississippi, and Drew went back up to Long Island… the same day. Before they left we all went to one last Nationals game together. Luckily, my mother came up to visit and we went to the Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw concert! Two of my best friends also came up to visit me on separate occasions through the month. Georgetown Cupcakes didn’t know what was going to hit them. AFP also held their Defending the American Dream Summit where I worked my second radio row! I must say 3:30am wake up calls with 2am bed times are not my favorite experience, but I did get to meet and direct Governor Scott Walker, Michelle Malkin and Senator Ron Johnson. That was pretty awesome. And you either just high fived me… or punched me in the face. I also started going to McLean Bible Church and really liked it! And my cousin gave birth to my baby cousin! His name is Brooks, and I refer to him as my cousinfew. (Cousin/Nephew get it?)

Whit and me with Lincoln at the Nats game (I consciously didn’t wear khaki)

In September I finally made it home over Labor Day as well as to Raleigh for an NC State football game! This was the scene of my first epic meltdown. As in just God help us all, meltdown. I also went on the bus tour for AFP around North Carolina for an entire week! I was in a bus for five days, had the chance to hang out with Michelle Malkin again, and was featured on Twitchy TWICE! If you’re a republican on Twitter you probably already follow it… if not, it’s probably not for you. I also got a follow from MM herself. I might have screamed a lotta bit of happiness through my lungs. I was playing on three soccer teams by this point and was really enjoying everybody on my teams. College football (also by the grace of God) started and there were plenty of game watches around the city. September was a seemingly slow month when it comes to “action packed” things to do, but I kept very busy between tours, soccer, football and friend visiting. I also made the trip up to Baltimore with Nathan for the Baltimore Orioles game at Camden Yards.

October for some reason was really low key. I don’t remember doing much in October besides going on a four state bus tour while I had a sinus infection and bronchitis. That was a blast, let me tell you! I traveled through Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa on the bus tour, and had as good of a time as possible. Honestly, those states are beautiful and get a really bad rap that they shouldn’t. Sure there isn’t anything super exciting there, but it is gorgeous! I did gather up enough strength to party on the bus during the VP Debate (which was awful). Even though it was low key, October brought back pumpkin spice lattes, and for that I will be forever grateful. As I look through my pictures I see that October was pretty busy. In addition to being gone for an entire week, Lindsey came up to DC for her birthday weekend. Chris and Nick also came up one weekend for the NCSU v. Maryland football game… where I got towed. AND my mom came up to visit as well. I guess being busy started to feel low key, who knew? Whoops.


p.s Maryland’s flag is SO UGLY and I have NO IDEA why they are so obsessed it. Sorry dear sweet love, Michael Phelps… get a new state flag. Sincerely, you don’t know it yet, but your future wife.

November was an especially difficult month. We lost the election. I started getting really sick. And I lost my job. Awesome November. The only thing I was really angry about was the election, but we don’t need to go into detail about that. November was a month for Thankfulness even though it didn’t turn out exactly as planned. I am thankful for my privilege to vote. I am thankful for my current state of health and that my “issues” weren’t as severe as expected. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to spend the year in Washington DC and grow leaps and bounds as a professional and learn so much about myself. For Thanksgiving my family went to WV to spend the holiday with my dad’s side of the family. We also celebrated my Mom’s FIFTIETH birthday. I am not sure she thinks it is a all caps, spell out the number type of occasion, but I like to remind her that she turned FIFTY.

I said my goodbyes and packed up my things in early December and moved back to Raleigh, North Carolina, with no idea what the heck was next. Before I left, my mom came up for one last girls weekend and to help me get some things together. Trying to put a mattress in the back of a van… in our pajamas, no boys helping, was something all of you wish you could have seen, but I am eternally grateful none of you did. We had a blast on our last Kate living in DC weekend, because it won’t be our last, last. The Cherry Blossoms bloom every year! I spent my last night in DC with Nathan and my main man Lincoln.

Do I miss it? Yes. I miss it a lot more than I thought I would, but I am missing the memories of DC of all the fun things that I did and the way I grew up there. Would I go back to live there? I don’t want to flat out say no, but not for a long time. I am really enjoying being in North Carolina and being accessible to my family. I enjoy walking around a neighborhood and seeing trees and waving to people in their cars as they drive past. I enjoy being able to breathe in the cold morning air without the hint of bus gas. I enjoy knowing that everything is so close and I have opportunity here to explore my future and what career path I take next. Politics isn’t something that has to happen here, it is an option that can be taken into consideration. I cherish all of my memories made in DC and will continue to hold the good, the bad and the ugly close to my heart. And when I do go back to visit… I will know all the tips and tricks to get around and not look like a tourist.

So if you made it this far, you should pat yourself on the back, maybe crack your knuckles a little bit and congratulate yourself for a job well done.

And here’s to 2013… an OCD, even number lovin’ girls friggin’ nightmare.

Katelyn

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