errr... Happy New Year! (a week late... oops!)

Well I figured it's about time I get on the ball writing my first post of 2010. I took quite a 2 and 1/2 week hiatus...

Be prepared, this might be long, but we'll see.

HAPPY 2010! Wow... a NEW decade! It's kinda hard to believe. So, so, SO much has happened in my life this past decade... all of which are nothing short of life-changing, growing up, and full of major accomplishments and milestones. Of course, there's been some bad things too, but the great far outweighs them. Eight years of this decade was high school and college - in which I had experiences that were fun, challenging, memorable, and just the best time of my life. I've been fortunate to meet so many wonderful people throughout it and even more fortunate to call most of them my friends.

It's odd sitting here looking back at the past ten years. There's such a mixture of emotions. It kind of all floods back on you and the years blend together. As I sit here, random memories keep popping into my head with no adherence to a time line. When you're living your life, you hardly ever sit and contemplate your past until times like these when you realize you're beginning a new decade and you can't help but wonder what the next one will bring, not only for yourself, but for your loved ones, the country, and our world. It's both horribly exciting and scary at the same time. The unknown always is, but I for one am enthusiastic to see where my next years take me and what will come my way. Good or bad, I'm ready to experience it all- to love it, learn from it and grow from it. May the same be true for you.

Since I last left you, I've been rather busy I suppose. Here's a brief run-down:
- My boyfriend, Tim, came back into the cold, freezing state of Illinois and spent time with me for the first time in Springfield and my apartment.
- My parents came into Springfield while he was here and we had a really nice dinner and visit with them.
- Erinn and her boyfriend, Ryan, came over to my place and the four of us had pre-dinner drinks and snacks before going to dinner. Lovely.
- Christmas happened! I LOVE Christmas... It was a really good Christmas, I must add. I felt as if my family expanded this year, not only with some of my family members coming to IL from out of town, but with splitting the day with Tim and his family as well! It was really special.
- I traveled in the back seat of a Toyota 4Runner for 16 straight hours to Texas with 3 boys. Ooftah... It seems bad, and I complain about it, but it really went rather fast. And it probably helped that I slept the majority of the time! It was a little crowded, and my neck hurt each time I woke up, but it was fun at the same time.
- Spent the following week in Texas and rang in the New Year! It was a great week with some good and not so good moments, but I wouldn't have changed it. It was certainly nice sitting outside and eating lunch on January 2nd with just a long sleeved shirt on...
- Came back to work this week. Haven't had too much to do, but session starts on Tuesday... hopefully things will pick up then.
- Got back to my work-out routine after a very similar hiatus to my blog-writing.

I feel like a lot of other stuff has happened, but those are the highlights.

I have a lot to look forward to this year... but in the short term as well!

First up: LADY GAGA CONCERT! Ok, ok... I know there are those who really think she's weird and crazy and don't like her, and those who are just gaga over her. I'm somewhere leaning closer to being gaga over her. I think she's just as crazy and over-the-top as the next person, but that's part of the reason I like her. It's like a moth to the flame... or watching a train wreck... you can't help but look and wonder what she'll do next. And her tunes are catchy. Anywhoo... her concert in Chicago is this Saturday and I'm going with my two best friends - you guessed it, Whitney and Erinn. In preparation, I've been listening to her albums all week long while working. I know 'em all now. I am highly anticipating this show as I feel like she is going to put on a spectacular performance. Plus, we're going shopping for an outfit that will fit in with her um, more tame styles. I'm sure I'll blog about it later and some of you can make fun of me all you want for it.

My birthday is also coming up! I get so excited about birthdays for some reason even though they aren't particularly super fantastic or anything... although I did have a wonderful 22nd birthday... my 21st was pretty good... but for my 23rd, I'm anticipating it to be a wonderful weekend as well. I guess I like them so much, because obviously, it's your day! And it starts a new year, a new age for you. A penny to each person that can tell me when my birthday is... (oh, I'm so funny.)

There's snow here... and if you remember one of my previous posts, I'm always cold. Well snow is cold... and wind chills are even colder. Below zero temps and wind chills are bitter cold... it's just a cold-fest all around here in the Midwest. This equals an unhappy Johanna... a Johanna that struggles to get out of bed in the morning and winces while walking into work each and every day. I'm definitely ready for Spring and for that Groundhog to NOT see his shadow. Please... please, please, please...

I got Sarah Palin's book for Christmas and I am currently 155 pages into it. I'm really enjoying the book, and I sincerely don't think it's just because I'm Conservative or a Republican or that I like her. I also read a decent blog posting about her this morning, I thought. Click here if you want to read it too. I wanted Palin's book because I knew about her from the campaign and such, but I wanted to know more about her background and to see what she had to say herself. I'm also always intrigued by any public figures' personal life, you know, the story behind the person that you wouldn't know otherwise. We always just see them as people we like or don't like, agree with or not, but I feel we sometimes forget that they're people just like us with families, joys, trials, and stories to tell. Maybe I'll read Obama's at some point... and I hear Dubya is coming out with one. And maybe I like Palin's so far too because I would really love to go to Alaska someday, and she obviously talks about the beauty of the land a lot in it.

I think that's all I bore with you for now. I feel like a lot of what I've said is stating the very obvious, but sometimes that's ok and not a bad thing at all. Thanks for reading this far though!

Tonight is the Texas v. Alabama National Champ game... going to watch it with co-workers. Super excited, should be a good time.

Looking forward to a year of blogging about my life and the randomness that happens to me or that comes to mind!