2011 Year in Review

For those who haven’t seen this before, every new year I take some time to reflect on the past year and take note of some of the major things that happened. I do this for several reasons:1) To keep a list for myself of things worth remembering2) As sort of a “Christmas letter” to people I care about3) To give myself perspective on my accomplishments and short comings to be learned fromPlans for 2011: (based on last years predictions)PromotionMoving down to MD permanentlyGraduating from Grad schoolRugby World Cup in NZI accomplished everything I thought I would!!2011 detailed (in general order)Moved back to the Philly areaSpent a lot of time driving back and forth between PA/MD to visit JudyTraveled 7 states in 48 hoursVisit to Boston with a Sam Adams brewery tourSnow shoeing and hiking in MaineBed & breakfastGot to spend a day doing work from MIT (A friend let me in :)Due to a bad traffic accident on I-95, I had to rare priviledge to drive northbound on the southbound lanes.Spent a LOT of time planning for the New Zealand trip. Business trip to Texas and got stuck on the runway for several hours.Mini-vacation at a lake house in northern Maryland.Cancelled my cell phone plan and ran my entire life off of VOIP. (blog post to come)Learned how to open up and fix a dying iPhone.Finished my graduate degree in computer engineeringMoved to MarylandNew job with promotion!! (Done with the whole rotational thing.)Warrior Dash with JudyLost 20lbs (the end of my grad-school weight gain!)Survived the great northeast earthquake of 2011Rugby World Cup in New Zealand!Drove 500+ miles with a stick shift on the opposite side of the vehicle. (confident I can now drive anything)Kayaking in Bay of Islands and Milford SoundBungee jumping in Queenstown. (My first time and on the bridge where bungee was invented)3 rugby matchesUnderground cave tubingflat tire on a rainy mountain road with no cell serviceLots of food, culture and amazing views.Visited the Cryptography museumNephew was born (I’m the godfather!)Plans for 2012A more low key foreign trip to recover from NZ (Maybe Canada or Mexico)I’ve got a couple of possible “big” plans potentially slated for this year. Not going to broadcast, but I’ll be honest at the end of the year and say if I missed one or more of them.Couple of weddings to attendSpending more time on project stuffSummaryThis year was definitely a year of changes. (Moving twice, finishing school, New Zealand, new job, etc.) I consider it the closing of another chapter in my life as I have achieved some higher certification and am now well grounded in my career. 2012 is likely to be the year I start to organize and plan my personal growth journey for the next few years. I’m starting with a clean slate now and will have the time and freedom to explore where I might want my path to lead.PicturesMaine gets cold in winter, especially at the top of a mountain.Hanging out in the middle of I-95. “Going….nowhere”My new cell phoneLakeside in norther MD for a weekendWe did plenty of outdoor stuff this yearWarrior DashMe looking out at the Bay of Islands in New ZealandJudy in the Bay of IslandsMilford Sound in Southern New ZealandOur two traveling companions at Milford Sound