It is the start of a new year – 2012?! How the hell did that happen? Seriously. So I thought it would be a good time to have a look at the last year and the significant events that shaped 2011 and my life. There may even be pictures!

So where was I this time last year? I rang in New Year’s drunk and alone in my bedroom because Mum and Dad had gone to bed. Yes, I was living with my parents at the time and unemployed. However that night, drunk and alone, I thought it would be a good idea to start talking to a certain boy. How very unaware I was, not knowing this small drunken act would shape the rest of my year. NO REGRETS THOUGH.

January

January started with a trip to Wellington and a job interview for TVNZ. I was ever so hopeful, having only lost my job a month previously, that this would be my new start. However it wasn’t. So I dyed my hair red when I didn’t get the job at TVNZ. Cause yanno, I can.

The same day I went for my interview, I met my future Man Piece. By the end of January it was official – 29th to be exact. You better take note, JETHRO, cause there will not be forgiveness. Especially this year, you are going to be in Wellington for it. WTF.

Don't we just make you sick?

February

February was the month that held the week from hell. After a week in Wellington with Man Piece – a Valentine’s Day on which we went up the cable car and to the observatory,  having fun with a tour of parliament and a trip to the zoo – I got the worst news of the year.

Granddad died on the 19th. Heart failure. One minute he was there, drinking a beer, the next he was gone. Just like that.

On Tuesday the 6.3 quake struck Christchurch. At first I didn’t think much of it.  I saw people in Wellington tweeting there was an earthquake, not so bad. I remember saying to Mum, “Oh, there’s just been a quake in Wellington.” She replied with something like, “Oh, really? How big?” I said it wasn’t too big and then I had to tell her. It wasn’t in Wellington. It was Christchurch. Then the tweets from Christchurch started coming in. Then the pictures and my stomach dropped. This one was different. It changed everything. Panic and fear set in. My thoughts immediately going to my sister and friends. I remember thinking “Not now. This is not meant to happen. This year was supposed to be better.” In that one minute, 2011 was worse than 2010.

The feeling of not knowing was the worst.

The next day, Mum had another surgery and we struggled to get sister out of Christchurch. We were already grieving and to have the quake and Mum’s surgery added to it… just thinking about it now I’m starting to tear up. Worst week ever.

March

Family was in town for a fair bit of March. My cousin Thomas and his wife Tenille had planned a trip to New Zealand. Unfortunately they arrived just after Granddad’s funeral, but they were here. I finally met my baby cousin. He is ridiculously cute! Who is not so baby anymore. He’s almost two and another bub is on the way. Potentially a trip to Toronto is needed. Just sayin’.

I also had my birthday. Got an awesome present – my DSLR. It has come in handy quite a bit this year.

Being unemployed produced a fairly mundane year. April, May, June, July and August didn’t produce much of anything. I had job interviews quite regularly, but I can’t quite remember which was when. I was back and forth between Hastings and Wellington quite a bit.

We did go to the food show, which was awesome. I also finished my photography diploma – finally! My work with Oh, The Scandal finished, which was quite sad and I never found anything else to replace it.

September

September had Man Piece and I have a trip up to Auckland, which also involved a job interview, in a stroke of luck. On the way back from Auckland we by-passed Rotorua and  went to Wai-O-Tapu, which was quite awesome seeing the geyser erupt and walking around the park.

In a stroke of pure idiocy, I went snowboarding. I hated it, absolutely hated it. But for some reason, I want to do it again. But with a few less kgs.

After the pain of snowboarding, I had another few job interviews and actually got one! FINALLY.

October

October began the pack up and move to Auckland. I began work on the 10th and then over labour weekend, Man Piece and I went to Australia – Melbourne and Brisbane. I really liked Melbourne and definitely want to go back sometime soon. Oh, and I saw the Queen! The actual one!

She's the one in the green dress. You might need to zoom.

November

November was pretty quite, it involved a lot of trying to settle in to Auckland and work, but once again the powers that be wanted to upset my family and my Great Aunt Betty died. She was Granddad’s sister, so to lose both of them in the same year, was quite difficult.

I also got my new baby – the macbook air. Swoon. It is amazing and so much better than my old brick of a machine.

December

December was very much a wind down month. Not much happened and I only ended up working two weeks in the month. Man Piece and I spent Christmas in Hawke’s Bay with my family and then headed to Wellington to see his and ring in the New Year.