It seems strange to me this year to say goodbye to 2011 - it was a year of life changes that looking back required a world of courage and one giant leap of faith. If this were last January, I would have been taking stock of IRS forms, preparing 1099s and mentally prepping myself for tax season. Instead, I am sitting at my desk after two weeks of school vacation searching through the web for bakeries and restaurants in Austin that may peak my interest. My boyfriend of 7 years is at his parents' home two hours away (that sometimes feels like oceans away), and tonight we will have the pleasure of spending New Year's Eve together in San Antonio with his childhood friend Phil and his precious family.
Looking back, I would have never foresaw the big changes 2011 would bring. For almost 11 months I pondered quitting my job and going to pastry school, talking to different admissions counselors and discussing the possibility with my close friends and family. I wanted to, but was ridiculously scared to leave my job - I would be giving up financial security by quitting, moving to a different city (still undecided at the time), and wondered if the change would strain my relationship with my boyfriend. I began saving as much money as possible just in case and numbed my mind with the craziness of tax season. Then in March I received a call from an admissions counselor at Le Cordon Bleu in Austin. She said they had an opening for the classes beginning in early May. Although I wanted to go, my lease was not over and I would not have enough time to pack and find a new apartment in Austin because of the hours of work tax season required. She did say, however, that a new set of classes would begin in early July and for some crazy reason I said, Sign me up!
That weekend my boyfriend and I came to Austin, signed a lease with the first apartment we saw and went home to start packing. I gave my notice in late April and my last day at work was June 10th. My apartment complex at the time let me out of my lease a month early and on June 16th I moved to Austin to begin preparing for pastry school. It was undoubtedly, the best decision I have made thus far. I am still scared, though. In April I will begin my externship and I still haven't picked a place - I worry about finding a good fit, but have faith everything will work out in the end.
All of that aside, my Dad moved to Arkansas in October to take a new job, leaving the place I had grown up. Only one of my three brothers remain in McAllen, making it no longer feel like home. It seems a distant memory, a place where a life was lived but could not end. Knowing I may never go back feels as if I am surrendering my childhood, but the memories of our life there in the hot & humid land filled with palm trees 10 minutes from the Texas-Mexico border sustain me. I honestly do not know where I will be at the end of 2012 or what job I will have, but I have faith that it will be a year filled with success and love.
May you have a wonderfully magical New Year's Eve night!
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