My review of 2012

Another year in my life began a couple of days ago, and I’m excited for the future. Since my birthday is close to January 1st, this will be my recap from the last twelve months.

I published 52 posts for the year. I didn’t accomplish my blogging mission for 2012, so I’m going to ponder more attainable blogging goals, then post them in time for the new year.

Here’s a list of my life changes and major events in 2012:

• February — Hired by Automattic; left the band.
• January/February — Moved in with my girlfriend, Amy.
• June — Got my first kitteh. Meow.
• June — Married Amy in San Francisco!
• August — Moved to a larger apartment.
• September — Started budgeting; setup a joint checking account.
• November — Went to Seaworld in San Diego with Amy.
• Decorated for Halloween and Christmas. It was my first time doing both in more than two decades.

I’ve also traveled to the following places for work:

• March — Tybee Island, GA
• March, September — San Diego, CA
• July — Amsterdam, Netherlands
• August, November — San Francisco, CA

Twitter, Flickr, and Love

Oh hai, Amy! We had our first date over four years ago. Now, I’m so happy and blessed we’re married, and doing awesome things together. She helps and encourages me to be a better person for her and anyone else in my presence (physically or digitally).

Budgeting

Serious budgeting makes our lives immensely easier. (Understatement.) Moving into a more expensive apartment was the tipping point, however we actually set money aside for the things we need and want:

• Set aside a $1,000 emergency fund.
• Ensure all accounts are current (not delinquent).
• Bills are paid on time, or early in many cases.
• For our weekend in San Diego for Seaworld, we saved money for the hotel, food, and fuel. No sweat!
• Holiday decorations and gifts.
• Health bills, car maintenance, car registration, car repair, and vet costs.
• We just purchased a new bed that cost about $1,100.

I’d like to reiterate that we feel fantastic after budgeting each paycheck together, and we’re super stoked to start paying off all credit–based accounts with the snowball method.

Work

Working in a distributed company is new to me. I feel more comfortable than I did ten months ago, especially after meeting all my coworkers in person.

I love that I’m constantly learning and challenging myself to improve in several areas, and it’s extremely liberating to know that my insight and efforts are heard and appreciated.

I’m also excited for almost every shift. So rad.

On that note, it’s off to work I go! 😉