Goodbye to the 00's, Hello to the 'teens

The past decade has been the first of my life where decisions I made have had a measurable impact on my life.

Accomplishments:
- Graduated from high school. It's not that big of an accomplishment, but it happened.
- Graduated from college with a degree in Journalism/PR and Comparative Literature. The first college graduate in my whole family.
- Started preparation for a Masters program. Although I'm now finding it difficult to muster motivation to finish the preparation...
- Purchased my own car. His name is Tobey and I love him.
- Ran a full marathon and 5 half marathons. Now training others to complete half marathons and still have my goals set on placing in Solvang. Susan... you're mine.

Lifestyle:
- Lived in Eugene, OR. Reeked of pot thanks to my first roommate, learned to sniff out patchouli oil even in its smallest quantities, developed the ability to withstand a blaring fire alarm to avoid standing outside the dorms in the rain at 2am and started to hate the smell of fresh baked bread.
- Lived in Seattle, WA. Walked my way all over the city, developed an appreciation for mass transit and reinforced my coffee addiction.
- Worked at the biggest online retailer. I worked with amazing people and I spotted unicorns. What more does someone need?
- Worked for, what seemed like, the smallest record label ever. Made nothing, but saved money by drinking on the boss' tab.
- Saw the majority of the state of California through the car window. Should have stopped to explore more often.
- Drove along I-5 from within 5 miles of the Mexican border and 200 miles of the Canadian border.
- Been within arms reach of my idol, Lance Armstrong, and lost the ability to speak.

Lessons Learned:
- "Dated" someone for 4.5 years. It was a waste. I'm over it. Wanna go out?
- Blacked out on St Patty's Day and tipped the bartenders $100 on top of the $135 tab.
- Got myself in lots of debt, but had fun doing so. College, cars, clothes, shoes, trips, computers... All worth it. Kinda.
- Even if you're unsure if the person dragging their feet across the street at 11am is your friend, you should still pull over to make sure that it is not. Because it may be your buddy walking home from jail after getting picked up on a DUI. (sorry, Dane).
- Andre, Bud Light, Ruthie's Cadillac Margaritas and popcorn DO NOT mix well.