Goodbye 2015

2015 is gone! It was a great year. I knocked things off my 30 before 30 list! I know I have to write some updates for those, but since January 2015, I have visited the West Coast, cooked macaroni that is eerily close to my aunt's masterpiece, and I discovered my great-great-great-grandfather Suffrin (I suppose it makes sense that slaves would name their children after suffering). I also bought tickets to see the Spurs play the Heat in Miami, which brings me closer to getting another item checked off. I secured my first, first-author, publication, and presented at a conference, which brings me closer to my PhD!

January 2015 took me from Clemson, SC to Boca Raton, FL. It might be the first move I can say I really like. Clemson and Spartanburg didn't feel much different from where I grew up. The buildings look similar, and the weather isn't much different. Gainesville felt too much like home, the bad parts of home that is. Cary was pretty but dull, and Maryland was too "citified" for me. Boca is fabulous. I could see myself here forever!

In addition, I've done a ton of Bible reading, and grown in my faith. 2015 was full of exciting experiences, learning, and growth. I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, I just make changes when it occurs to me that I should make a change. This year, while I'm still not making a resolution, there will be a few major changes for me in 2016. My goal is to close the year with a graduation ceremony and earn my PhD (this means I'll be busier and likely do less writing). I am also in the process of buying a vegetarian cookbook and may be going green at some point in the near future.

Hope you had a great 2015, and have even better 2016!