2015 Wrap-up

I received some inspiration from a friend and fellow blogger, for a year end wrap up post (thanks Palmer, agentpalmer.com). It seemed a good way to get another post out and given the busy day I've had, it's going to be right down to the wire.

I can't complain about 2015, as a whole the year was pretty good. I had a busy year at work, completing my first year in my new position in July. I am surely thankful for my job--plus I enjoy it and the people I work with. A lot of good things happened in July, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

The beginning of the year saw the start of monthly Comicon volunteer meetings which are always fun to attend. I also attended my first ever Supernatural convention in February. It gave me the opportunity to become even closer friends with a great group of ladies and meet a bunch of other really great people as well. I met the guys of a very funny, interesting and well done show where they review and discuss Supernatural--Thomas, Ryan, and Mike (supernaturalthecrossroads.com). I'm a real fan of the show.

Then, May rolled around and the hustle of last minute preparations for Comicon with it. I've volunteered for Phoenix Comicon since 2012 and every year it keeps getting better. I couldn't imagine not working such an awesome event.

July was a great month. My sister and brother-in-law came to visit with my niece and we all got to celebrate her 1st birthday. Next, my mom and I had the opportunity to fly home to Germany to visit my family. We got to celebrate my Oma's 91st birthday and I managed to fulfill a childhood dream. I finally was able to visit the castle that my Opa had made up stories about during our bike rides through the hillside. This was very nearly my favorite month.

July was only barely beaten in that regard by August and September combined. A week that ran from the end of August to the beginning of September to be exact. I went on an amazing adventure to Vancouver, British Columbia. Not only was I fortunate to attend another Supernatural convention in the location the show (and many others) films, but I got to meet two great friends in person. It's funny to think that you could be so close to someone, talk to them every day, and yet have not met. Sandy and Lucy are two amazing ladies that I have the good fortune to call friends. Our first meeting was nothing strange, it was like we were meeting for the upteenth time. I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of our group this coming May.

In October, I took part in the 7DAG (s7evendaysageek) Podtoberfest. This was a 24 hour long podcast event. It was a lot of fun, which certainly made it easier to stay awake and engaged in the entire 24 hours. I was a part of the writer's room leading up to the big day. The writer's room was responsible for coming up with content for the different themed hours. This was a first for me, to be involved with something like this and I would gladly do it again.

At the beginning of December, the second annual Phoenix Comicon FanFest took place at the University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale. FanFest is the smaller winter convention run by Phoenix Comicon and many of the same volunteers from the big show work this one to ensure it runs smoothly. This was my first FanFest, I was not available to volunteer last year. It was much different than what I was used to from the big show. Everything felt much more relaxed and moved at a slower pace. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the fact that I had time to do a little bit of Christmas shopping. There were so many vendors, it was the perfect environment to do so.

These are my highlights of the year, it's not everything that happened or took place of course--but definitely things worth remembering. Now I sit here, having just ushered in a new year with family and champagne. I look forward to what 2016 has to bring and wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year!