Christmas/New Year's Card from the McCurleys

Well, I am not exactly sure how to start this post, but in lieu of spending a lot of money on stamps and cards, Dan and I have decided to post our Christmas/New Year's Card online.

We know this is late, but Dan and I are still recovering from our involuntary New Year's full body cleanse...Sorry, was that too much information? Be thankful we didn't post descriptive updates on Facebook!

As most of of you may know, but some may not, I started grad school this fall. I love it! I have decided to focus on Aging and Health. I am currently doing a field placement with a senior services agency and am learning a lot and getting to interact with amazing people each day I spend there. I am also still working part-time at the law firm I was previously working at. I am no longer a manager and am working in a new department mostly on special projects. I am really enjoying it! This was definitely a hard decision for me to make, but it was the right decision.

I am still crafting! I am crocheting, knitting and making jewelry. I also started an Etsy store, MttyMcC, this year.  I have made enough money to help pay for books for school! Thanks for your support! I also have mastered distracting myself when it is time to work on papers, but I have seen some hilarious pictures of cats, so I think it was worth it....

Dan will write more about himself later...

We wish you all the best in 2013, and stop by and visit if have the chance. Columbus is a great city!!
We would love to hear from anyone we haven't heard from yet!!

You can also keep up with us on here, though I can't make any promises that we will update frequently, as most of my life is consumed with school, and probably isn't very interesting....
And of course we are on Facebook so follow us there...

Also, it is that time of the year again where we steal the survey from our friend Catherine's blog:

Our Responses are as follows:
A: Amanda
D:Dan

-- What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?
A: I started Grad School...I also had one Grad school meltdown! I also did some improv classes.

D: I traveled for work, twice. Once to Austin, Texas for a workshop and once to Spain (for a week) for a study abroad site visit. I also took some Design classes and spoke Swedish with real Swedish people.

-- Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
A: Last year my resolutions were:
less TV and more blogging-OOPS! That did not happen!
more crafting-Yes
more reading-Yes-Thanks to grad school!
more working out-eh...I did join Zumba!
I would love to join an improv class-Did it!!!
and of course, I would like to keep in better touch with my friends and family.-I think I did ok-but there is always room for improvement!

My goals for 2013, will remain the same plus a few others:
- stay organized
- live simply and minimize some of the stuff in our house
- take some time for myself to RELAX!

D: Last year I vowed to read more, which I did, and to watch less TV, which didn't happen as much. I did watch less scheduled TV and more on-demand/internet tv, though.

For next year, I'll continue to read. I'd also like to eat healthier and stop holding on to junk around the house.

-- Did anyone close to you give birth?
A: Yes, this was the year of babies!! Some were expected and some were not, but they are all beautiful and taking over my Facebook newsfeed!

D: Yes, lots of them, everywhere.

-- Did anyone close to you die?
A: Luckily, no one very close to me passed this year.

D: Two faculty members in our department passed away this year, unfortunately.

-- What countries did you visit?
A: I stayed in the US this year. I did visit  Iowa, Chicago, and Pittsburgh though!

D: Spain.

-- What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
A: A dresser and a better organized bedroom, and less work related stress...

D: More opportunities to travel, at home and abroad!

-- What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
A:8/22/2012-the day I started grad school at OSU, 12/14/2012-the Sandy Hook shooting-  12/21/12-the day the world did not end! 

D: September 2012, when we went to Madison for the Wisconsin - UNI football game!

-- What was your biggest achievement of the year?
A: Starting Grad school, being able to keep a balance between work, school, and field placement, and getting straight As.

D: I found a career field I think I'd be interested in pursuing further: International Education/Study Abroad. I already kind of work in that area, but I would like to do more with that in the future and in future jobs. I don't think I'd mind doing busy work as much if it was for something that I actually care about, like getting kids to go abroad.

-- What was your biggest failure?
A: Not making coffee at home before class and paying for it at school. Also a group project I was in was pretty bad....

D: I created then abandoned another website before it launched. It was for my web design class, but I thought it could work afterwards, except for the part where I was too lazy to follow up.

-- Did you suffer illness or injury?
A: Right at the end of the year I had food poisoning or the flu, the verdict is still out! But I do know that I will not be eating Chinese food for a while!

D: I got food poisoning too, plus a few allergies/sinus things throughout the year

-- What was the best thing you bought?
A: Tuition for school and plane tickets from Southwest to get home to Iowa!

D: Football tickets to UNI-Wisconsin, plane tickets.

-- Whose behavior merited celebration?
A: Malala Yousafzai, unfortunately we did not hear enough about her. what a brave, beautiful, smart young woman!

D: The internet people who sent Pitbull to Alaska, made Kim-Jong Un win the Time Person of the Year poll and ruined the Mountain Dew naming contests, among other things. I love it.

-- Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
A: People's responses on Facebook after Obama was re-elected. There were a lot of ignorant and hateful things out there, and it made me sad. Also our political leaders ability to work together to accomplish something. If I acted like that at my job, I would be fired....Also the writers for Dexter...ugh!

D: Boehner.

-- Where did most of your money go?
A: School and Travel

D: Plane tickets.

-- What did you get really, really, really excited about?
A: Starting school, seeing Heart in concert with our friends from UNI that came to visit, trivia at Zeno's, visiting my friends in Chicago, and our friends' wedding in Pittsburgh and Iowa.  I was also excited to have visitors for Thanksgiving and throughout the year! We also saw Mumford and Sons live!

D: The Heart concert, traveling to Spain and Austin, the UNI-Wisconsin game.

-- What song will always remind you of 2012?
A: Call Me Maybe, Diamonds, Some Nights, Ho-Hey, Locked Out of Heaven, and Whistle

D: Gangnam Style

-- Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
A: Happier!- I am doing something I am enjoying now!

D: Happier

b) thinner or fatter?
A: Thinner, thanks to my "cleanse" a few days ago....

D: Not sure....thinner.

c) richer or poorer?
A: Poorer, but it is worth it. 

D: Poor.

-- What do you wish you'd done more of?
A: Calling friends and family! Sorry!

D: Read.

-- What do you wish you'd done less of?
A: Stressing out! Wasn't worth it!

D: Internet.

-- How will you be spending Christmas?
A: We went back to Iowa to see our families!

D: Same as above!

-- Did you fall in love in 2012?
A: I found a career path I am excited about!

D: No.

-- What was your favorite TV program?
A: New Girl, Happy Endings, Parenthood, Girls, and The Walking Dead.

D: New Girl, Happy Endings.

-- Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
A: Probably!

D: Probably, I can't remember. I probably blocked any offenders on FB long ago.

-- What was the best book you read?
A: I just finished Warm Bodies and it was good! I will be starting Half the Sky soon!

D: I Could Do Anything if I Only Knew What It Was, by Barbara Sher.

-- What was your greatest musical discovery?
A: First Aid Kit, Of Monsters and Men, The Head and the Heart, and the Rilo Kiley song: With Arms Outstretched-it was on the finale of Weeds.

D: First Aid Kit, Fort Atlantic and Japandroids

-- What did you want and get?
A: To get into the MSW program at OSU!

D: A sandwich!

-- What did you want and not get?
A: Not sure...

D: I wanted a new job for a while, but I didn't get one. Now I don't really want a new job, at least for a while.

-- What was your favorite film of this year?
A:  Expendables 2,The Avengers, Moonrise Kingdom, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Pitch Perfect, Les Miserables.

D: Expendables 2.

-- What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
A: I turned 28, and we went to Mickey's. It was fun!!

D: 28 - probably Zenos.

-- How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
A: Trendy and Sweatery!

D: Hobo-chic.

-- What kept you sane?
A: Dan and my friends!

D: Deep breathing.

-- Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
A: Any girl celebrity with a cute pixie cut (Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams, and Carey Mulligan). 

D: 

-- What political issue stirred you the most?
A: What didn't stir me...so glad the election is over!!

D: I struggled with voting Green Party or for Obama - in the end, I didn't want to let Romney/Ryan win, especially in Ohio, so I caved and voted democrat.

-- Who did you miss?
A: Family and friends that are not in Ohio!!

-- Who was the best new person you met?
A: I met some great friends in grad school and through other friends this year!

D: Probably some of the other people in my field that I met in Austin and Spain.

-- Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012:
A:Making good money and working long hours does not equal happiness, make sure you are doing what you love to do!

D: "F*** It." (I'm serious. I read a book with this title, and it was pretty helpful and valuable.)

-- Quote a song that sums up your year:

A: The Head and the Heart - Rivers and Roads 

"A year from now we'll all be gone
All our friends will move away
And they're goin' to better places
But our friends will be gone away

Nothin' is as it has been
And I miss your face like hell
And I guess it's just as well
But I miss your face like hell

Been talkin' 'bout the way things change
And my family lives in a different state
If you don't know what to make of this
Then we will not relate
So if you don't know what to make of this
Then we will not relate

Rivers and roads
Rivers and roads
Rivers 'til I reach you"

D: Sage Francis - Slow Down Ghandi

"Rich get richer til the poor get educated"