Thank GOD 2016 is over!! Honestly, I feel so happy about this fresh start in 2017 (despite a few minor setbacks).
January
I was so young, so naive
-Participated in the Boar's Head and Yule Log Festival with Cleo for the second year in a row. It's...really something.
-Went on a wonderful trip to Victoria with Drea where we went to the zoo and played with lemurs, tamarins, deer, and baby javelinas, saw amazing graffiti on an abandoned bank, and grabbed beer and pizza as a grand finale. Best day ever.
-Started playing Undertale, which was arguably one of the best games I've ever played. It definitely makes you rethink how you're "supposed" to do things.
-Saw some beautiful barn owls released back into the wild - great job Second Chances!
-Saw wild javelinas!
-Went to a sketchy roadside carnival and won a goldfish I named Scully!
-Started making Blue Apron meals. It helped me begin cooking at home and creating fancier fare than normally do.
-Went to a Harry Potter-themed party/funeral for Professor Snape AKA Alan Rickman :( The party itself was awesome, however sad the reasoning for throwing it.
-Threw a surprise party for little Sean! I made everyone pretend like they couldn't hang out with him all day and people berated me for dragging him down so much, BUT when we brought him to the pizza place he almost cried he was so surprised and happy! It was Star Wars themed and AWESOME.
February
-We got a Burrowing Owl from Second Chances named Lemon. He was super cute
-Made some delicious Blue Apron meals, but also found it hard to keep up with the constant boxes considering I'm just one person and sometimes the meals didn't sound appetizing to me in the present moment.
-Went to Galveston for MARDI GRAS with Laura, Drea, and Drea's family! IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! We collected tons of beads, drank heavily, took long, chilly walks on the beach down the street from our "big decked" house, ate a lot of new and delicious foods (king cake, gumbo, gyros), and went to all the street parades! It was such a fun weekend trip.
-Gave out AWESOME shark valentines and ate pizza in the name of Valentine's Day, as well as Drea's birthday.
-Helped throw a bridal shower for Andie! I was in charge of the decorations and photography and Stewie was in charge of the food - we both came up with activities that included the classic couples quiz, toilet paper wedding dress creation, and design Andie's wedding dress.
-Moved out of my cozy apartment I shared with Drea and into a house with Laura, Lauren, and Taylor in Portland.
March
-Went to a rodeo in Austin with Erin. When in Texas (the best part of the rodeo was the PETTING ZOO accompanying it)
-Took part in a photo contest.
-Saw a Neotropical Cormorant for the first time as it was released from rehab.
-Watched Andie's creatures as she and Geoff got married in the bahamas!!
-THE CHICKENS LAID THEIR FIRST EGG! Sean and I were so proud of our little grandson.
-Played with a baby squirrel
-Went to a going away party for Stewie and Daniel :( The party was, once again, super fun though the reason behind it was not
-ELISE VISITED!!! She had credit for a certain airline so decided to use it up traveling to Corpus! We had so much fun visiting the beach, shopping, going to breweries to learn about coral sex, and going out for a bachelorette party downtown to celebrate her recent engagement (on Valentine's Day). This is where we failed to finish a fishbowl and I died inside.
April
-Saw a Painted Bunting FINALLY! Mady and I went birding and saw TWO pairs of them! It's a life bird I've been trying to check off my list since I arrived in south Texas and I was seriously SO HAPPY that I finally saw one. They truly are that beautiful in person!! Like little parrot songbirds.
-Saw The Struts at House of Rock with Drea and fell in LOVE! They are so soon good and the lead singer reminds me so much of a delectable mixture of David Bowie and Tim Curry. In the tragic wake of David Bowie's death, I was pleased to see vestiges of him in others' music.
-My family visited!! My Mam, Gramma, and Auntie Donna all traveled down (it was Donna and Gramma's first time). We all got a hotel room and went to the beach, visited the Lexington (I hadn't been yet, though to be honest I wasn't missing much), got drinks at beach bars, went to San Antonio to see The Alamo and go to the riverwalk, and showed them all what I do at the aquarium. It was a fantastic trip :)
-Went to a Dr. Who themed birthday party
-Celebrated Lauren's birthday with a grill out!
May
-I worked my first Beach Ball!! It's a huge fundraising event that occurs every couple of years and they bring out all the stops. I worked Kogi and Norman for the Second Chances portion, where a drunk woman who is apparently famous in our community (???) emceed. She forced Tilt, Laura, and I to take a prom-like photo together with her onstage.
-The chickens learned their entire routine! They exit from under the benches in the stadium and run down the stairs to backstage. Everyone loves it and the chickens are super cute so it's a win-win.
-Our beloved water cooler finally died. Rest in peace, sweet prince.
-Celebrated a late spring break in South Padre!! Laura, Sean, Caitlin, Kaylee, and I all shared a hotel room and had an AMAZING TIME!! We visited Sea Turtle Inc., a sea turtle rehabilitation center, visited the birding center next-door where we saw BABY COMMON GALLINULES and a red-winged blackbird landed on my hand as I chucked food at ducks, and then PARTIED HARDY bar-hopping and going to a house party one of the Sea Turtle Inc. peeps was throwing. Basically it was super fun.
-Went to the staff appreciation party AND saw our minor league baseball team play for the first time.
-Kelsey told us she was leaving the aquarium to get married!
June
-Designed a logo for Sean's wheat beer he made to support Second Chances at his brewery.
-Laura found a spiny soft-shell turtle on the road and brought it home to rehabilitate in the bathtub, spawning the song, "I've got that sunshine in my pocket, spiny soft-shell in my tub!"
-Got my hair cut for the first time in two years.
-Took group photos with everyone and their birds!! I've been wanting one FOREVER and Kelsey leaving gave us fodder to finally do it. We also got a "Wildflight summer" photo of us which I adore.
-Taylor bought us a blow-up pool so we could all hangout and drink beers at sunset in the water!
-Got Bonnie on glove! We'd been trying to desensitize her to the glove for a year and finally something paid off!
-Co-hosted Kelsey's bachelorette/going away party! We had a Pure Romance party, then went bar hopping and dancing before responding to a car accident at 3 AM on the way back to the hotel. Two parties were driving drunk and one skipped their stoplight, crashing right into the side of the other one. We immediately ran (in our heels) to the scene of the crime and our first aid skills kicked into gear despite the haze of intoxication. Eventually the EMTs forcibly told us to leave. It was AWESOME.
-Went to the first official Corpus Christi Pride Parade!! I'm excited to see it grow!
-Sung karaoke for charity. Sean and I did a duet to Toto by Africa and it was literally perfection.
July
-Diana made a KICKASS American flag piñata for the eagle enclosure for 4th of July
-Worked the 4th of July event (we did Bonnie as a creature feature for the first time) and then watched fireworks behind the Wildflight theater by myself with my feet dangling over the water. Sean eventually joined me, but it was nice to watch them alone. It was just peaceful :)
-Threw an INCREDIBLE 4th of July party at our house, if I do say so myself. I'm so proud of that party. It was called Star Spangled Hammered and it ruled. We had layered (disgusting) patriotic jello shots, vodka cherries, patriotic sangria, beer pong, flip cup, a pool, sidewalk chalk, PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO HAVE A BANGIN' SUMMER PARTY!
-Our new curator started.
-Since for some reason this place HATES my cars, my little Unicorn got hit and run on the day after Star Spangled Hammered :( It looks like an enormous truck caught it on the side and dragged it twenty feet forward - I woke up from a hangover nap to see the car in front of the mailbox and my heart DROPPED. I still haven't fixed it because I'm in a perpetual state of ANGER and feel like as soon as I fix it something else will go wrong.
-The Pokemon Go craze began! It was AMAZING to see hordes of people in public areas, all playing Pokemon Go. Giant events were organized to gather in parks near pokestops, people donning colored glowsticks to represent their teams and even wearing specially designed shirts! I'm seriously so happy to have been a part of such a momentous occasion - the game got so many people active and outside (including me). One of my proudest moments was hatching a 10 km egg to gain a LAPRAS that was much beloved.
-Baxter, my Gramma's dog, passed away :( RIP baby boy.
-Acquired a Barred Owl and a Barn Owl for Wildflight!
-Flew to California to join my family in Yosemite for the first part of our summer vacation!!
August
-Hiked Yosemite, visited family at the beach house, and as a grand finale went to San Francisco! It was a busy, amazing trip - I can't wait to go back and explore Yosemite and San Fransisco even more.
-My amazing roommates flew Megan in for my birthday!!!! They had me walk out to the park where a box was set up in the middle of the field, from which Megan popped out!! I was in shock for like ten minutes before I started crying! It was so awesome! We visited the aquarium (of course), went to the beach, got pizza, and had lots of movie nights!!
-My roommates and Megan all threw a surprise rainbow/tie-dye birthday party for me! They made rainbow pasta salad, rainbow cake, we tie-dyed in the park, and played drinking games! It was perfect!
-Flew to Boise for my childhood friend Megan's bachelorette party!! It was SO FUN! This was my first "real" bachelorette party complete with penis everything and lots of drinking and pretty dresses! Honestly, Boise is SO CUTE and fun, I would move there in a heartbeat!
-Got to see my puppies for the first time in two years during a layover on the way back from Boise.
-Had a series of going away parties for Drea since she was moving back home :( I miss her.
-It was Kogi's 12th birthday! I made him an ice cake with blueberries and watermelon with a honey drizzle and sunflower seeds on top - he was very suspicious of it.
-Met up with Erin in Austin to float the river for the second year in a row. Oh how I love floating the river, it's so wonderful.
September
-Torti went to live on a farm!! A real farm, don't worry we didn't kill her.
-Saw a Green Kingfisher, another life bird!!
-Played with the new baby macaws a lot.
-Held a kookaburra for the first time in ten years - I forgot how fluffy they are!!
-Participated in the second annual Putt Putt event at the aquarium. Argyle Eagles represent! ...We lost.
(what is it about September? It's never as full as the other months are. My theory is that summer winds down but the heat does not so it leaves people cranky)
October
-Celebrated Laura's birthday by going to an Escape Room! My first question was,"Is it scary?" I don't like physically being a part of scary things. BUT the good news was that it was not scary at all and was actually SO FUN! I do have a Ravenclaw part of me that loves solving puzzles and trivia so it was actually really awesome. We ALMOST cracked all the puzzles but Laura accidentally sabotaged us earlier and we were reading the "clues" the wrong way, but we were super close! It was pirate themed so we all wore eye patches.
-In true Matagorda household fashion, we threw Laura an extravagant "Under the Sea 80s Prom Theme" birthday party! We had a Photo Booth with props, drinking games galore (our house flip cup team remains supreme champion), tons of themed food, a walrus cake made by moi, and Fifty Cent cranking from the speakers (just the way Laura likes it). It was EXCELLENT.
-Drew a lot of Hialloweenie-Themed pictures.
-Hosted my second annual Nightmare Before Christmas viewing. I did not go all out like last year with cake pops, but I did make bat and pumpkin cookies for the event.
-Created several owl birdritos that were adorable.
-Carved tons of pumpkins, including one featuring an octopus that won the carving contest at work (FIFTY DOLLA YEEEEAH).
-Made a horrifying scarecrow to grace the Wildflight stage for Halloweek.
-Participated in Big Day for the third year in a row! We only saw 82 species this year which was disappointing, as it was a median between our highest and lowest years (aka the first and second years I did this), but I think since it was so late in migration season there wasn't a lot of passerine action. Maybe next year we'll get 100! Or at least over 87 to break my current high record of 86!
-HAD AN EPIC HALLOWEEK!! It was also exhausting. I created not one, but THREE Halloween costumes for the three parties I was planning on attending over the Halloweekend. The first was ours where I was Russel from Up (ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE! CACAW RAWR!), Drea was Carl (she came down for the weekend!), and Laura was the house. We had a scavenger hunt, more drinking games, a pumpkin carving contest (that no one actually brought a pumpkin to), and a costume contest! I was all about the activities. It was super fun, but the downside is someone got super drunk and threw up in my couch :( #RIPcouch. The next day I was so exhausted I didn't end up going to the second party I had planned on (luckily that was my Louise Belcher costume, which was essentially just a green dress and her hat that Girr gave me at Burning Man) so instead I just birded all day for Big Day and hung out with Laura and Drea and Halloween cookies that night. The third party I went as Princess Mononoke, my favorite costume I've made to date and the one that took the most effort. Basically my Halloween ruled.
-Acquired a bunch of juvenile flamingos for the Caribbean Wing and went to visit them. They're soooo cute, they look like neapolitan ice-cream.
November
-Went rollerskating for the first time in two decades - it is TERRIFYING. I feel better about ice-skating because I feel like the ice is somehow less hard than the roller rink floor when I inevitably go down and catch myself on my one bad knee (because of incidents like this). I did start getting the hang out it though, until my grand finale where I fell into a side-stage and got hit right in my boob and eye. I was pretty messed up for awhile after that...but it was still super fun!
-Megan visited again!!! She had a conference to go to this time but won a SCHOLARSHIP for it so it was essentially free, especially since she was also staying with me fo fwee, too!! We had so much fun AGAIN of course - some highlights included a museum night icebreaker where we drank wine and beer in the science museum and then went to Brewster's Street for free barbecue and margaritas, going out on the town all dolled up and pretty, letting Megan feed Xena, having a beach bonfire (Megan's first!), going for a beach day, and GETTING A TATTOO!!!
-Got my first tattoo! I still love it so much.
-Voted! I voted for Hillary Clinton because I'm a #nastywoman.
-My Dad and Uncle visited!! Shortly after Megan left they flew into town and we embarked on the best day ever - a delicious breakfast with mimosas, birdwatching, visiting a 500 year old tree, kayaking the bay wine tasting, and then dinner and movies. They also came and visited me at work, of course, and we all enjoyed just hanging out and (of course) drinking.
-Housesat for Andie and received a felt Star Wars doll kit as a gift. I made a tiny Han Solo and really want to tackle Princess Leia next. I will then create a shrine for her because I love/loved Carrie Fisher and Princess Leia (but that's still a month away).
-Didn't host a Friendsgiving this year (though no one else did either); instead our little family hosted our own Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, cheesy mashed potatoes, and sparkling wine.
December
-Put Kimani on Eagle Pass (without the eagles on exhibit, of course) for the first time ever! It really showed off how well he can jump, sometimes he would leap up to fifteen feet to the top of the rock structures.
-Attended the Natural Encounters Contemporary Animal Training Workshop in Winterhaven, Florida!! It was literally LIFE ALTERING. One of the best experiences of my life, for reals. It really opened my eyes to what could be done in regards to true positive reinforcement training and how much choice and control animals can be given in training situations. The biggest thing I learned was to teach what you want the animal to do and not what you don't want it to do. There is a difference! I also had fun making new friends, playing with baby macaws, listening to Susan and Steve lecture, and eating all the delicious food! I wasn't expecting so much good food. Sit me down with a bagel and a great presentation on training and I'm happy!
-Had a ridiculous amount of time I had to burn, so I was off for almost another week past NEI. This was nice because I could use the time to get my life in order. Did I do that? No. But it was a nice thought.
-Attended the volunteer Christmas party where there was free sangria, the staff party where I won a gift certificate to Harrison's Landing, danced with Sean, and dominated at air hockey, and a rehab volunteer party at our house where we ate massive amounts of spaghetti and played Heads Up for hours.
-Went home for the holidays! I haven't been to Salt Lake officially for two years, and I haven't been to our house in three years (since I moved here, actually). It was really special to be able to spend Christmas there with my family and dogs, especially since Taffy is getting on in years. She has kidney failure so she was getting sicker and sicker until my Mom found an all natural diet someone else fed their dog - now she's gaining weight back and full of energy! She is definitely still a little decrepit, but I love her so much.
-Spent time with my Utah best friends, saw family I haven't seen in a long time, and seriously just had such a good time. I didn't get to see everyone I wanted to, but the people I DID get to visit with and I had amazing adventures: visiting magical trees, eating beet tacos, looking at Christmas lights in Temple Square and downtown, seeing Rogue One, playing Pokemon, playing with dogs, coloring by the fire, played with sparklers, and visited the aviary!
-Saw snow for the first time in two years and went snowshoeing in the mountains.
-Had another WILDLY successful New Year's Eve at Caroline's NYE party. I wore tons of fabulous gold sparkles and sequins (and leather!), we played Beer Pong and Circle of Death, and took shots on the half-hour, dictated by metallic-colored balloons that were popped to discover the liquor written inside. Our champagne toast at midnight was messy and rushed but filled with laughter and friends, which is just how I like it :)
And now, when I look at it, I realize what a good year it was. There were many tragedies, and this next year may be filled with uncertainty, but it's also filled with new beginnings.
It's also filled with hope.
Despite the last devastating blow to 2016 (for me, personally), Leia's last line in Rogue One really made me giddily happy. Apparently Carrie Fisher herself shrieked with excitement when she saw her own young visage onscreen again for the first time in years. This is the message I choose to take into the new year, to have hope - even when it feels like there is none.
So here's to 2016! I travelled a lot more than I realized and made the most of days off, as well as allowed myself to take care of myself with rest if need be. This year I hope to keep fighting the good fight.
I've made yearly review posts for 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012
