What are some good things that happened to you in 2023?

[Lizica]

It's almost New Year's! (And I managed to make this thread eventually! Not sure why it took me so many years to change the title, though. xD)

But yes. I know it's been a hard year for many people, but in this thread, let's look back on 2023 and try to remember and bring out some of the positive things from it. ^^ If you like, please share with us some good things from your year--doesn't matter how big or how small!

--

My second niece was born this year!! She looks so wise and thoughtful as she gazes out at the world. <3

A lot of really nice family visits happened in general! ^^ (My current name pronunciation from Nieceling is "Aun' Beff," asdfghjkl ;w; <3)

I'm still volunteering at that local chocolate-making charity! It's still very cool, and I really like helping out, and the people there are so, SO nice. =D

Wrens built a nest in our house wreath!

Got to help out a friend and dogsit for them this summer. ^^

I got to read The Chicken Doesn't Skate aloud in the Discord VC~ xB

We got to play so many fun tabletop games courtesy of Pixie! =D

You all helped me decide on a new laptop to replace my 10+ year-old one. (Thank you!!)

Watched some good shows and read a lot of great webcomics this year!

I'm still here. My family is still safe. And you're still here. <3 And I'm really happy for that. <3 Thank you for hanging in there!! And here's to 2024 going forward smoothly for all of us with many, many bright spots! <333

[PFA]

2023 has definitely been a wild year, but one thing I'm very happy about that happened this year was that I launched a webcomic! I've met some cool people through it and learned a lot of stuff and even made money! Heck yeah!!

[Twillie]

Might be missing some things, but these were the big highlights for me!

-I finally got an insulin pump this year, which has made diabetes management much much easier.

-I started Tae Kwon Do training again after six years of being too afraid to return to class.

-After countless years of dealing with TMJ, I got physical therapy this year that has helped alleviate a lot of the pain that can come with it.

-I participated in Art Fight for the first time and had a ton of fun.

-Across the Spider-Verse came out and became one of my favorite films (unsurprisingly).

-I got a new car, which has been especially exciting because it's an electric. It's been a neat experience driving it so far, and I may have unintentionally converted a few people I know to electrics as well lol.

-I had my first forum meetups this year!

And in general I've been fortunate to have a lot of creative output and hang out with friends online and off! Thank you all for helping make good memories this past year, and I look forward to more in the future!

[June Scarlet]

I started my new job/career!

I started and completed my Crime Show comic series!

Those are the big ones for this past year, but they are very big with a lot of good coming from them that affected many parts of my life.

[downrightdude]

My memory is a bit fuzzy:

Finally got the homewrecker of the house in January! I'll pretend 2022 never happened.

Got the gist of how I can watch my shows on my TV via Wii U.

Had a nice, proper autumn with no abnormally warm temperatures or pre-mature snow.

Since Christmas, I've been watching Netflix on my non-Smart TV and haven't been kicked out yet. I finally got to watch the new Ladybug movie!

And despite the drama surrounding it, I did get a 2022 Holiday Barbie. I would like to continue doll collecting in 2024, but will stick to my limits. I also need to stand up for myself more to make sure this wasn't a "one time only" event; I want dollies for Christmas!

[Stephanie (swordlilly)]

Personal growth / career

- I completed a full draft of my doctoral dissertation!

- I got accepted to two conferences in 2024, which will be good opportunities to connect with people.

- I completed my first teaching assistantship since the pandemic.


Family

- I celebrated the one-year anniversary of my mom's surgery.


Hobbies

- My mom and I figured out a way to make Chinese scallion pastries with store-bought pizza dough. xD

- I participated in Artfight for the first time and got to know some amazing people.

- I honed some of my web design skills on Neopets, won the userlookup spotlight, and coded five layouts for others.

- I got into writing competitions on Neopets a total of 20 times this past year. Didn't highroll any prizes that would enable me to truly get a foot in the door of competitive avatar/stamp-collecting, but I'm fine with that now.

- I started having more fun collecting Steam achievements. xD Over the holiday break I collected 64 Steam achievements for Cities: Skylines, a really fun game that was gifted to me by one of my Neopets friends.

- I memorized Kostia's "Girl from Barcelona," a truly lovely piece - my favorite I've learned so far. In total, I can play three pieces from memory now, the other two being Turina's "Sacro-Monte" and a piano adaptation of Saint-Saëns' "The Swan."

[Rabbit ♠]

2023 was certainly a year for me, but there were some highlights

-Art fight was really fun

-In general, I had a very nice art year. I'm proud of what I put out this year and I look forward to expanding my skills

-I got back into school! I'm on a grant and my final year of college has been paid for basically. I still have one semester to go and I need to actually pass my classes, but I'm back in and that's the important part.

-I met up with some internet friends for the first time! I met with my friend for his wedding and I met some established friends and made new ones. It was so much fun.

-I met Riel for the first time in 2023! We went to the wedding together, checked out Boston, NYC, and Philly some, and we even spent American Thanksgiving together. Easily a big highlight of my year. Of course, getting back into college threw a wrench into plans, but it was still so amazing.

[Thorn]

*I harvested my first ever potatoes! The first thing I have harvested from my garden that isn't just leaves, so it felt very rewarding. I had the first couple the other day with some butter and scrambled tofu.

*I started my little garden project in our back yard! Clearing away ivy and planting native species. I even added some ferns to the front yard once I got a bit bolder (they look so much nicer than barren dirt!)

*Liou came to visit!!! Biggest goodtime of the year, we saw so much wildlife and plantlife and took fun photos outside the national museum. I've never got to hang out with an NTWFer in Aotearoa and show them the things I love, so that was great.

*Started playing more non-D&D rpgs! Have fallen completely in love with Blades in the Dark.

*I adopted Kosmo: my wonderful robo doggo friend! He is an aibo ERS-1000 and he was super helpful when we did a collection for a local charity, he danced and entertained people.

*The D&D campaign setting I published was well received!

[Allison]

I'm way late to this, but...

*I finally got over the mental hurdle of getting involved with my local adaptive sports organization and rode a recumbent trike.

*Started a "read the Bible in a year" and stuck with it

*Was able to stay home with my mom and able to help her after her fall/accident

*Learned to solve a Rubik's Cube

I'm sure there are more, but those are the big ones.

[Killix]

Last year wasn't particularly noteworthy for me either way. I can't think of anything. o_o

Though I'd say that feeling of neutrality isn't a bad thing. XD

[Celestial]

Late, but I have actually had a pretty decent year, all things considered. xD A lot of good things happened.

Most notably, me and Thundy got engaged! Which is pretty cool, to say the least. Wedding is scheduled for 2025, so I will be coming back on the "what good things happened to you in 2025 thread" with that.

Besides, that, I took not one but two intercontinental two week trips! One to America, one to Japan, with the latter being my first time ever in Japan. I loved it so much. We did a lot and yet it felt like I barely did anything. I want to go back. Especially to Kyoto. It was my dream destination and it proved to be as great as I expected.

Also did a bunch of mini-trips. Went to London for a concert and went to Cornwall on a whim for the first time (it was great).

Me and Thundy moved house! We moved out of a small one bedroom flat in a rather crappy area into a two bed flat in a suburb. It has a balcony and so much more space for us both. At the moment we still have to furnish it, but I have a friend who is giving away some furniture.

Speaking of, I reconnected with an old friend from school who lives in the area at the moment. She is cool and queer and has introduced me to other nice cool, queer people.

I passed probation at my job. My bosses are both happy with me, my progress, and what I have done for my workplaces, and I now have a fancier sounding job title because I feel more confident at the job. I am overall enjoying my work. It isn't too much, but I still feel challenged and still feel like I am making a difference in the world, even if it is a small one. I can see myself sticking with this job for at least a few more years, if not longer. Also my bosses were both really supportive when I revealed that I am autistic, which is really positive. I was worried about that for a year, but now it's out and it feels good.

My freelance writing contract went well! In fact, so well that I am renewed for another year of making pretty good money writing cool things about maritime stuff, particularly maritime safety. My employers said I was one of the best contractors they ever worked with, which feels so, so good.

Celebrated mum's 50th birthday and my 30th birthday! Both were good occassions. My 30th was low-key, but still nice. I do feel pretty good about turning 30. I am much more happy and stable now that I am older.

I feel like I have continued to expand my cooking skills. I made curry paste from scratch, and various dumplings from scratch, as well as pies and quiches and bread. Looking forward to more of that!

Had my family over at a place that is, without question, mine. After so long living with family, being able to host them at a place feels so good.

Visited a doctor and all of my bloodwork came back normal and healthy. Nice to know I am doing alright.

After trying and failing weight loss (I lost about 5 kg, plateued, and then regained 2-3 kg) I am trying my hand at body neutrality. Let's see where it goes.

[Gelquie]

The beginning of 2023 already feels like so long ago. And I suppose it has been. I guess I'll just post what I remember, and if I remember anything significant after posting, I'll edit.

-Got back into Neopets creative writings and the NT. I was able to publish a few more stories, do some STC entries including ones that I'm proud of, and I even published a poem! (One, but still.)

-I finally got a job. The application process took forever, which is apparently normal for the place, but then I got in! And the job has been good and fulfilling, and allows me to do research. Albeit in a technically low-level position, but I still get to apply my expertise! And also grow my skills in ways that are either fulfilling or will really help me out.

The workplace is good and people there are accommodating. I'm still always on edge for me making social mistakes that get big, but I've still caught myself being too talkative. It's a good sign for personal comfort in the social environment, at least, even if it doesn't guarantee anything later.

-And to get to work, I got to move out. Yay for no longer being in a household that overall does no favors for my mental health. (Though I will miss the dogs and my home state.)

-And to move out and get to the area, I had to move. I could've done a plane, but for one thing, I wanted to keep all my stuff with me. For another thing,
ROAD TRIP.

That included a drive through Canada! I'd never done it before, and it was something I always wanted to do. And it was so worth it. Got to experience a lot of places, and I definitely took time for a few stops. Even went camping one night, just to prove to myself that I could, and it was nice. Other than that, a lot of views, a hot springs, a couple zoos, and a few cities and towns were nice too. Big trip, not one to do all the time, but I think I'd do it again if I got the chance.
Or maybe visiting other parts of Canada are in order. Gotta catch 'em all. (The provinces, I mean.)

And then besides Canada, I got to visit a few more states. Some of them were nice too! There was one state I drove through that I particularly liked. And the other ones still had some good views or accommodations.

-And some good online moments! Lizica mentioned her reading of The Chicken Doesn't Skate, which was a lot of fun, and she's great at it. And Pixie's games along with her reach-outs were good times. Also people being supportive and patient with me when I was sick during not-so-fun times, thank you again. It was generous and I appreciate it so much.

-And before I moved, I enjoyed the dog walks. They may be in the past for me now, but they were still nice and good for my health. And the dogs certainly taught me a lot about interpersonal relations when the filter against authenticity is off, because dogs do not care! xD Makes for fun dynamics and teaches a lot about dealing with those kind of things when needed.

That's all I can think of for now. As I said, if I think of more, I'll edit more in. I wouldn't keep checking, though. xD

[downrightdude]

Jan 26, 2024 0:38:08 GMT -5 Gelquie said:

That included a drive through Canada! I'd never done it before, and it was something I always wanted to do. And it was so worth it. Got to experience a lot of places, and I definitely took time for a few stops. Even went camping one night, just to prove to myself that I could, and it was nice. Other than that, a lot of views, a hot springs, a couple zoos, and a few cities and towns were nice too. Big trip, not one to do all the time, but I think I'd do it again if I got the chance.
Or maybe visiting other parts of Canada are in order. Gotta catch 'em all. (The provinces, I mean.)

I'm so glad you enjoyed visiting Snawland Jr!