Year-in-review: 2009
In 2009 I did not embark on a 3-week international trip, so there was very little blogging (i.e., one post) in the last 12 months. Nevertheless, I figured I'd update with my 3rd annual year-in-review.
In the 2008 review, I said I had a feeling 2009 would be a big one -- and boy was I right.
1) It all started in London. I rang in the New Year from Croydon at Andi and Amy's "New Years through the Ages" party. It was all great fun until 2 or 3am when I started feeling awful. By the next morning I had a version of the flu that nearly rivaled the plague. This was the first time I'd been *really* sick in years.
2) My youngest sister turned 21. Since we weren't able to make it to Vegas, we brought Vegas to her.
3) I hosted a "Tim Tam Slam Jam" and "breakfast for dinner" birthday party for myself O:-) (more on Tim Tam Slams)
4) After watching a few UFC fights, I also attended some local MMA events. Yes, I like MMA.
5) We once again became a "party of five" when my middle sister moved back in with us.
6) I visited Nicole in Buffalo and went to Niagara Falls for the first time.
7) Instead of taking a 3-week trip abroad, I used the rest of my vacation days to take 4-day weekends for 6 consecutive weeks. It was so nice to have that break, but it made coming to work Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday very challenging! To be honest, I was actually ready to get back into a routine. Don't think I'll try that again :-)
8) Four of my colleagues resigned to take new positions elsewhere, bringing the grand total of people who have left the office since I started to 18.
9) I hosted a super fabulous "Freedom for the USA and Middle Earth" Lord of the Rings marathon party on the 4th of July.
10) Another year of sun, sand, and seafood at the OBX for a week :-) I was in the middle of a training program for the Women's 4 Miler, so jogging on concrete sidewalks with high humidity wasn't fun, but it did help in the long run. And, we had some fantastic lightning storms.
11) Ever since my first trip abroad in 2003 to Ireland, I knew I would return for my 30th birthday. Last summer 12 friends and I began planning the trip by booking flights and a hostel. As of this very moment, the trip is 2 weeks away and I can't believe it!
12) Toward the end of the summer I reconnected with someone I knew from my time at Virginia Tech. And we ended up dating for a couple of months. Yes, I dated someone (even though it was relatively short lived), thank you very much.
13) I hate running. But I like what it does to my body. So I trained -- VERY SLOWLY -- for the Women's 4 Miler. People said there really wouldn't be any hills on the course. They were lying. But I still finished in a very respectable time. And I went on to participate in the 4th Year 5k (for the first time!) a few months later.
14) In part due to the departure of the 4 folks at work, I received (and earned) a promotion! I celebrated by buying myself my first iPod (5th generation nano) and a Nikon D3000 (on Black Friday). I still love my (very) old Kodak EZShare, but I needed an upgrade. I still don't know how to REALLY use the new D-SLR, but I hope to learn. Soon. 'Cause that was not a cheap purchase!
15) Buying that camera led to running into an acquaintance I hadn't seen in a long time. We started talking about cameras. Then we decided to get together and take some photos. And then we went to dinner, a basketball game, and a movie. And now we're dating. (Yes! Me! Again with the dating!)
16) I enjoyed another year of acting at church -- back in the summer at VBS and then as the narrator in the Christmas production. The lines came super easy to me this year. And I'm pleased that I can still remember my favorite line..."Not everything we hear at Christmas is festive. Not everything is bright and cheery. Because, let's be honest. Just because it's Christmas, it doesn't mean that our fears have gone away. That our anxieties have diminished. Or that our loneliness has vanished. In fact, it may very well be the one time of year we need to hear from God the very most. The one time of year we secretly wish everything else would get quiet and He would speak."
17) Very appropriate that this should end at 17! This is something that I can't share openly yet, but last year was HUGE for me for a very, very big reason. And I'll reveal that reason soon. If you're reading this, I'm 100% positive you already know, but you never know who's new that may stumble upon your blog :-)
Til the next post -- perhaps about my trip to see Nicole last month for HER 30 birthday :-)
Cheers, m'dears ♥
In 2009 I did not embark on a 3-week international trip, so there was very little blogging (i.e., one post) in the last 12 months. Nevertheless, I figured I'd update with my 3rd annual year-in-review.
In the 2008 review, I said I had a feeling 2009 would be a big one -- and boy was I right.
1) It all started in London. I rang in the New Year from Croydon at Andi and Amy's "New Years through the Ages" party. It was all great fun until 2 or 3am when I started feeling awful. By the next morning I had a version of the flu that nearly rivaled the plague. This was the first time I'd been *really* sick in years.
2) My youngest sister turned 21. Since we weren't able to make it to Vegas, we brought Vegas to her.
3) I hosted a "Tim Tam Slam Jam" and "breakfast for dinner" birthday party for myself O:-) (more on Tim Tam Slams)
4) After watching a few UFC fights, I also attended some local MMA events. Yes, I like MMA.
5) We once again became a "party of five" when my middle sister moved back in with us.
6) I visited Nicole in Buffalo and went to Niagara Falls for the first time.
7) Instead of taking a 3-week trip abroad, I used the rest of my vacation days to take 4-day weekends for 6 consecutive weeks. It was so nice to have that break, but it made coming to work Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday very challenging! To be honest, I was actually ready to get back into a routine. Don't think I'll try that again :-)
8) Four of my colleagues resigned to take new positions elsewhere, bringing the grand total of people who have left the office since I started to 18.
9) I hosted a super fabulous "Freedom for the USA and Middle Earth" Lord of the Rings marathon party on the 4th of July.
10) Another year of sun, sand, and seafood at the OBX for a week :-) I was in the middle of a training program for the Women's 4 Miler, so jogging on concrete sidewalks with high humidity wasn't fun, but it did help in the long run. And, we had some fantastic lightning storms.
11) Ever since my first trip abroad in 2003 to Ireland, I knew I would return for my 30th birthday. Last summer 12 friends and I began planning the trip by booking flights and a hostel. As of this very moment, the trip is 2 weeks away and I can't believe it!
12) Toward the end of the summer I reconnected with someone I knew from my time at Virginia Tech. And we ended up dating for a couple of months. Yes, I dated someone (even though it was relatively short lived), thank you very much.
13) I hate running. But I like what it does to my body. So I trained -- VERY SLOWLY -- for the Women's 4 Miler. People said there really wouldn't be any hills on the course. They were lying. But I still finished in a very respectable time. And I went on to participate in the 4th Year 5k (for the first time!) a few months later.
14) In part due to the departure of the 4 folks at work, I received (and earned) a promotion! I celebrated by buying myself my first iPod (5th generation nano) and a Nikon D3000 (on Black Friday). I still love my (very) old Kodak EZShare, but I needed an upgrade. I still don't know how to REALLY use the new D-SLR, but I hope to learn. Soon. 'Cause that was not a cheap purchase!
15) Buying that camera led to running into an acquaintance I hadn't seen in a long time. We started talking about cameras. Then we decided to get together and take some photos. And then we went to dinner, a basketball game, and a movie. And now we're dating. (Yes! Me! Again with the dating!)
16) I enjoyed another year of acting at church -- back in the summer at VBS and then as the narrator in the Christmas production. The lines came super easy to me this year. And I'm pleased that I can still remember my favorite line..."Not everything we hear at Christmas is festive. Not everything is bright and cheery. Because, let's be honest. Just because it's Christmas, it doesn't mean that our fears have gone away. That our anxieties have diminished. Or that our loneliness has vanished. In fact, it may very well be the one time of year we need to hear from God the very most. The one time of year we secretly wish everything else would get quiet and He would speak."
17) Very appropriate that this should end at 17! This is something that I can't share openly yet, but last year was HUGE for me for a very, very big reason. And I'll reveal that reason soon. If you're reading this, I'm 100% positive you already know, but you never know who's new that may stumble upon your blog :-)
Til the next post -- perhaps about my trip to see Nicole last month for HER 30 birthday :-)
Cheers, m'dears ♥
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