Best and Worst of 2011

I know. 

Talking about 2011 was so 2011 ago.  We're a week into the new year and its time to focus on what's ahead of us.  Ornaments are put away.  Lights are thrown into a box somewhere, tangled for you to deal with next year.  The holiday season is over.  Still, I thought it was cliche to write about the season last week, you know, when everyone was doing that. 

Our Christmas consisted of a large breakfast, followed by a nap on the couch with the dogs, and Christmas movies on the TV. 

Our New Years Eve consisted of a Disney movie with taquitos, followed by a kiss at midnight, and a phone call to the West Coast. 

Simple, subtle, so very easy holiday. 


Still, I feel its necessary to reflect on the last year.  Thus, I present my best and worst for the second year in a row. 



A lot has changed in a year.  That is a very obvious statement, but at the same time, a lot has stayed the same, or, swung back into place.

Last January, we spent the beginning of the year in Washington, trying to mend a terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-Christmas.  We got over it fast.  We ate a lot of Tom Douglas food. We started to form traditions with friends out there.   K experienced his first Washington snowmageddon--all 3inches of it, and Tommy did a face plant trying to push my mom's car up a hill. 

I wrote the most popular post on my old blog.   Not because it was exceptional or because of the content.  I liked the post, actually.  But, it gets the most hits because it has "big ass" in the title.  On a side note, hello to all of my Sir Mix A-Lot followers. 

 I accomplished my biggest dream in February.   It was a sunny February.  It was a snowy February.  It was a loverly February.  I started dreaming about the future and who I would become in my career.  I started looking forward to the Spring while happily romping in the snow. 

And, I started to get frustrated because I couldn't find a goddamn job to save my life.  Still, I hushed myself, knowing that I needed to suck that marrow out of life kind of stuff while I had time. 

Then I started to get really anxious in March.  Nothing could grow yet, nothing was thawing fast enough.  I didn't want to suck marrow anymore, I just wanted to make some money. 

I found out a little more about myself. 

Celebrated the past and the future all in one day. 

Started planting. 

Grew some cool ish.

And, then got a job. 

In April, I worked.  That's all I remember. 

And, that they put me up in a hotel for a couple of days to get me trained.  And, that was pretty cool. 

I started to feel at ease.  I was able to fill my days with production and spend my evenings in the cool Spring air with my toes in the grass. 

In May, I worked and that's all I remember.  I worked a lot and I wasn't balancing everything so well. 

That's life and that's a life lesson.  Your work can't be your life and your life can't creep into your work. 

 But, really, it wasn't about the work.  I wasn't balancing in life, period.  It took two friends coming across the country to snap me back into focus. 

Focus on the good you do in the world. 

Focus on the good around you.

Focus on the great things to come. 

Focus on things like fireflies and Summer storms. And all of those fantastic things about that time of the year. 


In June, I started to focus on living in this new part of my life. 

And that's what we did for the rest of the Summer.  It went fast and it went down so smooth. 

We went to Washington one last time before October.  We had an amazing shower and saw a glimpse of the love that we would receive in a couple of months. 

We had backyard fires in both states, laughed and cried over the joys of our life, and started feeling pretty giddy inside. 

And, then, just like that, it happened. 

I said good-bye to my single life in high style, hauled my dress on several airplanes, and married my best friend.  Okay, I vowed not to say that, but that's what I did. 


It was pretty fantastic. 


I put my blog on vacation for a bit, then came back and caught up. 

And, as predicted, I came back a little bit different. 

Ready for some change. 

In the form of a dog.

In the form of major life changes.

In the form of a new blog.

We learned a lot from this year. Like how its important to let go of the things that are holding you back and the situations which make you less than you are.  We learned that there are bigger and better things waiting for us.  We learned to be grateful.  We learned to be humble.  And we learned that we can handle anything. 


That's the Best of 2011.

As far as the Worst?

Well, I don't really care about it anymore.