Thursday, January 1, 2009

Looking back

Too lazy to write a synopsis of the year, I thought I would attempt a list of the year in review. My goal is to come up with 100 things. We'll see how far I get.

In no particular order, both good and bad, in 2008 I...

  1. grew another year older, bringing me well in to my "early thirties" (32 to be exact)

  2. found out I was pregnant

  3. realized that all those girl names would have to go on the back shelf for now

  4. celebrated my 2 year wedding anniversary

  5. found sand dollars on the beach in Costa Rica (which broke on the journey home)

  6. learned to drive a four wheel drive (kind of)

  7. bought a new car

  8. moved to a new place by the beach

  9. traveled to New York twice for the bridal market

  10. joined Facebook

  11. met and spent four days with my blogger bff, Jihan

  12. became virtual friends with fellow blogger Tina

  13. figured out what paper prints the best quality cards

  14. planned some great weddings for great clients

  15. got published in my first wedding editorial (thank you Los Angeles Weddings!)

  16. spent a girls' weekend in Palm Springs

  17. traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico

  18. welcomed my new nephew, Smith

  19. welcomed my new quasi-nephew, Ethan

  20. ate escargot at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant

  21. went to Costa Rica for the third time and still didn't make it to a volcano
  22. did a trunk show in Florida

  23. read The Glass Castle and Eat Pray Love

  24. lit my first fire in my first fireplace

  25. got a camera phone (and learned to use it)

  26. hosted both Sarah's and Natalie's baby showers

  27. learned the importance of friendships as we had to say goodbye to a close one this year

  28. lost a 16 year old student to a sudden heart attack

  29. made an effort to tighten my bonds with the women in my life

  30. mastered the "Country Apple Tart with Spiced Brown Butter" which took more than 24 hours to make

  31. pulled off another Christmas dinner

  32. lost 10 pounds

  33. gained them back

  34. got a new haircut

  35. bought a map of stars homes and followed it (I now know where Ellen DeGeneres lives though we were swiftly kicked off her property)

  36. bought my first major appliance (a beautiful new stainless steel refrigerator)

  37. had a garage sale

  38. almost bought a house

  39. was mature enough to walk away when I couldn't afford it

  40. struggled with the balance of self and family

  41. attempted to be a more supportive wife

  42. made the effort to cook more dinners at home

  43. went on a tv diet

  44. took many pictures that still need to be downloaded and categorized

  45. went to the Orange County Fair

  46. got on a surfboard (on my stomach for about 8 seconds)

  47. took both cats to the vet

  48. hung Christmas lights on the outside of the house for the first time

  49. rediscovered my love for Tom Petty

  50. saw The Bad Plus play at a jazz club in LA

  51. became a master hair cutter for my husband

  52. started using coupons at the grocery

  53. paid too much money to the dentist

  54. sold the Saturn

  55. watched my husband turn into a total surfbrain

  56. made the effort to enjoy the sunsets and the full moons

  57. began to use a calendar to keep track of life

  58. put hours of research into the best baby strollers

  59. hosted the second annual Palmer "After Christmas and Before New Years Open House"

  60. made about thirty loaves of pumpkin bread

  61. paid over $50 to fill my gas tank

  62. paid less than $20 to fill my gas tank

  63. went on a bike ride from Belmont Heights to the Queen Mary

  64. have not gotten any better at saying "no"

  65. stayed home alone while Gabe went on tour

  66. learned how to use about a tenth of the functions in Illustrator

  67. got a couple's massage on the beach

  68. put my master's degree to use

  69. joined LinkedIn

  70. helped Shondra plan her wedding and find her dress

  71. got regular pedicures

  72. spent a lot of time with my parents

  73. added a new ring to my wedding/engagement ring set (I call it the "baby band")

  74. got very lazy about blogging

  75. started watching "Intervention"

  76. discovered how great it is to sleep in Gabe's t-shirts

  77. went to Palm Springs with my husband and my parents

  78. got a few more wrinkles under my eyes

  79. spent a lot of time thinking about family

  80. switched to fluorescent light bulbs in most rooms

  81. did not have time to make toffee for Christmas

  82. went to Disneyland

  83. returned a DVD case without the DVD (can't ever go back to that movie store!)

  84. read lots of "chic lit" books

  85. started reading many other "smart people would read these" books without finishing them

  86. missed my connecting flight in Atlanta

  87. had a barbecue for the neighbors on Newport Avenue

  88. lost all of the songs on my ipod and had to reload them

  89. learned to let go of a lot of useless possessions

  90. used a video camera for the first time

  91. failed to go to the gym more than a handful of times (and failed miserably at kickboxing)

  92. beat Gabe in "Seinfeld SceneIt"

  93. learned to love Gabe's beard

  94. took Sawyer and Sully to the Discovery Science Center

  95. started using cloth bags for the grocery store

  96. almost didn't get the Christmas cards finished

  97. watched season 5 of Curb Your Enthusiasm

  98. paid off my personal loan

  99. spent the last night of the year having a nice dinner with my husband and going to bed at 10:30

  100. spent some much needed time reflecting on my life and my relationships

Wow! You would think it wouldn't be so hard to think of 100 things that occurred over the course of 365 days. I guess that goes to show that I need to do a better job of recording the moments this year (or that I need to lead a more exciting life!). Of course now that I've finished I can think of a few more. Figures. Whether captured by blog, video, diary, or pictures, there will be so many life changing moments this year. I welcome 2009 and look forward to all of the changes it will bring. Happy New Year.

Don't call it a comeback...

...because I don't know how long I can keep it up! It is nearly impossible to explain how over 4 months have passed since I have visited either one of my blogs. Or any blogs, for that matter. Between experiencing all of the ups and downs of my first pregnancy, being overloaded with work, and just trying to get through the day to day, priorities seem to have shifted. Blame my swollen ankles, my lack of sleep, or my new found friend Facebook. Nevertheless, I have made it a resolution to return to this little time capsule in an effort to capture the highlights of life as I know it.

I make no promises that I will ever get around to posting what has transpired in the last few months, but as I hold up my two fingers in what seems to resemble the Girl Scout honor code, I swear I will try to be a more regular poster. I said try. Let's not get too crazy with promises for the new year.