Happy 2010

I am so thankful for the year 2009. In it I saw one of my best friends get married, and I got to experience her family's beautiful culture in a big way on New Year's 2009.

I wrote a thesis, finished graduate school, and saw the first bi-racial US president sworn into office.

I worked three jobs simultaneously and did pysch experiments in order to get pocket money for Starbucks. I adopted a cat, and lived in a Baltimore row house for a month.

I became a vegetarian and have only eaten a few pieces of chicken, one hot dog, some Slim Jim's, and some accidental "sweet bread" and shrimp the whole year. So I saved our environment over a ton *literally* of carbon emissions. In sheer size and quantity, it's by far my biggest accomplishment this year.

I also moved to New England like I've wanted to for a decade and met, very surprisingly, my financial goals for the year to get a job that I love making X amount of money and to start a personal retirement account so I don't have to rely on stocks or a 401K. I am entering 2010 with no credit card debt, after an extremely tumultuous financial year. It's not without it's ups and downs (pro: I witnessed a beautiful New England autumn; con: through my windshield mostly during my 45 minute commutes down the interstate to work), but this choice was the right choice for me, and I love my life here.

I have laughed much with friends and family, and have kept those I love near to me. I don't know where I would be or what I would do without them.

I have gotten closer to God and more bold in loving God in so many different ways this year. Making peace with the peace that indwells all of us is a life-long journey, and now I can pursue it with full confidence.

So it has not been a wasted year. It started out half-way across the world, and it feels in some ways like I have been running the distance back home. But in 2010, I anticipate a steady stream of goodness to come from the world around me and my interaction with all beings. I want to appreciate my blessings and live purely in them, giving back to them the joy they give to me.

I hope you find this time a continuation of the good things in your life and turning point of fuller peace and contentment in the place where you are, in each moment of 2010.

Footie Suspenders

In light of the beautiful snow storm pictorial outside of my living room windows, it is appropriate to make a joke about footie suspenders.

I do not, on principle, like these kinds of boots. I had a really cute pair of them awhile ago when when they were new. They were Tiffany blue, not camel like everyone's these days, and they were a present. But as with leggings, which I wear to the gym and around the house but otherwise have a certain wariness of, these boots became too trendy, and now they adorn all ladies legs it seems, ages 8 months to 38 years or so.

But in full disclosure, I now own 2 pairs of said-style boots. It happened out of necessity - I acquired my first pair from a Target when in need of appropriate foot attire to stand in the freezing cold of the Washington Mall for 10 or so hours during the Obama inauguration. These little black boots were the least expensive alternative I could find, and roomy enough to fit several pairs of socks underneath them. So enough said.

Next, on my recent trip to Baltimore, I was packing very light. Only there for a day, I brought a single pair of shoes, ballet flats, to serve as my airport shoes, the shoes I wore to the gym, my shoes for all my appointments out, etc. Too bad it was torrentially raining once I got out of my appointments and headed back on the bus to grab a meal and relax at the hotel. By the early evening, hours before my flight, my feet were soaking and squishy, and my shoes un-dry-able. This is when I made the pseudo-desperate decision to book it to the nearest Payless Shoe Source and find, yet again, the least expensive pair of cozy foot-muffs I could. Enter a new pair of these silly boots, this time chocolate brown.

And though it pains me to own these boots, which make me automatically think of 12-year-old mean girls every time I wear them, they are several things I admit - basic, easy, cozy, warm. Living in a crazy place called New England, where they don't even bother to let it stop blizzarding before they shovel the snow off the ground (?!?), I pretty much need these boots. I should be thankful for these boots. But then enter the footie suspenders.

Remember stirrup pants for little girls and occasionally their elementary school teachers to wear with a baggy sweater?

Well, in case you want to re-live those days with a pair of faddy boots, go right ahead. In fact, it's a necessity, that if you don't want your jeans to look funky tucked into your big old clunky boots, you need to refashion them into stirrup pants and re-live the second grade.

Honestly, I am no one's judge in terms of fashion. In fact, the more funky the better, and everyone is entitled to their own personal style. But I am just saying if you have to stirrup your pants to make your Clydesdale feet look cooler this winter, I am not of your kindred.

PS - O and I got into our first snowball fight this morning, and guess who won? That's right - go opposable thumbs!!

S & D: A fond look back

As the year draws to a close, and I embark on the birthdays of first S, then me, I am looking back and finding myself very thankful for the time we've had together so far.

While I have high hopes that the next decade will bring us perhaps even fonder memories then the last, there are some great times behind us:

Being the subject of a nationally syndicated news article

Going to New York City and covering Madison Square Garden, Broadway, Times Square, China Town, Staten Island, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, and The Met in under 24 hours

Scrap-booking

Raising a hamster

Raising a cat

Buying our Christmas tree at Walmart

Fighting about Ted Kennedy breaking up the minimum wage filibuster

Halloween as Soulja Boy and Soulja Girl

Mount Vernon

The salmon dinner at J's

...so many, many more.

This year, S and I get the privilege of spending our first New Year's as a couple together, after over 3-and-a-half years together. One year we did talk over the phone as the ball dropped, but we were in different cities, and two of the three years we were on different continents.

This year we will be in my favorite southern state, and the activity of choice will be a tradition of ours, dress-up bowling. This is exactly what it sounds like, going to a bowling alley in your sophisticated party clothes, jacket optional, high-heels not-so-much, and adding to the ensemble your competitive spirit. I am the reigning champion, but maybe S will find himself luckier this time around. I'll be lucky just to be there having the time of my life.

Someone caved...

...and turned on the heating tonight.


Oh, the shame. If only I could be more scrappy.

I knew a few days ago when I first used my dishwasher that this was the beginning of the end. I am an officially soft, kept woman. Woe is me.

Today I have consumed:

Two cups of coffee

One cup of hot chocolate

5 Christmas cookies

5 Christmas candies

...and that's it, at 5:30 at night.

Whoo boy, is it ever time for vacation.

Game on!

So what's the perfect balance to weekend that's mellow without being boring?

I say seeing an old friend who always inspires me and puts a smile on my face, finding a new place to get great food (read the best tomato, mozzarella and basil pizza I think I've ever had) and watch the Cavaliers beat the pants off the Celtics when S comes back to town, and perfecting my own game of pool. Sort of. I mean, I can only do so much with the lack of coordination God gave me.

And yes, I did get to the gym for some weights and a run. So there. Let's just see if I get to yoga 5-6 times this week like I *plan* on.

Five days of work this week, and then fourteen days of much-needed Christmas for me.

I can't wait!!!

Fa la la la...

Guess who finished all of her family Christmas shopping today?Well, kind of.

You see, out of all my Christmas ambitions, to work out, to read about love, to and make my own gifts this year, the only one I've been keeping is the one about presents. Sad, but true.

I've read a little, and even memorized the first passage I've dug into - "Be completely humble and gentle; Be patient, bearing with one another in love." Isn't that pretty? And I learned it, years out of a school environment which last required me to know things by heart.

But working out, yeah. the last time I did, I did well. I did 5 minutes of strength training, 10 minutes of yoga, and 10 minutes of cardio. And then I stopped. Completely. It's been really hard to get to yoga classes, since they're 30 minutes away from work and home, and I feel like I am tied down to both places these days, especially with work, where I currently am, chipping away at a troublesome report and waiting on a friend in town to call me back. So my plan, Stan, is to get to the gym either tonight or tomorrow morning, and to get to yoga tomorrow evening and at least a few times this week before heading south for Christmas! Not exactly an accomplishment, but a start!

So gifts, fun gifts. What can I say about them without spoiling the surprise? Well, S knows what his gift is. It's a song, and it has been so fun to work on, because I literally get inspiration for the melody or lyrics out of thin air, and have to rush to my computer to type them in like a fancy-pants author or something. A song is the least I can do for him, since he's giving me a little something like this for a present this year, and I am so excited!!!

As for M & K, they're gifts are still secret, but I am playing a bit of Santa phone tag with them to make sure they'll like them (of course, I talk to M for K's gift and vice versa). Don't crack and tell the one about the other's gift, my Elves! Santa will be there soon enough!!

So, I am in a good holiday mood. If my friend doesn't call back soon, I think I'll be en route to pick up some Christmas cards or to window shop some more. It's a good time of year..

UPDATE: Guess who just finished S's song?!

Proof: (It's the paper on top.) Now to memorize it and re-learn the guitar in 2 weeks...