On New Year's Eve, I thought I would do a quick recap of the highlights of 2009, while looking forward to kicking of 2010!
1. Started gradschool. I loved my Clinical Psychology Program at Roosevelt. Why did I ever leave school? I would leave the house at 7:30 in the morning for work and not return from class until almost 10pm and would be grinning from ear to ear. Learning is fun.
2. Trip to Portland and Willamette Valley. We went to visit my cousin, her husband and new baby a nd had a wonderful time. Spent a day wine tasting and spent time in Powell's, the country's largest bookstore. Heaven!
3. Return to Torre a Cona. Torre a Cona, as a wedding present, gave us a free week to spend there this summer. This time it was just Jason and I! The property was pretty much desserted, and I got to spend my dream day of staying on the property, lounging by the pool and having a lunch of meats, cheeses and wines. We did some hiking in the countryside and found ourselves in some amazing out of the way places and had a couple of incredible lunches as a result. Very relaxing and wonderful. I miss it already.
4. Pickling. I discovered a passion for pickling. Just refridgerator pickles. However, this Christmas brought me all the acoutrements for hot water canning. Can't wait until summer 2010!
5. Wisconsin trip to Devil's Lake and Taliesin. Jason and I spent a lovely weekend alone near the Dells. We hiked, went to Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin home and ate at a true Wisconsin Supper Club! We love Wisconsin.
6. Trip to Denver. More family fun. Got to see my aunt, uncle, both cousins and their spouses and kids. It was a birthday bash weekend, lots of fun and got to catch up with old college friends!
7. Drop out of grad school. This was hard for me. But, I found the path that perhaps I had been seeking all along. Ironically I found it through my advisor at Roosevelt's mistake. But I decided to apply for School Psychology programs. Testing, stats and summers off! Sounds ideal. Unfortunately, Roosevelt doesn't have a program so I'm taking a break and applying at 3 schools in Chicago. If I'm accepted I'll be starting Fall 2010.
8. Turn off the TV. The big experiment continues. August 18 we cancelled the cable and as a result get no television in our house. It's been pretty awesome. I cook more than ever, read more books this fall than usual. We're going to keep it going for 2010.
9. Running. I found myself a running partner and embraced running whole-heartedly. This lasted until the weather turned on me and I had to give it up. I want it back.
10. Char and Chris' wedding. My younger sister-in-law got married in a beautiful ceremony in Hyde Park. There was also the insurance wedding earlier in the summer, so it was a summer full of celebrations!
11. Brew-Ha-Ha. Jason's first annual weekend brewery tour in Wisconsin. We stayed near Devil's Lake in cabins with 6 other couples, a couple of babies and had a blast! There are plans for a one-day local brew-ha-ha late this winter, early spring .
12. Food blogging. I've been trying to do more with my blogging and really trying to record all of my recipe attempts. It has definitely been the fall of the soups and with my new immersion blender, that should continue.
13. Jason's 40th Birthday! His birthday fell on a Saturday so it was a whole weekend of celebrating. We had our families over the morning of his birthday for a wonderful pancake breakfast. He got lots of fun gifts, including a bottle of Fontodi Flaccianello from me! That night was spent with the two of us having dinner at Bon Soiree. We did the 6 course Saturday underground dining experience and loved it. The following day our friends all joined us at a local bar to have lunch, watch the Bears and sing happy birthday one more time.
14. The Gratitude Project. I spend a good portion of 2009 being really dissatisfied, especially regarding material matters. It was an ugly feeling and was making me an ugly person. From Halloween to Thanksgiving I tried to come up with something to be grateful for everyday. While I didn't blog daily as intended, I did take a long, hard look at my life, and put in some serious time reflecting on what is truly important to me. It is an ongoing process but I have started to turn my bad attitude around.
15. Christmas Eve. Our 4th annual hosting of Christmas Eve. It was a complete success. Good food, good family, good presents and fun!
Now, it's the morning of New Years Eve. I'm still in my pajamas, motivating to get dressed. No New Year's trip out of town so instead the friends are all gathering at one person's house for a potluck and celebration. My plan is to stay sober and wake up starting my new year not hungover!
My Resolutions so far?
1. To play piano again
2. To lose 15 pounds
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!
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