2009 ... A Year In Review

Oh how time flies!  Since I became a blogger 5 years ago, I've been doing annual recaps of my life. Why change tradition now?

January - So long ago, I can barely remember it! I was dieting for no reason and wasting away. I loved buying new clothes ... I didn't like not eating... for no reason.

February - Viva Las Vegas!! An addict was born! I had a spontaneous Girls Only Valentine's Day weekend in Las Vegas. It was an insane amount of fun! R.A.D. also happened - as it does every year - but on this Appreciation Day I got to be reunited with a dear old college friend. And did I mention I went to Vegas? Saw Phantom of the Opera, drank a lot of fruity drinks, had a blast at a gay club off the strip where my friend Alex performs, finally made it to Studio 54, met a Titanic historian, and had fun, fun, FUN!!

March - Jessica, taking advantage of one Friday night's boredom, convinced me to join a free dating site. To humor her and my mother I gave it a try. Convinced the only people wanting to talk to me were freaks, I was about to ditch the site ... and then came along this hockey player from North Dakota....

April - My month began with a first date. Then a second. Then an out of town trip. Before the first week was over, I had a boyfriend. What??? This month became one filled with fun, food, laughter, movies, meeting families and weekend adventures. We hit the beach, hot springs, Diamond Lake, karaoke bars, movie theaters, golf tournaments, restaurants.. yada yada yada. And thus began the busy lives of the North Dakota boy and the Oregon girl!

May - Welcome Mr. Sunshine! Boy it sure got hot, didn't it??  I ended up buying a pretty good sized pool for my backyard - which came in handy while we were finally painting my house. What a chore .... its December, I am almost done painting. Hmph.  Memorial Day weekend was lovely. Spent some time at a winery with good company, music and badminton, then hit up my mom's house for food, badminton, games and music! The big highlight of the month was a visit to Enchanted Forest with Jessica and Ryan. I must say we were the four coolest people there - duh!

June -My schedule didn't slow down at all. Sara and Jason came to town, which meant Music in the Park and sharing goofy junior high stories in the wine garden at the Arts Festival.  This was also the month for the "big" golf tournament of the summer. Can we all agree that year's sort of sucked? It wasn't the usual party atmosphere that it is - but I still managed to have a really great time - and not get sunburned! A big highlihgt for  me was going to the lovely wedding of Arwyn and Tonia.  They had their ceremony on the beach - and pretty much everybody was teary eyed before it was over. Such a wonderful day for two fabulous gals! That same weekend allowed for more cave exploring in Bandon - and my first time digging a hole and peeing in the cave's sandy floor. I tried to save a sea lion that beached itself. I choose to be positive and believe she is okay!

July - Busy Busy Busy!!! The month kicked off with some quality time out at my mom's and on the river. Heather and Daniel joined Michael and I for some floating down the North Umpqua. I admit I was completely petrified at first. Thank you Bacardi Silver - you helped me through that first trip out! The girls really perfected their karaoke performance of Paula Cole's Where Have All the Cowboys Gone. If you missed it, catch the video on Facebook! A strange little thing happened to me in July. I was bitten by a baby monkey inside a restaurant downtown. You read that correctly! A baby monkey bit me. It was my first time ever touching a monkey, and it was kinda cute, so I wasn't worked up over it. I only worried about dying for a few minutes off and on throughout the next week. The ultimate highlight of July has to be my super spontaneous trip to Vegas with Michael. We walked, sang and drank our way up and down the strip. Didn't bother with shows, didn't make it to any clubs .... just kept grabbing fruity drinks once the prior one would run out, and wandered around checking things out. My liver hurts just remembering that weekend - but I totally can't wait to do it again!!

August - Calling all Parrot heads! It was THE party of August - were you there?? This year my mom and I throw an end of Summer party with a Jimmy Buffett/island theme. It was a lot of fun. Many friends and family members showed up and a nice afternoon/evening of food, drinks and great music! My month was enhanced by a visit from Jessica! She was my special house guest during Fair Week so we could go to the Huey Lewis and the News concert. Oh yeah - be jealous!  I had an absolute blast! She got a mini-Roseburg tour, we checked out animals at the fair, took goofy photos, did something my mom doesn't approve of, sang along with Huey, ran into too many of my exes, people watching, fair food... you name it, we did it! Not only did I party at my mom's house, I REALLY partied at my dear uncle Kelly's house. Did I ever! He had his annual party, too - and, well ... I had fun. (Remember those photos of me laying on the ground? Or the mud on my face the next morning? Yeah - enough said!)  Michael and I took advantage of being in Bend and had a fantastic time hiking up to nearly the top of Mount Bachelor. It was my first time on the mountain without being there to ski, and it was crazy to see the actual terrain instead of snow!  On our way home from Bend we stopped at Crater Lake to take in the views. What a nerve-wracking drive, but what a breathtaking view!

September -The ninth month was one of change. A healthy, positive change! I began running every other night, with the goal of running in a 5K race. Not just ONE race, but TWO! I bought some clothes for running, downloaded a training podcast and entered myself in 2 races. I'm still shocked at this decision, but I am so happy I made a goal and a plan and stuck with it!  September also allowed me some more time over in the Cascades - this time in Sunriver with my dad!  I haven't been there in decades, and it was totally the way I remembered it. I got to ride bikes, pet horses, go to the observatory, take a run through the golf course, run into some friends rather unexpectedly, relax by the fire and go to the Lava River Caves. Michael and I were in heaven in the lava tube. I highly recommend visiting if you are ever in the area!

October -  VACATION!! I'm sure other things happened (OSU tailgates), but we all know the biggie of the month was my annual Disney vacation, this year with Jessica. Oodles and oodles of fun! We are already discussing the 2010 vacation! October wasn't all happy times in the sunshine. It is suspected that probably on the way home from Florida is when I contracted the Swine Flu.  Lovely H1N1 came along to ruin a couple weeks of my life.  Phooey!  Ah ha! Another positive for the 10th month of 2009 --- Alex!! Those sassy "gals" from last year's Jewel Box Revue returned at the very end of September, and I couldn't have been happier! I went many times in October and now I've lost track of how many times I've been down to see Alex in action!

November -I turned 31 years old and I didn't flip out!! I was probably too sick from the Swine Flu to even car, to be honest. This was a pretty quiet month, actually. Work was crazy busy for me, which may explain why I was too tired to do anything. My month was pretty much work and female impersonators. I had a lovely "date" with Alex's boyfriend, Daniel. He's such a doll - they both are! Thanksgiving was enjoyable. I always look forward to the big family gatherings ... with a realistic amount of apprehension thrown in, too. Black Friday was AWESOME this year! My tree is exploding with purchases that I can't wait to open! My pets, myself and Santa were all very generous this year!

December - My month began with the completion of the most challenging goal I've ever set for myself .... I successfully finished a full 5K race! It was the most amazing experience and I am very excited for the next one.Work's crazy schedule hasn't let up at all - but I don't really mind that. I enjoy feeling busy and productive once in a while. My dad came to town for a visit - and thanks to his strength and technical savvy, I am the proud owner of a new TV that I bought all by myself! My family celebrated Christmas early, as always, and it was probably the best Christmas we've had in years. I wish that it could have lasted longer, but we're busy people with plans! I'm finishing off the year with a couple more nice Christmas gatherings, and 2 more trips to see Alex in Dreams Come True at Christmas down at the casino. Its going to suck when he goes back to Vegas, but at least I'll get ONE more chance to see him perform right at the start of the year.

Overall this has been a really fun year! I've spent a lot of time with friends and family members, run into old friends unexpectedly and made some new ones, too!  I really enjoyed getting out and enjoying nature, and I'm pretty sure Lady loved her little adventures as well. As for new year's resolutions, I'm going to keep the "no candy/no chocolate" thing going. At the end of this year I'll have successfully kept to that resolution for 16 years! I really can have the most amazing will power when I want to.  Another thing I'd like to try to maintain is a consistent running schedule, especially while training for the 5K in March. Other than that though, I plan on just doing my thing. Being happy, traveling when I get a chance, working, yada yada yada!  And maybe getting back to Vegas???