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2009 Year in Review
January 4th, 2010
This was the year in which I:
- Bought size six jeans
- Ran a half marathon
- Became a better cook
- Won a cruise
- Moved four times
- Almost lost my Dad
- Hated my life
- Loved my life
- Discovered how much I’ve changed
I didn’t knit as much as I’d have predicted, but I designed more than I expected. I spent less time on the internet. I took more pictures. I ran 107 miles. I hung out with my dogs a lot. I applied for mortgages. I went to three concerts. I packed. I unpacked. I packed. I unpacked. I grew my hair. I took out my belly ring. I found a new home for Boo and Maddy. I reconnected with old friends and got closer with new ones. I camped. I got shin splints. I taught. I read a lot. I developed an addiction to Flip Toss, ‘n Thai. I got the flu three times. I cried. I laughed so hard I fell down. I grew older and maybe maybe a little wiser.
January
- Had my first taste of winter in Toronto. And discovered the incredible power of handknit legwarmers.
- Celebrated a belated Christmas with my family in St. Charles, mid-January, due to Snowmageddon in December 08.
- Read – and loved – Lauren Goff’s The Monsters of Templeton.
February
- Published Reverie, a lightweight beret for spring.
- Got really into photography for a short span of time.
- Launched the Ontario Newsroom on February 17. This is a big deal because it was the funnest development project I’ve ever completed, and pretty much cemented my love of SMOO.
- Published Elsewhere, formerly known as Norah, to date my most popular design for sale on Ravelry. (Thanks guys!)
- Spun some yarn. A lot of yarn. Like ten or so skeins in a couple of weekends, including the rest of what I started in December 2008. Reminder to self: start spinning again! I miss it!
March
- 25 pounds down from starting weight and felt healthy again. Had fun shopping and window shopping and just trying on stuff.
- The Gladstone on a cold Saturday. Live bluegrass and a pint and a free paper.
- Said goodbye to BSG.
- Helped my mom – from afar – go through radiation for breast cancer.
April
- I walked everywhere.
- Saw the Indigo Girls in Buffalo with my new(ish) friends Elba and Michelle.
- Discovered that I still loved to knit.
- Spent Easter in St. Charles with my folks.
- Thought a lot about Anthropologie and the republican party.
May
- Published Urbanity, a vest I’d designed (and knit) some time before.
- Hit 40 pounds of weight loss.
- Sold the store!
- Organized and ran our first (of two) garage sales in Calgary.
- Packed, packed, packed, packed.
- Spent a lot of time thinking – and writing – about equal rights for same-sex couples, particularly in light of Prop 8
- Tried to move into the first floor apartment, but was stalled for a week due to the previous owner’s dogs and their bathroom habits.
June
- Finally moved into the apartment and pondered what it’d be to live in four places over a year.
- Designed Wisteria Garden, the June 2009 Year of Lace project.
- Packed everything (left) into our Jeep and spent six days driving as quickly as possible from Calgary to Toronto.
- Saw the Indigo Girls at Ravinia – a life long dream. (Next time? No fights in the car!)
- Despite crooked movers, broken cars and changed plans, finally lived in one place again, with Sandra, Cooper, Jackson, and Cleo.
July
- Dog Day at the Blue Jays Game!
- I became a runner.
August
- I survived running 15k and signed up for a half marathon.
- We bought a house! A real house! A house I love!
- Took a week off and went camping at Rock Point, on Lake Erie.
September
- Published Little Miss Greenjeans, modeled by my adorable niece.
- Spent much of the month alone, while Sandra tended to her family back in Edmonton.
- Went through a wacky health scare with Cooper.
- Made goal weight! (And soon found out my scale was a little wrong. Shhh.)
- Ran 21km. At once. And signed up to do it again. Half marathon? Harder than I’d expected but oh so worth it.
October
- We celebrated two years of marriage by moving into our first house in Toronto.
- Published Slow Curve
- Had the best (free!) cruise ever on an Olivia charter with Carin, Danielle, and our new friends, Stephanie and Mel.
November
- Finished off our vacation in Disney World!
- Unpacked. Continually.
- Spent a delightful day in Niagara wine country.
- Hosted 9 friends at our home for American Thanksgiving.
December
- Designed (and knit) a bunch of mittens for my work peeps.
- Published the Karen Shawl, in honor of my mother.
- Spent nearly two weeks of December with my dad in St. Charles. He was hospitalized with a bowel obstruction, and then complicated by pneumonia and a viral infection. Scary times. Thought a lot about mortality.
- Saw Chrystie, my bestest friend evah!
- Had a quiet Christmas at home in Toronto, complete with a festive feast and too much baking.
- Ran the Resolution Run 5k with Moira and our best time ever – 28:30.
Favorite posts from 2009:
- Feb 26: A little reminder (In which I think about religion.)
- March 26: Least Complicated and March 30 Not Missing Now (In which I find myself a little more.)
- March 31: Things I’ve Learned from my Dogs (In which I laugh at my dogs.)
- April 5: Not Afraid of “Ugly” (In which I am brave.)
- April 21: My Money, My Heart (In which I wonder whether you can separate the owner’s politics from the business.)
- May 19: All You’ve Got is What You’ve Lived Through (In which I reassure myself that a life isn’t lived through things.)
- May 26: Starting With Fear, Ending With Freedom (In which I think we’re simply not angry enough to win.)
- June 24: When Good Trips Go Not-As-Good-As-Hoped (In which I ponder failed road trips. Ours, in particular.)
- July 31: Runrunrunrunrunrun (In which I take up running.)
- August 17:Running FOR Something (In which I raise money for Epilepsy Toronto in advance of my half marathon.)
- August 20: Why Hello New Home! (In which we buy a house.)
- August 23: 15k in 1:53 and Still Alive (In which I brag about my first race.)
- September 10: Knitty Changed My Life (In which I thank Knitty. For everything.)
- September 18: Oh Hai, Goal Weight (In which I post funny pictures of myself.)
- October 15: On the Moment of a New House (In which I dream.)
- November 16: Community Matters (In which I tell you – again – why gay rights are important.)
- December 1: Thanksgiving in Toronto (In which I cook for 9.)
- December 26: I Wrapped a Turkey with Meat this Christmas (In which I cook a turkey. Covered with pancetta.)
It wasn’t easy. You can read the hardest parts between the lines of this blog if you try hard enough. My life has always been a turbulent one, but this year proved, more than any before, that I can get through just about anything.
For 2010, I wish for stability and peace. The next 12 months don’t have to be as “interesting” as the last 12. (Please Lord, no!) I’d like to look back on them and be a little… well…. bored.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
(Because Last Year’s was so much fun.)
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January 4th, 2010 at 9:14 pm
WOW
Patterns for the mittens????
January 4th, 2010 at 10:06 pm
Wow, what a great post! It was fun to read it and think back about all the things I was doing each month of last year. I’m with you (and a lot of other people, it seems) in saying that 2009 was a difficult year that I don’t want to repeat! Here’s to better things for everyone in 2010.
January 5th, 2010 at 7:27 am
You did a great job in 2009. Congratulations from me. And my best whishes for 2010.
Annegret
January 5th, 2010 at 10:58 am
Amy – love your 2009 review, inspires me to write my own. But, how does one recall ALL events in one year? I guess I need to empty my head of useless nonsense and really focus right?
January 5th, 2010 at 3:10 pm
Thank you for taking the time to write this great post! Congratulations to your many achievements. Have a happy (and “boring”) 2010!
January 6th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
life is never boring with you
January 7th, 2010 at 1:55 am
Sounds like you had a beautiful 2009, I’m happy for you