I stopped by the grocery store on Thursday to pick up a few things in anticipation of being icebound for a couple of days. Didn't we just have the Pineapple Express - heavy rains and some flooding earlier this month? We're now back to super duper cold and snow. Which I actually do prefer over rain and flooding and Lord knows my (sometimes-flooded) garage does too. And while the ice and snow is beautiful alas it's a bitch to drive in here in our hilly and ill-prepared area of the Seattle suburbs. I attempted a drive into work that morning after the snow arrived. Normally if my steep driveway and the road on my main street are fairly clear that's a good sign the work commute is going to be alright.
Not so much on Thursday. By the time I got within a mile of work the 4-lane arterials were icy and my car fishtailed on a few turns. I'm no SUV driver and not one to be a super hero out there on the roads either. So my co-worker and I agreed to leave the office early that afternoon before it got dark and froze up yet again to finish our workday at home.
I stopped by the gourmet cheese section at the Red Apple Market on the route home and looked through all the selections. I laugh and remember when I tried going vegan - or maybe part-time vegan - maybe a year and a half ago or so? I have a few vegan cookbooks in my kitchen and they might look impressive on display but are seldom used now. However, many of the main courses are great side dishes. I decided that while a vegan diet is super healthy, my love of cheese and of seafood trumps any efforts to fully convert. Hence, my snooping around in the Brie.
And then *ping* - one of my earrings fell out of my earlobe and right down deep into the bottom of the display! I'm glad I was alert and noticed otherwise I would have been totally bummed. So I tore apart the display (err, sorry) and carefully pulled out my earring...phew! Gotta be careful with this style I haven't worn in awhile - earrings on French wires, as opposed to the posts I usually choose. At least they weren't super expensive.
So, there is soooo much to reflect back upon in 2010. My '10 calendar has already hit the recycle bin and a fresh new '11 one (full of beautiful tropical beach scenes) is up here in the home office ready to rock.
A few 2010 standouts:
- I gave up Diet Coke cold turkey on 1/02/2010 and have NEVER regretted it nor ever looked back one second. YES! Gone is that 25+ year 6-or-more-can-a-day habit!
- WORK. Getting freaking back to work. I started off the year unemployed and didn't get back to work until my birthday, May 19th. What a fucking roller coaster of great connections, support, let downs, glorious interviews, a few months pro bono/part-time to help a colleague launch a consulting business and working that phone and email. Draining my unemployment benefits fund dry meanwhile, and, frankly, sweating it on a few occasions. Let's hear it for 2011 to be a year of steady employment, prosperity and continuing to grow professionally while rebuilding those savings!
- Falling sheetrock and down allergies! Huh? Check out one of my archived February posts. I had a very brief relationship that inspired probably one of my funniest posts yet to date here in fivenineteen. Hell, at the time it wasn't funny but putting the fingers to the keyboard helped me get through the aftermath.
- River rafting day trip in July: I joined my friend J on a guided trip down the Wenatchee River and it was extremely memorable and hilarious. Again, check the blog arichives. I am SO ready to do another rafting trip next summer!
- New hockey team! I made a shift after 7 years to a newly-formed team this fall season and couldn't be happier. I love my former team however my playing ability just wasn't keeping up as they moved up the league ranks. Just shows how the Universe takes care of what we need. I was wondering one day how to hook up with a new team and then one day later got an email asking for volunteers to form a new team. And, voila.
- 3 5Ks! THIS is a tradition I plan to carry over into 2011 and beyond and have to thank P for lighting this pilot light within me in 2009. I ran 2 5Ks and walked one as a volunteer. And I can't WAIT to get back into training for another one this next year. One of these days I will run one in under 30 minutes - mark my words.
- Getting through the big home repairs. Let's see...this year I had to replace my garage door opener, my cell phone, my fridge and a few expensive parts in my furnace. All while being out of work for nearly a year save for a couple months at a lower-paying but very worthwhile engagement. GUH. The wallet took it hard in the short and curlies this year, but I MADE IT THROUGH. And I will never EVER take for granted seeing the furnace at 68 degrees. Or that motor kicking on so very gently. Bliss.
- Doing something new: a new side business! What happens when you love accessories AND want to accelerate how quickly you rebuild savings? Why, you start a jewelry business, of course! And as many of you know, that's Silpada Designs for me - a jewelry brand I have known and have adored for many years. I am proud to now represent the line and am enjoying learning the ropes as a rep, meet the rest of my team and get my initial round of parties booked!
- A Full Year of fivenineteen! What sprung out of unemployment and restlessness back in September 2009 has now turned into a regular ritual for me. Who knows where this could lead? If it goes somewhere, great. If it stays like this, great too. It's ME and an outlet I cherish. And I adore all of you who tune in regularly or might find me here on a random search. Whatever fivenineteen evolves into next, it's a great journey - thank you for being here with me on the ride.
My best to each of you for an adventurous, wonderous, restful and peaceful New Year.
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