A Year in Review 2009...

I think it’s always interesting to look back over the year, and see what you’ve done and where you’ve been. I think it was someone famous that once said,” You don’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been.” Or maybe that was a line in a movie I saw once? But I think that there is some truth to that, and so here I am looking over the past year.

I’m not sure how to organize this last year and so I’m thinking (as I look out over a newly snow-covered landscape) that I’ll do it a month by month organization with just a quick list of the hi-lights from each. So here we go on my memory stroll of 2009…

January was a month of new beginnings—I started blogging (thanks to Diane in getting me started) and tired cross country skiing for the first time.

February was a social month with the 2nd Annual Black Widow’s Valentine’s Dinner Party and the Sunday Gras Baby Shower Drinking Party.

March had Lent, Yurting, and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

April was the celebration of the Popette’s 76th Birthday and a Potluck goodbye as I stepped down from being the Choir Director at St. Joe’s after 5 years.

May arrived with a piece of my artwork on display in the Salt Lake City Gallery Roll and a fun Gift card Day.

June came and I served as a Road Marshal for the Little Red Riding Hood (Utah’s Woman Only Bike Ride) and then in what I believe was an act of insanity I agreed to do the Slow Salty Dog Tri (70.3).

July proved to be a trying month as I stumbled through starting to train for the Slow Salty Dog and joined Face Book.

August was training and more training for the Slow Salty Dog.

September sprung and before I knew it I had survived the Slow Salty Dog Tri and had a wonderful Park City vacation with the interesting Iron Villa Cook Off.

October came and so did one of my favorite holidays—Halloween! I held my 3rd Annual Tricky Treat Costume Bike Ride, where over 20 fellow cyclists participated.

November proved to be an athletic minded month with “Fun Runs” such as the Chasing Tail and Cold Turkey and then I managed my way into Boot Camp.

December came at last and I actually survived the Boot Camp, Sang “O Holy Night” Duet, and sold some artwork.

I want to thank everyone who came into contact with me over the year. You helped to make this a wonderful year for me and I’m looking forward to seeing what 2010 holds.

Happy New Year to you all and I hope that 2010 proves to be a wonderful fortuitous year for you!

Facebook Fashion?

Okay, okay. I've joined the ranks! After 5 invites and everyone saying they chatted on Facebook (and me feeling a little left out), I'm finally giving in. I am now on Facebook.

So I sign up and made all kinds of discoveries--- like friends I hadn't had contact in years, those friends that you didn't think were computer savvy( gee-maybe it was me?), and even my little brother. Gee, where have I been? I guess I was totally out in the wild blue yonder twiddling my thumbs!

I will admit that part of the reason that I held out from joining Facebook was due to the privacy issues. All the press about this has kind of made me put Facebook at arms length. But also I keep on thinking of all those people from my past that can now look me up. I hate to think of some fellow elementary student hitting me up for that $5 loan that I forgot about. I mean with the interest, and penalties and what not, I'm looking at some hefty pocket change, and I can't hide behind those black shades on this one. I know I'll have to cough up the dough.

Another one of my concerns is that I have a real tendency to "open mouth insert foot". I think I inherited this from my mom. (Sorry Mom!) Try as I might I still have those moments when my mouth engages before my brain has scanned the contents. Ooopps! A great deal of you can attest to me doing this, and know me well enough that you know it was not meant in harm. But with this new outlet, I can't help but get concerned that I may quickly type before I think or that people who do not know me may take it wrong.

It's kind of strange, though, all this contact through the cell phones, pda's, computers, email, text messaging, and etc. The list goes on as the technology progresses. I'm not sure if I like to be in this much contact with the world. I often feel like I'm on digital overload and that life is swirling out of control. I sometimes WANT to purposely be disconnected. In this day and age, it's getting harder and harder to be that way. I don't have a "land line"---my cell phone is my home phone. It just kind of made sense but sometimes it can be very inconvenient. I, sometimes, will just turn it off or leave the cell home on purpose. I mean what did we do before cell phones?

I find myself searching memories of a time before all of this electronic age stuff. I can remember a time when my dad was a night janitor for a place that had computer punch cards. I remember those cumbersome "brick" phones when cell phones first came out. And meanwhile, here I am sitting at my desk in a paisely print shirt that would have fit in well with the decade of disco. Why does it seem that fashion is going backwards of late? Retro is like the "IN" thing now. Why? Is it a response to all of this progress in technology? Or have we really done all we can with clothing and can't help but to revert back to the past? Well, in that stead I chose this picture of the t-shirt(above) as a fashion statement for this Facebook blog posting. I'm calling it the latest in Facebook Retro Fashion. What do you think?

Oh, and P.S. You can now check me out on Facebook...