so here's the deal: i didn't so well with my list. and you know what? i don't really care. because this past year was so full of fabulousity that no list could contain it. and there's no way to know at the beginning of a year where you'll be by the end of the year. and all the adventures that get you there? sometimes you just can't imagine what those are going to be. with those thoughts in mind, i present you with some of the reasons why being 32 was better than my birthday list could possibly show. it's not all-inclusive and it's not in any specific order, but it's a good glimpse into the greatness of the past year.
i got to spend the year living with a fabulous roommate. rooming with marlana is a lot of fun. we get along really well, we don't drive each too crazy and she bought me a set of eyeball salt and pepper shakers. really, do i need to say more? she's fabulousity personified.
i got to see my oldest niece graduate kindergarten. living 2.5 hours from my family is hard, and i don't like being so removed from the little day-to-day activities. so being able to be home for alicia's kindergarten graduation was great fun. even if it does mean she's growing up too fast.
and i got to help my youngest niece celebrate her fist birthday! were there too many kids at the party for my enjoyment? sure. but as far as first birthday parties go? not too shabby.
i got to crochet like a crazy woman & give away a lot of yarned creations. this year i spent some quality time remembering how much fun it is to crochet. i taught myself some new stitches, picked up some new techniques and even created a few patterns on my own. and the best part? i gave almost every piece of crocheted goodness away to my family & friends. i trust they're all in happy homes and that whoever is caring for them enjoys them as much i enjoyed making them. :)
i learned why a tulip tree is called a tulip tree. just because i grew up in a house with a tulip tree doesn't mean i'd ever actually
seen the tulips before. :)
i also learned that i really enjoy photographing cemetery statues. when brian asked if i'd ever been to crown hill (the cemetery situated on the highest ground in the city) and offered to take me - i said yes because i wanted to spend the day with him, not because i was particularly stoked about hanging out in a cemetery. and then we got there. and we started taking pictures. and i realized i'd never been in a cemetery with a focus on the artwork that's there. it turns out that if i let myself sort of forget that there are rows and rows of dead people underneath me - i kinda like cemeteries. who knew?
i found amazing friendship in an unexpected place. when i accepted the job at the craft store, i was expecting to enjoy myself, to be challenged by the new environment and to meet some nice coworkers along the way. i was
not, however, expecting to find someone whose company brings me as much joy as brian does. he & i make a good team both at work and outside of work, and i love him dearly.
origami! i made a couple hundred pieces of folded paper goodness for erin's daughter to hang from her bedroom ceiling, and it was great fun. as i was folding each one i just kept imagining her face when she opened the box. i wish i could have seen that. :)
i got to take cupcakes to april on her anniversary. april and i started our jobs at the newspaper within a month of each other. summer of 2011 marked her 10-year anniversary, and i was so happy i got to go up and help her celebrate! 10 years is a big deal. cupcakes with candy eyes seemed like the least i could do.
i got to decorate a birthday cake for my brother. speaking of cakey goodness - being able to decorate a pirate ship cake for jonathan? yup, that was a high point of the year, too. i don't remember why he & laure were in town - but i'm glad we got to spend some together while they were. :)
i got to spend christmas with my family. and speaking of spending time with family - let's not forget christmas. :) working retail means i can't really request time off around christmas. and that means my window of opportunity is small and easily thwarted by poor weather (like 2010's little ice storm on christmas eve). this year my schedule and the weather worked together quite nicely to give me a couple days home with the family. they're a lovely group, as is quite obvious in the above photo, no?
i got the most awesome hair accessory ever. and speaking of christmas (after this one, i won't start with "and speaking of ..." again. honest.) - brian made me the coolest hair accessory ever. we'd seen these really great hair flowers in LA with day of the dead skulls in the center. but they were expensive, and we knew we could make one ourselves. or, rather, i could buy the supplies and brian could make it. so that's what he did. and it is awesome. i wore it out to dinner on new year's eve, too. because i decided is was still a poinsettia-worthy holiday. :)
i got a great pair of mustache socks. two pairs, really. ;) my friend dave has this uncanny knack for sending the coolest things, and these socks were for no reason at all except he wanted to. and THAT is why i love mail.
i planted a garden. my dad made me two garden boxes, and i planted them full of vegetables. lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, watermelon, radishes, green beans. so much good stuff. i suppose, technically, this one
was on the goal list, so maybe it doesn't belong here? but i had so much fun with the garden. i enjoyed the whole process of helping build the boxes, going and buying the dirt, mixing it with the peat moss and then actually planting the seeds/plants. i even kept up with the weeding most of the summer! it was more than just planting vegetables (which was the goal on the list) - it was a garden. my garden. and i enjoyed it very much.
i got to see burt bloom. when i moved down here, april bought me a fabulous little striped succulent that makes me think of a tim burton creation. it took burt almost a year, but he bloomed! and every day i looked at the blooms i thought of april and how beautiful she is and how sweet our friendship is.
i got to collaborate on art projects. from photographs to crocheted pieces, i've really enjoyed helping brian with some of his art projects this year. it's fun to be able to contribute at the base level of a project, knowing that he's going to turn it into something completely different. i give him something simple and he gives back something so complex and intricate. i'm glad i get to be a part of it.
i learned a lot about gluten-free baking. in fairness, i think we all want what we can't have. but when what you can't have is wheat and everyone bakes with wheat flour? yeah. no cookies, cakes or pies for you. so this year, i did some experimenting with gluten-free baking. and cooking, but the baking's the most fun. not all the experiments were successful, but for the most part i'd say they weren't too shabby. and i like the challenge. and the smiles that result.
i got to eat lettuce that was growing in a cup. i'm aware that this seems very inconsequential compared to other things on this list - but c'mon! it was lettuce that was
growing in a cup! perhaps the lesson here is that being silly is a lot of fun. and you can't always plan silly. you just gotta seize the opportunities as they present themselves.
photo day with april! when we worked together, april and i did a stint of photo lunches where we'd go someone near the office on our lunch break just to take photos. that got tricky once i switched departments and such, but this year we were able to schedule a day to get together and shoot photos. and it was superb.
i shot a lot of photos. with april, with brian, with marlana, by myself ... lots of photos. there's magic in taking photos. i mean, you're literally making a copy of what's in front of you. you're taking a slice out of today's reality (while still leaving it intact) and you have it to look at again tomorrow. it's ... magic.
i learned i like a good glass of wine. this photo is actually a poor representation of my learned love of wine, as i actually greatly prefer red wine to white. but in this photo, the wine is sitting on my patio table. and coupled with my enjoyment of wine is my enjoyment of drinking it out on the patio while staring at the stars and daydreaming about life and love and everything in between. drinking a glass of wine helps me breath deeply and exhale the stress of life.
i got to visit los angeles. when beth saw an episode of cupcake wars that referenced a tim burton art exhibit, she told me about it. when i found that episode online, i proclaimed to facebook that i wanted to go. when brian said he would go with me, i booked tickets. and the trip was phenomenal. the exhibit was great, but i wouldn't call it the best part of the vacation. just being there, taking hundreds of photos, milling around the little shops in the historical district, seeing the day of the dead processional, parading a cupcake around macarthur park ... the whole experience was an absolute highlight to the year. so much laughter. so much fun.
i got to host thanksgiving dinner. again, being 2.5 hours from my family is hard. but this year my parents came down for thanksgiving dinner, and being able to host was a lot of fun. what started as a simple dinner quickly turned into a challenge to create an entire traditional thanksgiving feast that was gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and seed-free. and you know what? it was awesome.
in fact, i'd say the entire year was awesome. so what if i didn't see a bunch of movies or read a book or make ethiopian flatbread (mmmmm ... injera). i took pictures of donkeys, saw my first drag show and colored on the carpet with permanent markers. i learned that brown sugar and mustard are a good combination and that making time for the people i love is always worth the effort.
i've not given a single thought to making a goal list for next year. but here's hoping i enjoy 33 as much as i did 32.
