best of 2010

I hope you've had a great 2010! There's definitely a lot of funky energy out there in the world these days, but also lots of people doing amazing things in spite of all sorts of hardship. Inspiring stuff.

I don't know if it's because I tend to be rather future-oriented, like most planner types, or if I just don't properly appreciate all of the nice things that have happened to me, but I tend to look back on most years and think, "This was a decent year, but not so different from all the rest." But not this year. While thinking back on everything that has happened during a year that has seemed in some ways to fly by, I have to acknowledge that this has been an extremely eventful year for us. And in nearly every instance, "eventful" means not just that things happened, but that good things happened. :::This is me sending lots of gratitude and appreciation into the universe.::: We went from never having renovated anything before to completing two rooms and a fireplace and making a good dent in the kitchen. Mark and I both ran marathons. And we got waaaaay lucky with snowfall and skied loads of powder. (And we both stayed healthy, neither of us lost our job, and nothing catastrophic happened. Let's appreciate that stuff too!)

Because we traditionally end one year and start the next with a countdown ("10 seconds! Nine! Eight!..."), it seems fitting to countdown my top 10 moments of 2010, with blog links.

10. Demolishing our icky old pink bathroom (read about it)
9. Finishing our first real renovation, of the formerly pink bathroom (read about it)
8. Watching Mark finish his fourth marathon (this would have ranked higher, except that he's a total pro by now)
7. Completing the new fireplace surround (read about it)
6. Skiing amazing Utah powder at Alta and Snowbird (see the photos)
5. Hosting our second Thanksgiving -- and not screwing anything up! (read about it)
4. Spending a week eating like fiends in NYC (read about it here, here and here)
3. Finishing our second bathroom renovation (read about it)
2. Finishing my first marathon (read about it)
1. Finding the place where we are meant to live (Truckee, CA, near Lake Tahoe) during a weeklong powder extravaganza (read about the foodie adventures from that time here)

A special late-breaking event goes to number 1A: Welcoming our new nephew Niklas into the world. Hope your first 37 hours have been happy and healthy (or at least sleepy and quiet). Grattis to your whole family!

I hope you all have a wonderful time celebrating the new year! If tradition holds, we will be asleep well before 11 p.m. after skiing a hard day, and in anticipation of first chair on New Year's Day. But we're celebrating with you in spirit!

xoxo,