The annual post…the best things about 2009. Kind of a crappy year for me overall, mostly because nothing really exciting happened (and because a few bad things did). But I will try to come up with a few things, just so I don’t sound like such a whiner.
- My nephew Michael was born in October. He’s a perfect baby, named after my dad. Say what you will about my sister and her husband, but they make beautiful children! Just kidding – you guys are awesome.
- My baby sister (she hates it when I call her that) had two major exciting events: graduation from the police academy, and her engagement! I’m so proud of her…she has become such an incredible woman. And her fiance is just terrific – I’m so happy for them.
- Schenectady County’s Bicentennial Celebration is now over, and you have no idea how happy I am about that.
- Became President of the Kiwanis Club of Schenectady on October 1. What a great bunch of people, doing great things in their community.
- Celebrated 2 years of marriage to the hubs. Took an awesome trip to the Adirondacks, and was incredibly pampered. Love you, honey!
- Got to cook (well, prep work, really), in an actual restaurant kitchen. Thanks to Chef Mark for the great experience.
- Got to make a return trip to Nashville. My prior visit made me think I didn’t care for the city, but my return was completely different and quite fun! I attended the Grand Ole Opry (which was great), went to the Country Music Hall of Fame (loved it), and got to spend some quality time with my in-laws, who drove down from Kentucky to show me the sights. There are still a couple things I missed, so I hope I get to go back again.
- I discovered social media. And the world will never be the same.
And because no end-of-the-year restrospective would be complete without a look forward, I have come up withsome goals for the year ahead. I try not to make New Year’s Resolutions, because they never work for me. But, I thought I’d compile a list of things I would like to accomplish before 2010 ends. Since they are positive, fun, and meaningful to me, there’s a really good chance that I’ll actually be able to make them happen.
- Take a French class, to re-learn that beautiful language. Not sure where I’d use it, but I’d at least like to be fluent in something other than English. No more stupid American for me!
- Become a vegetarian, or at least a flexatarian (no red meat, some chicken perhaps). I’ve discussed this before, but this time I really mean it.
- I would like to have dinner at Angelo’s 677 Prime in Albany. Seems like a small thing, but I’ve heard so many good things, that I feel like I’m missing out on a very important Capital Region event.
- Add a podcast to my blog. No details yet, but I’ve got some irons in the fire, and a video podcast will hopefully be debuting here very soon.
- Take my dog to the beach. I just think it would be cute.
- Manage to put $1500 in my savings account. Trust me, this is huge.
- Get an iPhone or iPod Touch. My birthday is coming up in February, so I hope to have this goal wrapped up quickly.
- Finally compile that cookbook I keep thinking about. I would like to gather all the recipes from my family and Bob’s, throw in a few that I’ve developed, and produce a cookbook. Not necessarily for sale, but at least printed and suitable for gifts.
My best wishes to all of you for a fantastic 2010, rife with love, laughter, and prosperity. Happy New Year!
Life at Goal 
I will go with you to Nashville if that’s okay…so much of my mom’s family is from there that I really want to see it. We’d have a blast I’m sure based on our awesome DC adventures.
I have to point out that your quest to become a vegetarian/flexiterian looks awfully funny next to your quest to have dinner at Angelo’s 677 Prime. A tad contradictory, don’t you think? 😉
Just go for the iPhone. I love my iTouch but now I yearn for the iPhone. You are at the mercy of the availability of public WiFi with the Touch. It’s not a horrible thing but when you REALLY want to look something up and there is no WiFi, it’s a tad frustrating.
Out with the old (and crappy) and in with the new I say. Stop looking backwards and letting the stuff you can’t control bother you. I love you and want you to be happier. You deserve it!! 🙂
OK, Shannon, that was funny – I didn’t even realize I was contradicting myself! Maybe 677 has non-steak options????
And I promise to do more to make myself happy in 2010. I promise!
I want to help you put away the $1500! With my income down (WAY down) we still managed to pay our bills regularly, pay off our credit cards–and I saved enough money to buy a new computer in less than six months. Here is what we did. We created several bank accounts–granted with not much of a balance to start. One is an escrow account to pay our taxes and regular more-distant-than-monthly bills (taxes, life insurance, car insurance, etc.), one is for vacations, one for donations, etc. Divide these regularly anticipated expenses for the year by 12 and put that amount of money away religiously each month. (We rounded up VERY slightly too to build a little cushion.) We don’t discuss it. (This is good marriage advice. Come up with a plan then put it into action. No arguments!) Bill’s check is direct deposited with automatic transfers to the various accounts. Since my income is flexible (isn’t that a nice way to put it?) we figured out a percentage system. I put away 20% for taxes, 9% for retirement, 6% for equipment. (Before I started saving for equipment the 6% was targeted to paying off my credit card debt. Oh yeah, we paid off the last of our credit card debt in 2009 too.) There were weeks that were tough and we had to toe the line. ie. No spending for this week. We cut corners, bought less, repaired things that broke instead of replacing–but it worked. Maybe it could work for you?