Since I began blogging seven years ago I have always done an annual summary and set some goals for the next year. 2009 was a tough year and I have been avoiding writing about it. Most of the year had a huge cloud of anxiety and entrapment hanging over head because of our house in Atlanta. It didn’t sell and it didn’t sell and the helplessness mounted. In the end we sold it at a significant loss, for which we are still paying off. It wasn’t a happy situation during or after. The unfairness of it all still lingers but life goes on.

I went back through my Flickr album of 2009 to be reminded of all the great things that happened last year and it really wasn’t all doom and gloom. In truth life was pretty sweet.

Travel:
- Portland, OR: Twice for work but still had time to absorb some of the beauty including the amazing rose gardens and fun mountain roads.
- Utah: For work and play. SB joined me for a tour of two national parks and some time in Park City. Now we want to go back. There is still so much to see.
- Cable, WI + Madeline Island, Copper Falls, St. Peter’s Dome and Ashland: Twice, once for the annual Hambrecht summer vacation and once with our friends from Atlanta. We had so much fun I wish they would come with us every summer.
- Milwaukee, Chicago, Spring Green: Great regional day trips.
- Atlanta: To check on our house, eat food and see friends. It was a bittersweet visit, staying in our empty house.

Around Home:
- Knitting, knitting and crocheting: I finished eight projects last year, most on the large side like blankets and a sweater.
- Working from home: This was my first full year as a home worker. I tweaked my routines and recognized the need for decompression after the work day.
- The pets: Zoe the cat continues to be the demanding princess, keeping us in-line. Lola the dog provides endless entertainment and allowed us to see the area dog-parks in every season. They bring us so much joy I can’t imagine life without pets.
- Summer vegetables: Wisconsin summer food is amazing and this year we really took it all in with a CSA membership and our own garden boxes. Not to forget all the great cheese and beer. I’m looking forward to another summer.
- Sailing: It was back teaching on Soma for us this year but the old luster just wasn’t there. The season was filled with mechanical failings and strange politics. There are some things that you just can’t get back to the way they used to be.
- Wisconsin Film Festival: This was my seventh year volunteering at the festival and we were placed at the big Union Theater. While being on hand for the big shows was fun, I like the higher involvement from working at a small theater. I’ll be back in 2010.
- The Husband: Being married to SB continues to be the awesome center of my daily life. Last year he came home for lunch everyday and made me smile.

What do I want 2010 to bring?

- More travel. I want new and different and tried and true.
- More friends. It is time to meet some new people.
- More appreciation for the now. Instead of thinking so much about what was missed or lost, think more about what is great about the right now.
- More creating. Whether that is through yarn, words, photos or wood, create more and stretch my mind.

January brought a roller-coaster housing ride. At the beginning of the month we developed a major house crush, found out that we qualified for financing, and put in an offer. Then the games of deception began and by the end of the month we had lost in a bidding war between four interested buyers. Yuck. We are going to keep renting and try to keep our wandering house eye in check.

January wasn’t all house drama. January in review:

There was beer,

Cheese,

More beer plus babies,

And a great day trip to Chicago.

I’ve been remiss on my blogging the past few months but I’ve been taking some nice photos. December in review:

There were Santas,

Snow,

Cookies,

More cookies,

Our very first real Christmas tree,

More santas, of the miniature nephew variety,

And a new fish eye lens.

Sometime between 03 and 05, I bought a disposable camera and tucked it into my sailing life jacket. I would pull it out every once-in-a-while and shoot a picture or two. In 2005, I packed away my sailing gear and headed to Atlanta. The camera, safely zipped into my jacket, was there, waiting for me when I returned to Madison and sailing. Over this past summer, I finished off the roll and two years after the film expiration date, I developed it.

The results are everything I hoped for, from the over-saturated colors to the capture of forgotten moments from some unknown point in my past. The best discovery was all the wonderful people I had captured, all on a boat that I love. You can see more of the photos in my sailing photo set.

Halloween snuck-up on me like a ghoul in a haunted mansion, catching me in a post-vacation stupor. The 31st is extra special around here, because not only is it one of my all time favorite holidays, it is also SB’s birthday.

This year I would have liked to have done something more in the flavor of the holiday, but we were out of sync with the world. We didn’t have costumes, we didn’t have any party invitations, we didn’t have any firm plans. We improvised with dinner (sushi) and a movie (Zombieland). It was a great, full day, but not as joyous and celebratory as I would have liked.

It was a reminder to me that we are still strangers in our own city and that things are not as they were before we moved. I’ve already started thinking about next year, about starting on costumes and even hosting a party. I don’t want to let another Halloween jump out from a dark corner.