Year in Review

Like a lot of people I had planned on posting about 2008 shortly before we entered 2009. Clearly that did not happen. Mostly because I am a sucky blogger and clearly forget about this thing for weeks at a time. But as they say (whoever THEY are) it is better late than never. So here we go...

2008 began with us in Seattle winding down an 18 day Christmas vacation. We rang in the new year with 2 of our closest friends Shawn and Celeste. A few days later I celebrated my 30th birthday. It was nothing exciting. The world didn't end. I realized that as much as people hype up turning 30 it was really just a regular old birthday.

This year my dad was diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer. Cancer has already taken so much from me and my family so I am happy to report that my dad is winning his battle.

In July Chris and I got to welcome not one but TWO new nephews. My brother and his wife welcomed Caelan Ethan Floyd on July 5th and Chris's brother and wife welcomed Avery Richard McClees also on July 5th. We have yet to meet either of them but can't wait till we finally get to hold and love on them.

In August Chris and I had a weeks holiday down in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was amazing. We golfed, sat on the beach, ate great food and most of all relaxed. It was a much needed trip for both of us.

In September we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary with an amazing dinner at The Melting Pot. It was so much fun and I highly recommend it. It is a little on the pricey side but totally worth it. The chocolate fondue for dessert was to die for.

In October I escaped to Philadelphia for the weekend with my girlfriend Georgette. We stayed with her sister and had a great time. We even got stuck in NJ for 24 hours after her car started acting up on the way home. It was a great time for both of us to recharge and have a couple days to just relax and not worry about the real world back home in Boston. This year has brought a lot of ups and downs, healing and forgiveness in our friendship and I am thankful to have her in my life.

We were shocked to find Chris's parents literally outside our house on Halloween. It was a wonderful surprise and we enjoyed a great weekend with them. Chris's sister and husband also showed up on our doorstep November 2nd which was Chris's birthday. I knew they were coming but he did not. It was great to have them all here to celebrate his birthday. We had a fabulous time with all 4 of them and thoroughly enjoyed showing them around Boston.

Christmas was quiet this year. Just me Chris and Belle. I would be lying if I said I wasn't homesick for both Edmonton and Seattle but at the same time it was nice to just be here with each other.

So there you have it. Those are the highlights. 2008 was not the greatest year for me on a personal level. I have struggled with a lot of things, my weight being one of the biggest issues. I am tired of being overweight and tired of not feeling like myself. I am tired of feeling like I am hiding behind all this extra weight and letting it hold me back from things I want to be doing. I have been homesick a lot this past year, probably more than the previous 3 years we have been in Boston. I miss both of our families and my friends back home in Seattle and Edmonton. I just have to keep telling myself that there is a reason we are here.

I am determined to make 2009 a year worth remembering. I want to look back on 2009 and be proud of what I accomplished and be happy with where I am at in my life. Which brings me to my resolutions for this year.

-First and foremost I want to lose weight and finally reach my goal and be back to my healthy weight. I want to feel confident again and find the happy person I used to be which I know is hiding under all this extra weight.

-I want to go back to school and have at least started before this year is up. That is all I am going to say about that because I don't want to say something is going to happen for sure and then it doesn't for whatever reason.

-I want to be a better friend. To be more supportive, to listen better, to say I love you more often. I have learned a lot about friendship this past year and what it really means to me on a personal level.

-Learn to play the guitar. This is something I have always wanted to do and have just never got around to it. THIS will be the year.

Those are the three main ones. The ones that are the most important to me. You don't want to hear about all the trivial stuff like how I want to walk my dog more, read more, drink less caffeine etc...

What are some of your resolutions?

The Interview

Questions by Courtney from Five Second Dance Party

(1) Who is your all-time Seahawk player and what does/did make him so great?

#84 Bobby Engram. Bobby is a wide receiver who has been in the NFL for 13 seasons, 8 of those with Seattle. He is one of those guys you don't hear a lot about around the league. He quietly does his job and is really good at it. Last year when we had injuries he stepped up and had the best year of his career with 1147 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. He is not the guy you throw the ball to every time but he is the guy who comes up with the big play and catch when you need him the most. The stars an sports teams have never been my favorite. For me it has always been about the heart and soul guys, the ones who are gritty and gut it out the whole game. Now if only the Seahawks resign him this off season I will be a happy girl.
(2) If you could pick one day in your life since your mom passed away and have her there to enjoy it with you - which day would it be?
This is a tough one. There have been more than a few that I would have given anything to have had her with me on. So I will give you a two part answer, one day that has already occurred and one that is yet to happen. I think the one that stands out the most for me is the day Chris and I got engaged. She was the first person I thought of and in that moment the only person I wanted so badly to share it with. The other one will be when I have my first baby. It will be really hard for me to go through that experience without her and to not have her there with me to share it. Just thinking about it makes me cry. I know you can fully understand that one having recently experienced it yourself.

(3) If you're in a hurry and need to grab a bite to eat real quick, what are you most likely to eat?

If I am at home and running out the door it is likely to be something I can take with me like a 100 calorie pack or an apple. If I am already out somewhere it would most likely be a burrito from my favorite burrito joint here in Boston. Anna's Taqueria. I am hungry now just thinking about it, thanks Courtney!

(4) How do you think you would react if the plane you were flying on was hijacked? Would you freeze or act? Since I am completely terrified of airplanes I imagine I would be in a corner with my knees tucked up under my chin, rocking back and forth and sobbing like a baby. Before I fly on a plane I don't sleep for weeks because my mind is running wild with thoughts of all that could go wrong. What if an engine goes out? What if we lose cabin pressure? What if the pilot passes out? What if the landing gears or brakes fail? What if we get hit by lightning? Then as I am waiting to board my plane I will size up all of the other passengers and try and figure out which one is most likely to hijack the plane. All these thoughts go through my head that by the time I reach my seat on the plane I am in almost full blown panic mode. So while I would love to say I would act I am afraid I would be so paralyzed with fear that I would not be able to do anything.

(5) What would be the most difficult to live without: your computer or your TV? Why?

Computer by far. While I love my TV most of what I watch on there is available online anyways. At least with my computer I would still have a connection to all my friends and family and be able to watch all my TV shows. I would def miss those days of laying on the couch being lazy and flipping through the channels but I would be so much more lost without my computer.

Want to play along?

1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

My Birthday Toast

I was not present but I am sure happy they did it anyways. Jan 3 was my birthday and also the day Chris's moms side of the family had their annual Christmas gathering. We obviously could not be there since we live ALL the way in Boston, but they toasted me anyways and drank champagne in my honor. Glad I gave them a reason to toast and drink some yummy champagne. How could you not love all those crazy faces? Thanks to all of you for making my day and putting a huge smile on my face.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Apparently we thought it would be fun this year to put tinsel on Belle and as well as antlers and Santa hats. Somehow I don't think she shared the same enthusiasm as we did for any of those things. Regardless she is really cute so I am sharing the photos with you anyways as much as I am sure she would protest.We finally got snow about a week before Christmas. I was very very excited. However that excitement faded fast when it warmed up in the days leading up to Christmas and most of it was melted by Christmas morning and what was left was all brown and dirty. BOOOO!!Chris and I stayed home in Boston for Christmas this year. It was nice just the two of us but at the same time I was homesick for both Edmonton and Seattle. It is hard sometimes living so far away. We doggie sat for my girlfriend Georgette so we had her dog Madison for an entire week. Aside from her fur that she leaves all over my house we really love Madison a lot. Christmas day we opened presents, had a great breakfast, watched movies, played games, cooked a turkey with all the trimmings. It was relaxing and perhaps just what I needed. We were going to go to a movie that night but it was PACKED and our showing was sold out. The picture above is my amazing drawing of Chris's main gift from me, new roller hockey skates. Dicks sporting goods screwed up and so they were not here Christmas morning so I drew that picture for him. Don't be jealous of my amazing art work. New Years eve was very uneventful. That was our dinner, a really yummy BBQ chicken pizza from our new fav pizza place. We watched tv, drank champagne and watched the Oilers and Avs both lose. HOORAY!
That's right folks, 8.99!! That's how we roll.