This was the first year that I didn't go to sleep on Christmas Eve in my old bedroom at my parents' house. I wasn't awoken barbarically early on Christmas morning by an eager little brother or an overstimulated dog to open gifts. This was my first Christmas morning away from my family--just me and my husband in our apartment.

I was scared I'd hate it and be totally emo and nostalgic on Christmas this year. I actually loved it.

I think my favourite bit of Christmas this year was going skating on December 24. My sister and I used to go skating every Christmas eve afternoon at our local rink and then grab a hot chocolate, and this would be the first year with no Christmas eve skate. I was seriously boo-hooing.

On Thursday morning I moped around the house with a long face and whined about not going skating this year to the point that Peter--who, for the record, has never tied his own skates, THAT'S how long it's been since he went skating--braved SportChek on December 24 to buy skates and spend over an hour with me that afternoon circling the rink. That's love.

I know Peter has about as much interest in going skating as I do in seeing Avatar but the fact that he did it and at least pretended to like it was awesome. I, on the other hand, will continue to avoid seeing Avatar. I know it's supposed to be amazing but IT'S ABOUT BLUE ALIENS AND IT'S WELL OVER TWO HOURS LONG.

We went for hot chocolates afterward and I got called a bitch in the drive-thru and Peter was going to singlehandedly beat up a car full of riff raff...that's also love. We settled for squealing the tires and giving them the finger instead. Ahhhh, the Christmas spirit.

When we did make it to my parents' on Christmas night, it did feel different. We'd missed all the excitement. We arrived in time for the post-Christmas crankiness and turkey coma. I felt more like a visitor and less like I was supposed to be there. We had our family turkey dinner on Boxing Day, and it was delicious as usual, but there was definitely a feeling that something had changed. Not in a bad way, just different. Adult. For the first time it felt like Peter and I were officially our own distinct little family. It was eye opening, and much to my surprise, rather than feeling emo and nostalgic, I'm happy about it.

In 2000, I turned legal--19 baby! I went into the liquor store on my 19th birthday all psyched to whip out my newly useful ID...and the clerk barely even glanced at me. It was the first of a series of terrible disappointments, a foreshadowing of the 365 days of suck to follow. 2000 was a miserable year. Horrendous. There was more drama than you can shake a stick at, relationship-wise, school-wise, money-wise. Things were tense with my parents and I got in huge trouble for not going to class. I was partying way too much and making stupid decisions on a daily basis. Things shifted around over the summer, when I got a summer job with the Moncton Times & Transcript, made new, decent, non-drug-dealer friends and earned enough money to get me through the following year of school comfortably. But the first six months of 2000 were just abysmal. I also watched a lot of Much Music. I don't know if that's directly related to the craptacular nature of the year. Probably.



In 2001 I graduated J-school and took a maternity leave position with the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal. This involved moving to Saint John, NB, which is arguably the worst city on the planet. I challenge you to find a shittier place to live. I cried every day and I had literally one friend in the city who was also my cousin, so she was obligated to like me :) I dyed my hair blonde and was using self-tanner every day. I'm sure I was an amazing shade of jaundice-slash-Oompa Loompa. A big outing for me was going to the mall and buying a new Tommy shirt. Again, 2001 ranked pretty high on the poopmeter. I did get a trip to Disney, which was a highlight.



2002 was the year I moved back home and started working at the Sackville Tribune-Post--I was pretty sure I still wanted to work in journalism and hadn't become jaded yet. I joined a gym, but I also started sitting on my ass for 8+ hours a day and finally my fast food habit began to catch up with me. I was very antisocial (notice a theme?) probably because of the uber-controlling relationship I was in. I went to Boston in '02 and loved it. Still rocking the self-tanner and horrible highlights. I also wore a lot of red and in general my goal was to be mistaken for a 16-year-old as often as possible.



In 2003, my life consisted of work, gym, and being boring. I went to the beach a lot and tried to reconnect with friends. My parents got a dog, Sophie, which was a highlight. My grandfather died, by far the low point of the year. I was still in the worst relationship ever but one bright spot is the tool moved back home so we were at least long-distance and I didn't have to see him every day. Looking back on this period, I really want to shake or slap myself. I truly wasted some potentially great years doing absolutely nothing.



Ahh, 2004. I got my first taste of unemployment. The small weekly paper I worked for was taken over by a big conglomerate (LOVE that word!) and thanks to "restructuring" I was one of the unlucky staff to get the boot. I flipped out...unemployment and me do not mix well. Within a week I had a freelancing gig and over the remainder of the year secured a few freelancing contracts with different papers. I also started doing proofreading on the side at advertising agencies in Moncton which definitely piqued my interest in the ad world. I was really busy with grabbing up any freelance work I could, which was still not enough to live on. Thankfully I was living at home at the time. I looked for full-time jobs and had no luck for the longest time. I was beginning to think I was completely screwed.




In 2005 I took a job with the Canadian Cancer Society as their communications manager, which meant a move to Charlottetown and a move back in with the douchey boyfriend and his family. Since it was a term position I didn't want to get stuck in an apartment lease so I ended up staying with the most dysfunctional family I have ever spent time with including five cats. I will never, ever, until the day I die, have a cat in my home. They used to throw up and poop in my bed and on my pillows. It was like they knew I didn't like them and they reacted by shitting on my things. I went to the beach every day after work and realized I actively hated my boyfriend. I put up with him until my work term was finished because being homeless did not sound like the most appealing option. I think I actually sang, "FREE AT LAAAAST!" when I packed the car to come home for Christmas. We hadn't broken up yet but as I backed out of the driveway I knew I would not be back.



In 2006 I finally snapped out of my stupor, dumped the asshole, moved to Halifax and took a full time position at an ad agency. Finally I was having fun. I made friends, I loved my work, I went out a lot, I loved being completely independent. I lived in a house with three other girls and one dude and then moved into an apartment with one of the girls from the house. I went out...a lot. I drank...a lot. I ate...a lot. I gained weight. I didn't care. I had a blast in 2006.





In 2007 I was set up on a blind group date with the man who would become my husband. I was still loving my job, but early in the year I decided I needed to get in better shape. I started going for long walks, then adding little spurts of running into the mix, and eating better and drinking less. I felt better than I had in ages! I spent lots of time with Peter and we became closer and closer and by the end of the year I was all but moved in with him in downtown Halifax. 2007 was another serious turnaround year and things improved huge time.







2008 highlights included switching jobs AGAIN, getting engaged, smashing up my car, getting a new car, going to the Dominican Republic, STARTING MY BLOG, picking out an apartment with Peter and getting all moved in, going to the beach a bunch of times and being a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding. 2008 was exhausting but awesome. There was never a dull moment and lots of great times. I felt happy and loved.






On to 2009, which I've said before has been stressful and tiring and has nearly resulted in 29857248 nervous breakdowns. It's my wedding year. That was awesome. We went to New York and Paris and to the beach lots of times. We started doing our weekly Wednesday dinner dates and settling into married life, which is not remotely different than unmarried life when you're into the whole living in sin thing. Work has been ridiculous, but at the end of the day, I love what I'm doing. I also have a small but close bunch of friends who are wonderful.

This is the final installment of the Best of 2009 challenge found on Gwen Bell's blog.

December 21 Project. What did you start this year that you're proud of?

I did start a system for organizing my clothes that I'm pretty happy about. I know, right? WHEN DID BEING ABLE TO FIND YOUR SHIT BECOME AN ACCOMPLISHMENT? Well, my friends, it has. A place for everything, and everything in its place. Now to learn to apply this same level of organization to the rest of my life...

December 22 Startup. What's a business that you found this year that you love? Who thought it up? What makes it special?

I already mentioned Two if By Sea Cafe in my "favourite place" part of this challenge but it's worthy of another mention. The croissants are just amazing and if you live in HRM, or if you're just visiting, you must check them out.

December 23 Web tool. It came into your work flow this year and now you couldn't live without it. It has simplified or improved your online experience.

Teux Deux has changed my LIFE! I'm an OCD list maker by nature and this site makes it so much easier to list to my little heart's content. It's wonderful.

December 24 Learning experience. What was a lesson you learned this year that changed you?

He who gossips with you will gossip of you.

December 25 Gift. What's a gift you gave yourself this year that has kept on giving?

This sounds a bit ridiculous but Sally Hansen Insta-Dri nail polishes with the super wide and easy to use brush have saved me a fortune in manicures. They cost about $5-$6 per bottle and a bottle will last for approximately seven thousand years. Manis and pedis are my treat to myself on weekends...especially when they dry in a flash and are easy to use and don't make me look like a drunken chimp painted my nails.

December 26 Insight or aha! moment. What was your epiphany of the year?

It's only a bargain if you like it enough to buy it at regular price too. Otherwise it's cheap clothes you're buying just for the fact that they're cheap!

December 27 Social web moment. Did you meet someone you used to only know from her blog? Did you discover Twitter?

I discovered Twitter last year but I became a bit of a fiend this year. I met a few bloggy types, attended a networking event or two. I started a Flickr pool. I joined 20sb.

December 28 Stationery. When you touch the paper, your heart melts. The ink flows from the pen. What was your stationery find of the year?

Box o' Cards = $15ish for 40 blank, multicoloured cards at Chapters. Perfect for quick thank-you notes or birthday greetings minus the cheese factor.

December 29 Laugh. What was your biggest belly laugh of the year?

I have a biggest belly laugh of the year every day.

December 30 Ad. What advertisement made you think this year?

Well...technically, the ads I worked on made me think (and cry, and panic, and lose sleep) the most this year. In the spring I worked on a domestic violence action plan and we had to research a lot of domestic violence ads from around the world--some of those were shockingly hard-hitting and effective. I also still love the Telus animals. Put a baby animal in it and I'm on it like white on rice.

December 31 Resolution you wish you'd stuck with.

Getting my finances more in order, for sure. I don't feel like I'm in a much better place than I was a year ago. I have a bit more money in the bank but it's still sitting in one bulk account. I'm one year closer to retirement age-wise but money-wise, I haven't budged. This year, promise!

December 15 Best packaging. Did your headphones come in a sweet case? See a bottle of tea in another country that stood off the shelves?

I'm a sucker for packaging that is both functional and attractive. Everyone who owns a MacBook, an iPod or an iPhone knows how slick Apple's packaging is. No excess cardboard and paper and filler--I love the way their products are delivered.

My wedding shoes came from Aldo and I was really impressed how instead of putting the shoebox inside a plastic bag, the box has a pull-out handle on one end. It's a box and bag in one! My geeky side claps and jumps up and down.

December 16 Tea of the year. I can taste my favorite tea right now. What's yours?

I'm much more of a coffee girl. I drink green tea or chai tea at work when I'm hungry and trying to avoid snacking, so I mostly associate 'tea' with 'not eating' and therefore it's not my favourite...it's more like punishment. I like peppermint tea when I'm hungover and sweet orange tea from Starbucks.

December 17 Word or phrase. A word that encapsulates your year. "2009 was _____."

Ridiculous

December 18 Shop. Online or offline, where did you spend most of your mad money this year?

It's got to be Michael's because we were in there every bloody day for months buying crap for the wedding with 40% off coupons. We definitely impacted Michael's sales numbers for this year.

December 19 Car ride. What did you see? How did it smell? Did you eat anything as you drove there? Who were you with?

It's got to be driving to the church for our wedding. I remember thinking about how I was going to be standing in front of alllll those people in 12...11...10 minutes. I wanted that car ride to last forever. I looked out the window at all the houses and landmarks I'd seen hundreds of times before and tried to wrap my head around what was going to happen. Runner-up would be the ride me and my bridesmaids took just a couple hours earlier en route to getting ready, which involved a pit stop at Tim Horton's for bagels and the stealing of a Sears Super Saturday & Sunday sign at a busy intersection.

December 20 New person. She came into your life and turned it upside down. He went out of his way to provide incredible customer service. Who is your unsung hero of 2009?

Yikes...how do you pick just one person? There have been tons of great people I have met this year, randomly, through work, and through other friends. One person in particular is Joel, who I drive to work mostly every day and who has listened to countless rants and raves day in and day out. It's lovely to have someone to vent to and make fun of passerby and other drivers on an otherwise mediocre commute!

I'm picky about Christmas music. In general, I like Christmas tunes. I have my favourites: Kenny and Dolly, Hanson's Snowed In, Boney M, and Run-DMC's Christmas in Hollis to name a few. I enjoy the American Idol Christmas CD and Mariah Carey's holiday album. They're all fun and festive.

My take on Christmas music is similar to the little girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead, like the nursery rhyme: when it's good, it's very very good. When it's bad it's horrid.

Christmas music that does not jingle my bells:

1. The Little Drummer Boy

Besides the incessant drumming throughout the song, the lyrics are stupid too. A newborn baby isn't going to smile at a kid beating on a drum. He's going to cry. Also, "the ox and lamb kept time?" O RLY? How did these musical animals pull that off? Stomping their hooves? Swishing their tails? Moo-ing and baa-ing?

2. Do They Know It's Christmas?

Answer: No, they don't. They don't know it's Christmas time at all, because they live in Ethiopia, and they don't celebrate Christmas. It's like someone asking me, "Do you know it's Yom Kippur at all?" Chances are I don't.

3. Blue Christmas

Elvis stammering the words to Blue Christmas makes me feel like getting hammered, not celebrating. Then there's the Porky Pig version. I have a low tolerance threshold for a stuttering pig.

4. Eight Days of Christmas

Beyonce and Destiny's other children list off the things their baby bestowed upon them at Christmas time. Among the Christmas haul: a cropped jacket with dirty denim jeans, a diamond belly ring, a foot massage and back rub, a gift certificate to buy CDs, and quality T-I-M-E. And a Benz. There's so much wrong with this I'm not sure where to begin.

5. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

Masquerading as a jolly holiday jingle is a traumatizing childhood nightmare: an innocent tot catches his skanky mom in the throes of an affair. If I saw my mother in the living room making out with an elderly bearded man it would not be a happy Christmas in our house. Imagine how confused that kid must be. Is he mad at his mother for being unfaithful? Excited because now that Mommy has a close relationship with Santa the presents will be flowing fast and furious? Does he tell Daddy? What happens next? Bad scene.

What are some of the Christmas songs that make you wish you could fast-forward through the holidays?

This is a continuation of the Best of 2009 blog challenge found on Gwen Bell's blog.

December 8 Moment of peace. An hour or a day or a week of solitude. What was the quality of your breath? The state of your mind? How did you get there?

I didn't get too many peaceful moments this year. A week of solitude? What's that? We did spend a weekend camping at the beach in New Brunswick in August and that was nice...sunshine and swimming, books, lime-flavoured beer, minimal BlackBerry reception. I also enjoyed two manicures this year, and both times I came thisclose to falling asleep during the hand massage. If I ever do go for an actual massage I'll definitely melt into a puddle.

December 9 Challenge. Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you?

Planning a wedding, without going into debt, while working full time and then some, and not telling anyone off. It was worth it in the end, when the wedding was over and we'd survived and people told us what a nice time they'd had.

December 10 Album of the year. What's rocking your world?

I bought one album this year and it's the Glee soundtrack. It makes me happy. Other albums I'm listening to for free (thanks Internet): Lady Gaga, Kings of Leon, and the New Moon soundtrack.

December 11 The best place. A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook?

Our cosy apartment. Lawrencetown Beach, where we spent many Sunday afternoons and evenings after work this summer. Two if By Sea Cafe, the best place for a croissant and latte in HRM (our new Saturday morning ritual.)

December 12 New food. You're now in love with Lebanese food and you didn't even know what it was in January of this year.

Escargots, croissants (see December 11), Mexican rice, curries of all types, avocados. I also rediscovered poached eggs! And crepes! I ate a lot this year. It's kind of gross...

December 13 What's the best change you made to the place you live?

Thanks to our wedding gifts, we have lots of awesome additions to our little love nest: a coffee maker, an awesome living room lamp, a panini maker that has changed my life, a cashmere throw that I'm wrapped up in right now, a bread machine, and so much more. Our formerly dingy digs are now Martha Stewart-approved.

December 14 Rush. When did you get your best rush of the year?

Definitely the dine-and-dash on Champs-Elysees in Paris(at a NICE restaurant...at least a 60+ euro meal). I don't think I've ever run that fast in my life while laughing hysterically. Committing a crime in a foreign country is quite the rush. So is returning to the neighbourhood the next day to walk past the restaurant and tee-hee about getting away with the dine-and-dash. It's true...criminals DO return to the scene of their crime. In fairness to us we waited at least half an hour for our bill after asking for it, and it never came! We earned that dash fair and square.

I'm fascinated with the English language, specifically the huge differences in the way people speak depending on where they live. I think it's neat how you can drive just a few hours and hear terms or phrases you'd never hear at home, and how the more you travel, into different parts of the country or the continent, you'll hear so many variations of the same words, yet we're all speaking the same language.

Last weekend I was out with some friends and I used the term "fetch up". We were discussing how a particular local chain of grocery stores added a mechanism to their shopping carts that makes them impossible to steal. When you get to a certain point in the parking lot the wheels seize up and you can't move the cart off the property.

Anyway, I was talking about how once I took a running start while pushing a cart and pretty much threw myself over the cart to get a laugh out of people watching. "...so then the cart fetched up and I almost went ass over teakettle...wait, what?" The people I was with had never heard the phrase "fetch up" before and spent the next 20 minutes telling me I'm a New Brunswick hillbilly. Well, tell me something I DON'T KNOW!

I found this dialect quiz floating around teh intarwebz and thought I'd fill it out. Let me know if you, too, think I'm a New Brunswick hillbilly based on my responses.

WHAT DO YOU CALL:

1. A body of water, smaller than a river, contained within relatively narrow banks.
brook

2. What the thing you push around the grocery store is called.
cart

3. A metal container to carry a meal in.
lunch can. but if it were a plastic container, I'd call it a lunch BOX.

4. The thing that you cook bacon and eggs in.
frying pan

5. The piece of furniture that seats three people.
couch

6. The device on the outside of the house that carries rain off the roof.
eavestrough

7. The covered area outside a house where people sit in the evening.
porch

8. Carbonated, sweetened, non-alcoholic beverages.
pop

9. A flat, round breakfast food served with syrup.
pancake

10. A long sandwich designed to be a whole meal in itself.
sub

11. The piece of clothing worn by men at the beach.
trunks

12. Shoes worn for sports.
sneakers

13. Putting a room in order.
tidying up

14. A flying insect that glows in the dark.
firefly

15. The little insect that curls up into a ball.
that sounds disgusting and I'm sure there are plenty of insects that do this...NEXT QUESTION PLZ

16. The children's playground equipment where one kid sits on one side and goes up while the other sits on the other side and goes down.
teeter-totter

17. How do you eat your pizza?
rip off little pieces and pick off the toppings and eat them first. But I molest every meal before I aet it.

18. What's it called when private citizens put up signs and sell their used stuff?
yard sale

19. What's the evening meal?
supper

20. The thing under a house where the furnace and perhaps a rec room are?
basement

21. What do you call the thing that you can get water out of to drink in public places?
water fountain

I've noticed this year-in-review meme from Gwen Bell floating around the BLOGOSPHERE (my #2 most-hated word, right after WEBINAR), this week, so I decided to take a crack at it. We're now halfway through December so I'm going to break it up and do the first week today.

December 1 Trip. What was your best trip in 2009?
This is a tough one because we had two amazing trips this year. The first was to New York City for Valentine's Day weekend. Peter and I both loooove NYC. It was the first visit for both of us and we can't wait to go back.



The second was to Paris in October for our honeymoon. Paris was everything a honeymoon destination should be: romantic, pretty and boozy.



December 2 Restaurant moment. Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?

When we were in Paris we tried escargots. I'm not sure if it was the way they were prepared or if they're really just that good but they were a nice surprise. I was expecting them to be revolting--they were delicious. Always nice when that happens.

On my birthday, I had a surprise party at Onyx here in Halifax too, which was awesome not because of the food but because of the great company.

December 3 Article. What's an article that you read that blew you away? That you shared with all your friends. That you Delicious'd and reference throughout the year.

Maybe it's because it's so fresh in my mind but the Tiger Woods story blows me away. Whether it's the actual story or people's reaction (and the sheer amount of media devoted to covering it) that amazes me, I'm not sure. People have affairs every day. Gotta say though, the transcribed texts from Tiger are pretty noteworthy. "I will wreck you?" Good God. Tiger needs to get better at covering his tracks (and saying less lame shit.)

December 4 Book. What book - fiction or non - touched you? Where were you when you read it? Have you bought and given away multiple copies?

I read Testimony by Anita Shreve--it's the story of a sex tape scandal at a private school in New England. It was pretty fascinating to read how a stupid mistake changed so many lives so drastically. I read it over the fall and it was a nice distraction from the wedding planning. Lesson learned: do not make a sex tape. Just don't do it. Need more proof on why making a sex tape is a bad idea? Two words: Tiger Woods.

December 5 Night out. Did you have a night out with friends or a loved one that rocked your world? Who was there? What was the highlight of the night?

I went out last winter with a bunch of people from work to a crappy local bar, had my ass grabbed (not tapped--GRABBED--FULL ON PALM TO ASS CHEEK) by a stranger and I had the privilege of throwing my drink in the guy's face while yelling and swearing at him. It was satisfying. Then we went through the McDonald's drive thru on the way home--extra satisfying. I was probably sick the next day. Nevertheless, it felt pretty awesome to dump a drink complete with ice cubes directly in some loser's face.

December 6 Workshop or conference. Was there a conference or workshop you attended that was especially beneficial? Where was it? What did you learn?

We did an ideation workshop at work that was pretty helpful for our agency. Essentially we learned brainstorming and idea generation techniques. Now, I brainstorm every move I make. Maybe that's a little excessive...but it was cool to see how you can get ideas flowing like whoa.

December 7 Blog find of the year. That gem of a blog you can't believe you didn't know about until this year.

Oh crap. So many. I don't know if I can pick just one! Fabulously Broke taught me how to budget and care about my finances. ...love Maegan, What I Wore, and Le Quaintrelle provide wardrobe inspiration. Newly B, Things To Do For Two, and Five Blondes are other daily reads. And I'm finding more great reads all the time! I'm happy to say my Google reader and blogroll have grown over the past year pretty steadily.

Three weeks from today is New Year's Eve, which is traditionally my least favourite day of the year. I hate New Year's Eve for a number of reasons. It's a day to reflect on all the goals and resolutions I made 364 days before that have fallen by the wayside months earlier. In general, I spend a lot of the day thinking about the lack of accomplishments from the past year and how I need to do better. And I never feel like going out on New Year's Eve and dealing with drunks, absentee cabs and crappy weather. I want to stay home, eat crap, play Guitar Hero and ignore the fact that another year hasn't passed in which I've done absolutely nothing of any value.

I can't remember any other year that flew by as quickly as 2009. It's been a blur and I credit wedding planning, a hectic work schedule, and general Type A tendencies to that. The summer feels nonexistent and the entire span from September to November could have taken place over the course of a weekend. I have never experienced time passing this quickly before.

To sum it up, 2009 was a blur. It was a blur of worrying, planning, hectic deadlines and unnecessary pressures. There was a lot of running around, a lot of sleepless nights, a lot of hissy fits. There wasn't enough sleep, laughter, relaxation or enjoyment of life. In the past year I have not made time to go to the dentist or to see the "lady doctor". I had a total of two haircuts. I didn't talk to the bank about setting up a retirement account. I didn't reconnect with old friends. I didn't make time for any of that.

2009 wasn't a bad year by any stretch, don't get me wrong. My wedding on October 17 was one of the best days of my life and the week that followed in Paris was wonderful. I've had lots of lovely trips to the beach, visits home, dates with my husband and delicious meals. Everyone close to me is healthy and happy and doing well, and I try not to take that for granted.

At the same time there are some changes I'd like to make in 2010. I want to enjoy next year a lot more.

I want to see my friends more and hang out with them in my free time, and by "hang out" I don't mean, we've all been working 12-hour days for the past three weeks, let's go out this weekend and get completely shitfaced and cry about work. I mean, actual, enjoyable hang-out time as opposed to frantic sad inebriation.

I want to take better care of myself, which means getting to bed at a reasonable hour, taking my vitamins, not eating chocolate chips straight out of the bag by the handful, making my doctor's appointments and sticking to them, and being as active as possible.

It means financially too...this will be the year when I stop having all my money going into one bank account and just sitting there doing nothing. I'll start saving for retirement and budgeting much more carefully.

I want to take a vacation that's truly relaxing. I want to go camping and spend time at the beach this summer and not be on my BlackBerry the whole time, sneaking off to the car to "get a drink", i.e. check work email. I want to spend more quality time with hubby. Not necessary MORE time since we see each other pretty much constantly, but make better use of our time.

I want to enjoy every day more. Little things like a good glass of wine or a perfectly made cup of coffee, a bouquet of flowers, a Sunday afternoon to do nothing, a run in the park. It doesn't have to be a huge deal to be worth appreciating.

My goal for 2010 is to find balance--to not be overwhelmed with any one thing--and to enjoy every day. I want to have more spontaneous adventures, more laughs, better memories. Fewer night terrors and episodes of flipping out and feelings of guilt over not working out enough or not calling home enough or not visiting friends enough.

It's a daunting task but I think I can make a solid crack at it!

I love getting snail mail. Love, love, love it.

I love getting letters, magazines, catalogs, and cards.

I love getting special offers that are addressed to past tenants, particularly when they're for high-end products at department stores where I'm much too po' to be a regular customer...nothing like knowing in advance when I should set aside $35 for a Clinique gift with purchase at Mills.

I love getting books of coupons for McDonald's that say "TWO CAN DINE FOR $8.99!" Because after a splurge at Clinique, dining out for under $10 is the only option for po' folk like me.

I especially love this time of year, when we're much more likely to get Christmas cards...not addressed to ghosts of tenants past, but to us!

Today I came home to find next month's Glamour (yay!), some crap junk mail that went straight into the garbage, and a Christmas card.

Only the card isn't for me. It's addressed to "Mr. and Mrs. Peter and Amy Peterslastname".

My last name is not Peterslastname. I'm not Mrs. Amy Peterslastname. I'm Ms. Amy Amyslastname.

Looking at the envelope, I got frustrated...unreasonably so. (I'm blaming my hormones for both the unreasonable pissiness and the fact that I've been parked on the couch since 7:30 eating Ruffles and vanilla pudding with chocolate chips in it.)

I know I shouldn't be upset by the mistake. We're married, after all, so I understand that many people would assume we're both going by Peterslastname now. And the card was from a couple who grew up in a much older generation, when changing one's name after getting married was a must. And a lot of girls do it...of my friends that are married, at least half have taken their husband's last name. As I've said before, I chose to keep my last name for professional reasons and above all, laziness. Standing in line at the DMV for hours to change my documents to read "Amy Peterslastname" does not sound like my idea of a great time.

Even so, after picking up the mail, I had a few moments of extreme irritation. Then I felt guilty for being irritated. Then I felt indignant because, frankly, it's not my name. Basically I'm in a glass case of emotion.

When I worked in journalism, people would call the paper in the BIGGEST hissy fit you could imagine if their names were spelled wrong, as if it were a crime against humanity. I feel like I can relate a little bit, and I feel like a bitch for relating.

It's something I'm going to need to get used to, because I'll probably encounter the same situation hundreds of times a year for the rest of my life. But I'm not sure if I'll ever learn to not be a leeeeeetle annoyed when it happens.

My Christmas baking day is coming up!! It's definitely among my top 10 favourite days of the year. I put the TV on something delightfully cheesy and Christmasy--usually the Christmas Daddies Telethon, because what's more festive than making fun of untalented children trying to help those less fortunate than themselves?

As I laugh at the horrible renditions of Santa Claus is Coming to Town and further guarantee my VIP pass to hell one day, I bake up a storm. I eat a LOT of raw dough. I freeze some things, give some as gifts, and will probably share some with my coworkers. I give a lot of baking to family and friends. And I eat a lot of it myself. I just love Christmas baking...it wouldn't be Christmas without it.

I'm putting together my list for this year's baking frenzy. Right now here's what I'm thinking:

-sugar cookies--various shapes
-peanut butter balls
-candy cane cupcakes
-cherry-almond biscotti
-shortbreads--I might cheat and get this. It's a frozen tub of the best shortbread dough ever made. Just scoop and bake. Ha!
-oreo truffles--made these last year--SO easy.
-peppermint bark. Completely idiotproof!

I might need to spread it out over an entire weekend.

Any other suggestions for good Christmasy treats?