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.