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.