2013 - my year in review

It’s time for my annual look back at the year that was... in this case unlucky 2013.

In general, I feel like 2013 sucked. I hate being a Negative Nellie (because it is technically still #nocomplaintsdecember) but it really did. Sure there was lots of fun with friends. But I know very few people who weren’t affected by a health issue (either their own or someone close to them) or death this year. And that kind of outweighs a fancy dinner out. I’ve also found myself in another not-conducive-to-intellectual-growth/overly-stressful work situation. And to top it off (and add some levity to my Negative Nellie-ness), Richie Sambora a) left Bon Jovi b) was kicked out of Bon Jovi c) is no longer in my favorite band since I was 12... so does it really matter what happened? Ugh.

Anyway, it’s not surprising in reviewing my optimistic outlook for 2013 -- written at the end of 2012 (pre-new job/illness/death/sadness/the end of my favorite band since I was 12) -- that very little stands out as overly positive this past year.

So I say good riddance 2013 – don’t let the door hit you on the way out!

Here's to a happy, healthy 2014 and hoping that, as Howard Jones once sang, things can only get better!

Year in Review Part 1 -- My 2012 Goals Scorecard:

1. Physical - Health / Live Healthily: Eat healthy food most of the time, but don't deprive myself. Maintain my goal weight and work out at least two-to-three times per week. 
• Half Check/Half Fail: I’ve lived most of the year within +/- 3 pounds of my goal weight. My workouts also fluctuated. I did really well this summer, even meeting a mini-goal of going to Pop Physique three times/week for an entire month and riding my bike every Sunday. But as emotional stress multiplied 10 fold in October, my workouts stopped. Too tired. Then Baking-palooza 2013 occurred. I bake good cookies. :)
2. Emotional Health / Let Go and Move On: I've spent a lot of time the last few years trying to force things to work that are more harmful to my psyche than helpful. Why? Because I like being hurt and disappointed, or getting stressed out and pissed off? No more. Life is too short. And it should be about enjoying time with the people in your life that selflessly care about you. I've learned who my true friends are, especially over the last few months, and they are where I will focus my free time in 2013. No looking back.
• Check: And no further comment...that would just stress me out/tick me off ;)
3. Happiness For Me / Travel: When meeting with my new investment adviser in November to plan my financial roadmap to retirement, I listed the following as my travel goal -- Actually take my vacation days each year, traveling somewhere domestic and relaxing at least one week per year, with a longer international trip every other year. Since I went to Italy last year, that means that 2013 will include a relaxing domestic trip -- I could visit an island other than the Big Island in Hawaii or head someplace on the mainland with good food and/or spas (like NYC, Santa Fe or New Orleans... or a place closer to home on my "places to visit" list like Carmel or Ojai).
• Fail: The only place I went this year was to New Mexico for a memorial service. But I’m itching to go somewhere relaxing… soon.... please.
4. Happiness For Others / Help Good Causes: Once again I will lead a team for "Walk MS" in April to raise funds for the National MS Society. This will be super easy since this year there will be a walk in the San Fernando Valley, about three minutes from my house (aka: where I ride my bike around the actual Lake Balboa). I also want to donate my time to a charitable organization or two. It would be great to find a charity that needs my editorial or home improvement skills so I'm also increasing my knowledge as I give. 
• Half Check/Half Fail: My Walk MS team was the #2 fundraising team at the San Fernando Valley Walk, raising more than $5000! And I placed #212 in Southern California/Nevada individual fundraising. Whoo-hoo! But that’s all I did this year. However, since this awful disease personally affects my family every day, I will take that as a proud achievement.
5. Creative Growth / Write More: Keep blogging five to 10 times per month. AND (this is the challenge) write a short story.
• Half Check/Half Fail: Seven months of the year saw 5+ blog posts. Yay! That short story… yeah, didn’t happen.
6. Intellectual Growth / Read Books: Recycle my goal to read at least one book per quarter in 2013, but this year, one MUST be a classic novel that's been sitting on my bookshelf too long.
• Fail: I read Nora Ephron’s “I Feel Bad About My Neck” early in the year, in hopes of being inspired to write and wrote down a bunch of ideas for personal essays. I also started Pride and Prejudice and made it to page 22. Then I went back to work. I did just finish the new Bridget Jones novel I got for Christmas with the other Mr. Darcy in it (sort of) though... probably because I've been feeling very Bridget lately. :p
7. Culinary Growth / Host a Dinner Party: In addition to the annual events I host for major holidays, I want to throw a dinner party where I can use my fancy drinking glasses and linens and cook an actual meal in my kitchen that is new to my limited cooking repertoire (ie: not appetizers, spaghetti or something grilled).
• Half Check/Half Fail: Does hosting afternoon tea count? I had to bake scones and brew tea not in bags. And I used my grandparent’s 70-year-old china ;)
8. General / Try New Things: Not sure how this will specifically manifest over the coming year and I'm also not going to worry about it. I just know I want to be open to new experiences whether that means trying a new food, visiting a new place or learning a new skill.
• Check: I actually did a LOT of this in early 2013 (pre-new job) – finally saw the Rose Parade floats  up close and visited the Queen Mary, went to tons of new restaurants (like Bouchon, Yamahiro, Beso, Red O, Laurel Hardware, and a Mozza – finally!). I can confidently say I checked a bunch of places off my “Adventures in my Own Backyard” list this year. Yay!

Year in Review Part 2 -- 2013 month-by-month breakdown of memories:

January:

• Saw the Rose Parade floats up close
• Massage #1 at not Burke Williams (supporting small local businesses with long lost Spafinder.com gift cards. Yay!)
• The NHL returned from a four-month lockout! Yay! The Kings raise their "Stanley Cup Champions 2012" banner (...then lose to Chicago. Boo!)
• Visited the Queen Mary

February:

• Burke Williams visit #1
• Lots of lunches and dinners – I was a networking queen this month ;)
• Poker Peeps Go To Disneyland

March:

• PaleyFest – but only one session this year, for Once Upon A Time
• Downtown Adventure Day, pre-Kings vs. Calgary
• Sunday Funday at Descanso Gardens
• Had tea and explored The Huntington Library

April:

• Saw my pseudo-niece Kiera dance in the Disneyland parade. She was awesome :)
• Walk MS at the Woodley Park. My team raised more than $5,000 for MS research. Thanks to everyone to sponsored us!
• Saw ¾ of Bon Jovi. Sad, sad, sad....

May:

• The 2013 Summer Movie Blockbuster Club kicks off its season with Iron Man 3
• Started new job full of hopes and big plans
• Burke Williams visit #2
• Summer grillin’ season kicks off!

June:

• The Kings made it to the Western Conference Finals, losing to eventual 2013 Champs Chicago. I was in the co-owner’s suite for the final home game of the season (Thanks Katharine!)
• Opening night of the Hollywood Bowl with Shawn... and Steven Tyler!

July:

• Hosted my 4th 4th of July BBQ 
• Goo Goo Dolls concert at one of the final Universal (I mean Gibson) Amphitheatre shows ever.
• My friends Daryl and James got hitched at the British Residence. Fancy!

August:

• My month of Pop Physique 3x/week! I rock(ed)
• Saw Heart and The Jason Bonham Experience at The Greek Theatre, crossing Heart off my concert bucket list. Qball and I were the youngest people there :)
• Annual John Williams show at the Bowl, with narration by Julie Andrews!

September:

• Saw Rick Springfield at The Canyon Club, took video of him performing with surprise guest Dave Grohl, my video of said performance on YouTube gets posted by RS himself (well, his social media manager). I feel like a contributing member of the digital universe again.
• Back to Pilates after a long, work-induced break. (Note: This lasted about 3 weeks)

October:

• Hockey starts at its regularly scheduled time
• Maroon 5 and Kelly Clarkson at The Bowl
• Pink at Staples Center
• Katy Perry/Sara Barilles/Elie Goulding at The Bowl
• My Grandpa Joe passed away
• My mom had surgery that lasted way too long
• Work stress. Big hopes and plans begin to fade...
• Stress, stress, stress

November:

• More work stress... a third of our staff is cut, in addition to previously mentioned hopes and big plans.
• Hosted a Stella and Dot jewelry party. Bought lots of sparkly stuff to cheer myself up.
• Finally completed my home re-fi. Woot!
• Justin Timberlake at Staples
• Thanksgiving Dinner #5 at my house for Mom, Dad, little bro Ryan and me. Meaningful things to be thankful for this year.
• Michael Buble at Staples

December:

• Back to TX/NM for Grandpa's memorial service. Sad. But good seeing family, and one of my childhood BFF's I haven't seen in person since I was 12 (Hi Denise :)
• Baking-palooza 2013
• Christmas Cocktails 2013
• Afternoon Tea on the 6th Day of Christmas with Daryl and James

where did summer go?

It's September. How did that happen? The summer flew by and I feel like I missed it ... I guess that's what happens when you are re-aclimating to working and getting used to a new job.

I do remember talking about my new job over a lot of breakfasts/lunches/dinners/drinks with friends. I also remember a 4th of July BBQ and hosting some grilling nights complete with super messy s'mores. I hosted my first afternoon tea complete with scones and finger sandwiches. Oh, and I went to a lovely wedding in the garden of the British Consul-General's residence and a fun, internationally-themed baby shower, both with really good food.

I went to some concerts -- Opening Night at the Bowl, Heart, John Williams. I bought a lot of concert tickets for this fall. I did not buy tickets for Bon Jovi at Staples Center in October because Richie Sambora and Jon Bon Giant Ego are still fighting and not on tour together as they should be. That will be the first Los Angeles-area Bon Jovi concert since 1989 I am not at. Sad.

I went to the Arclight Sherman Oaks for a bunch of movies, only a few of which were memorable. Although right now I can't remember which those were.

I went to Pop Physique a LOT and have super-strong calf muscles to prove it.

I did not read past page 22 of Pride and Prejudice... yet. I will do this. I must.

I also did not write a lot. Going back to work has tired me out. This makes also makes me sad. I feel like I've been sucked back into the evil corporate void, where creativity does not exist. I need to start writing more and finding small joys in normal things like I was able to do on my "sabbatical."

I saw this article on twitter a few weeks ago. I have a journal I haven't touched in years. I usually just go to it to vent about things I dare not say to another human being. I think I am going to dig it out and turn it into something positive using that list as a guide.

I am also going to start re-reading some of my creative writing books from college -- Wild Mind, The Artist's Way -- that assign things to write about and get the juices flowing.

The Artist's Way makes you write morning pages... I remember that. I am so not a morning person.

Maybe I'll go read Pride and Prejudice instead.

don't call them resolutions...

... because resolutions usually fail. :)

Instead, every New Year's, I choose to look at what I achieved the year before, the fun I had and new things I experienced. And then I set goals for the coming year that will hopefully become part of my daily existence, rather than some dreaded item on a list I feel guilted into doing. I am happy to say that -- considering many of my goals have carried over year-to-year with little or no tweaks -- I think this tactic is working.

So for 2013, with the overall goal of living a happy, healthy, balanced life where I continue to grow as a good human being, I've set the eight goals below for myself. In addition, I'm also vowing to keep these 12 items, which I found in my Twitter feed this morning, in mind: 12 Powerful Resolutions You Should Make Every Year -- I think they will help a lot with a few of my goals below. 

Health

1. Physical / Live Healthily: Eat healthy food most of the time, but don't deprive myself. Maintain my goal weight and work out at least two-to-three times per week. 
2. Emotional / Let Go and Move On: I've spent a lot of time the last few years trying to force things to work that are more harmful to my psyche than helpful. Why? Because I like being hurt and disappointed, or getting stressed out and pissed off? No more. Life is too short. And it should be about enjoying time with the people in your life that selflessly care about you. I've learned who my true friends are, especially over the last few months, and they are where I will focus my free time in 2013. No looking back.

Happiness

1. For Me / Travel: When meeting with my new investment adviser in November to plan my financial roadmap to retirement, I listed the following as my travel goal -- Actually take my vacation days each year, traveling somewhere domestic and relaxing at least one week per year, with a longer international trip every other year. Since I went to Italy last year, that means that 2013 will include a relaxing domestic trip -- I could visit an island other than the Big Island in Hawaii or head someplace on the mainland with good food and/or spas (like NYC, Santa Fe or New Orleans... or a place closer to home on my "places to visit" list like Carmel or Ojai).
2. For Others / Help Good Causes: Once again I will lead a team for "Walk MS" in April to raise funds for the National MS Society. This will be super easy since this year there will be a walk in the San Fernando Valley, about three minutes from my house (aka: where I ride my bike around the actual Lake Balboa). I also want to donate my time to a charitable organization or two. It would be great to find a charity that needs my editorial or home improvement skills so I'm also increasing my knowledge as I give. 

Growth

1. Creative / Write More: Keep blogging five to 10 times per month. AND (this is the challenge) write a short story.
2. Intellectual / Read Books: Recycle my goal to read at least one book per quarter in 2013, but this year, one MUST be a classic novel that's been sitting on my bookshelf too long.
3. Culinary / Host a Dinner Party: In addition to the annual events I host for major holidays, I want to throw a dinner party where I can use my fancy drinking glasses and linens and cook an actual meal in my kitchen that is new to my limited cooking repertoire (ie: not appetizers, spaghetti or something grilled).
4. General / Try New Things: Not sure how this will specifically manifest over the coming year and I'm also not going to worry about it. I just know I want to be open to new experiences whether that means trying a new food, visiting a new place or learning a new skill. 

Happy New Year! Here's to a 2013 full of great new adventures! 

2012 - my year in review

Since I started this blog, I've spent either New Year's Eve or New Year's Day reflecting on what I did or did not accomplish the prior 365 days. So on this New Year's Eve afternoon -- now that I've finished watching two seasons of Homeland in eight days, and OMG! SO GOOD! -- I'm sitting down to reflect on 2012.

Again this year, I set six goals for myself... the same six I had in 2011, with minor adjustments. Let's see how I did:

1. Stay Healthy: After losing +/-25 pounds in 2011, the goal for 2012 was to keep it off, but also figure out how to balance moderate exercise (2-3 times per week vs. the 5 times per week during my weight loss campaign) with eating the foods I love and had deprived myself of in 2011 (ie: bread, pasta, cheese, cocktails) in moderation. 
• Check! I have kept the weight off, and even lost about 5 more pounds every now and then as a buffer prior to events where I knew I'd want to pig out so I wouldn't slip above my goal weight. I have kept up almost weekly pilates, dusted off my bike and finally started riding around Lake Balboa's great bike paths (a 7 mile roundtrip ride from my house), and started going to Pop Physique more regularly... the workout that kicks your butt, but makes it look great in the process :) Haven't been hiking much since June when I took the 'rents cocker spaniel Sophie and almost killed her. (Note: cocker spaniels are not hiking dogs; they are dogs who like to lazily trot around sniffing everything in sight on flat surfaces.) But doesn't matter. I feel like I've got a handle on maintaining my weight and enjoying food... especially since I made it through goal #2 and came back two pounds lighter than I left (note I said "I," not my suitcase ;) 
2. Finally Go to Italy: This has been a failed goal for many years. To quote a text from my friend Erika back in early September, "I have known you nearly five years and you have been planning to go to Italy for nearly five years. GO TO ITALY!" 
• Check! Thanks to a fortuitous lack of having to go to work this fall, and a few friends who hounded my ass and helped me plan (aka the aforementioned Erika, plus Diana, Mari, Shawn, Barrett, Jason and Lisa :), I booked a bunch of planes, trains and automobiles, plus four great rentals via AirBnB for an October trek through Rome, Florence, Lamporecchio and Venice that my mom joined me on. It was a great trip, if you don't count the part involving the automobile in Tuscany. It will not be another five years before I go back.
• Travel Bonus: I also took a summer vacation to the Big Island of Hawaii to celebrate my friend Katharine's "Hawaii Four-O" birthday extravaganza. It was super fun and relaxing. Now, after three trips to the Big Island, I think I need to venture out to another island next time.
3. Write More: This used to mean opening up my journal and brain-dumping thoughts and ideas to keep my head clear and hopefully get creativity flowing. But there's no real accountability there. So this year I decided that it would mean writing privately in the journal or publicly here.
• Check! While I don't think I opened my journal more than once (as I tend to only write in that the last few years when I'm in the middle of an emotional breakdown), I did blog a LOT more in 2012 than I did in 2011 -- 440% more to be exact! I've even started to notice trends in what I write about, thus the new nav bar above linking to posts about travel, fun things I do in LA, food, products I love, hockey and my home improvement projects. 
4. Read The Classics: I used to read a ton of books when I was a kid, and I still love to read. But I now treat curling up with a book as a reward... something I only allow myself to do when the magazine pile (which is replenished weekly) is gone and I have no other pressing projects. The goal the last few years has been to read one book per quarter, so I would get through at least four a year. In 2012, I wanted to attack the classic novels that have been sitting on my bookshelf since high school and college... unread. 
• Fail (if you're going to be technical about the goal): I didn't read a single classic novel, although I did take Pride and Prejudice with me all the way to Italy, and had The Hobbit sitting out on my coffee table taunting me for about four months. And I DID read five books this year... even more if you count repeat readings of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy as additional books (Hey, at least I'm honest :P) Keeping up my smutty book theme, I also read Rick Springfield's autobiography Late, Late at Night, and Judy Blume's controversial (back in the '70s) first adult novel Wifey, both when I was in Hawaii. I'm sad to say, as much as Judy Blume is a hero of mine, I hated Wifey... probably because it was very '70s, and I'd just finished my first read of the FSOG trilogy, so it was very tame/lame in comparison. But I did enjoy Rick's book... I was just shocked to read what a man-whore the first rock star I ever loved was (is?). Although I guess I really shouldn't be. God help me when Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora write their books. 
5. Volunteer More: Operation Gratitude takes place four minutes from my house. I can give up three hours of my life every few weekends to bring some happiness to the lives of people sacrificing theirs for our freedom. I also plan to participate in the "Walk MS" in April to raise funds for the National MS Society.
• Half Check/Half Fail: I did great this year in raising funds for the MS Society! (For those that don't know, my mom has had MS for two years.) I created a team page and recruited six of my awesome friends (Christina, Keira, Cwennen, Diana, Daryl and James) to walk a 5k around the Rose Bowl in April. We raised more than $2000, and I was the #169th top individual fundraiser for our walk, thanks to very generous donations from my friends and my and my dad's co-workers. I also asked my friends to make donations to the MS Society in honor of my big 4-0 back in February (and raised another $1k+. Yay!) But that's all I did this year. Didn't make it to Operation Gratitude or any other volunteer events. Bad me. 
6. Host More:  I love my house, I have a great kitchen and I just spent a lot of money on an awesome patio. I need to invite people over to enjoy it with me more. I also need to practice cooking more, minus eating more.
• Fail: No big events this year outside of the annual 4th of July BBQ + Bounce House Extravaganza, a Labor Day BBQ and Christmas Cocktails. I think I only used the grill two, maybe three times. Sad. And while I have been eating at home more, I wouldn't say I've expanded my cooking skills. Maybe I should start having dinner parties where I'm forced to open cookbooks. Hmm...

I am going to think about this stuff tonight as I eat finger foods and drink vodka and champagne. My 2013 goals (don't call them resolutions!) will be posted at some point tomorrow. I may actually incorporate more detailed things, like from my list of places I want to go in LA :) Until then, here's a look at my month-by-month memorable moments of 2012:

January:

• Started going to Pop Physique again regularly -- four times in January. Hurts so good.
• Two Kings games. Remember hockey in winter? I don't...
• My mom and dad celebrated their 42nd Anniversary
• Had a great dinner with a great friend at Perch in Downtown LA

February:

• Burke Williams trip #1
• I turned 40, and rented a suite at Staples Center to celebrate! The Kings wished me a happy birthday by losing 0-1 to the Calgary Flames in the third period. Snooze. But I had great cupcakes and champagne surrounded by great friends anyway :)

March:

• Lots of fun this month at PaleyFest with the casts of Once Upon a Time, New Girl, Castle and Modern Family
• Saw my friend Jeff star in Noel Coward's play "Private Lives" in Burbank. Great show!
• Liked the movie version of Hunger Games almost as much as the book. Almost. 

April:

• Walk MS at the Rose Bowl. My team raised more than $2000 for MS research and care!
• I met my writing hero, Judy Blume, at the LA Times Festival of Books
• The Los Angeles Kings make the playoffs at the last minute for the 3rd time since 2002! And keep playing through the end of the month...
• Jonathan Quick is named a finalist (one of three) for the Vezina Trophy.

May:

• The 2012 Summer Movie Blockbuster Club kicks off its season with The Avengers, which will end the year as one of my top 2 favorite movies of 2012.  
• I went to the opera. Yes, the opera. La Boheme at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion. I don't think I'm an opera person. 
• Got invited to a lovely afternoon garden party at the residence of Dame Barbara Hay, the British Consul-General. It was filmed for an episode of Cupcake Wars that aired in August.
• The LA Kings are still playing hockey. Really well. They make it to the Stanley Cup Finals, for the first time since 1993. Only the second time in their existence. I start to get really nauseous whenever they play.  

June:

• The LA Kings WIN THE STANLEY CUP!! That's all I can really remember about June. Sorry. But that was enough for me :)

July:

• Hosted my 3rd 4th of July BBQ (actually on July 4th this year)
• Enjoyed summer

August:

• Went to a LOT of shows!
• Pixar in Concert @ The Hollywood Bowl
• Aerosmith @ The Hollywood Bowl
• Jonny Lang @ The Greek Theater
• Memphis @ The Pantages Theatre 
• Cirque du Soleil's Micheal Jackson The Immortal World @ Staples Center
  
• John Williams @ the Hollywood Bowl, with narrator James Taylor
• Trip #1: Hawaii! 

September:

• Held a BBQ for Labor Day
• Found out I was going to have a lot of free time on my hands...
• Saw The Book of Mormon @ The Pantages Theatre
• Met The Stanley Cup, up close and personal
• Saw Pat Benatar @ The Canyon Club
• Went to the Getty Villa, and saw the final flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour over LA.
• Started and completed  Project Kill Crabgrass & Clover in my front yard
• Had a fancy, cultured day in Pasadena at the Norton Simon Museum and The Langham for afternoon tea.

October:

• Painted my hallway, guest bathroom and guest bedroom. And finally got new blinds for the guest bedroom, admitting to myself it will be a while before I get new front windows and shutters to go over them.
• The Kings season does NOT begin... thanks NHL for locking the players out and preventing the Kings from raising their Stanley Cup banner because that means I was free for...
• Trip #2: ITALY!!!

November:

• Did a lot of blogging about Italy :) (see link above)
• Saw Richie Sambora @ The Ford Theater. Great small, intimate show, with all proceeds going to Hurricane Sandy relief.
• A super-fancy VIP Day at Disneyland, thanks to our friend and new Club 33 member Shawn.
• Thanksgiving Dinner #4 at my house for Mom, Dad, little bro Ryan and me
• After Thanksgiving, Afternoon Tea in Pasadena with Jenny and Ruthie Z.
• Super-successful garage sale with Diana, Daryl and James

December:

• Baking-palooza 2012
• Christmas Cocktails 2012
• Afternoon Tea on the 3rd Day of Christmas at Daryl and James' house
• New Year's Eve Finger Lickin' Game Night at my place for those who hate NYE :)

hurts so good

So on my December stay-cation, I decided I needed to get my workout schedule back on track. I haven't done much since the time changed in October except weekly Wednesday Pilates (with my awesome instructor Marcy, who some of you may recognize as Quendra [with a "Qu"] on Community). Not much Runyon. Not much Wii Fit. Zero Pop Physique.... yet I had two Groupons about to expire in January. So I decided to suck it up and go to the Studio City location when my fave instructor Mackenzie K. was teaching on New Year's Eve morning. Mackenzie is great... she (per her bio on the site ;) "encourages students to honor what their body is giving them on any given day instead of always wishing it was giving them something else. In essence, be in the moment and work hard, but be patient." She works us hard, but what I love about Pop Physique (aka #buttschool) is they push you right to your limit. Just when you feel you might collapse and die, the instructor moves on to work a completely different part of your body. And over the hour, you work EVERY part of your body. But the constant change-ups, which also include changes in music tracks and volume, as well as lighting, make it manageable. And tonight, it actually went by fast. I was surprised when class was over "so soon." I hope that means I'm getting back in shape. Mackenzie said I'm looking stronger. I just signed up for class every Monday in January. Owie.

wise words for the new year

A friend just posted a link to this blog on Facebook... wise words we all need to remember and think about integrating into our daily lives: 30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself

Then that lead to these great finds:

• 30 Things to START Doing for Yourself

• 12 Things Happy People Do Differently

Enjoy!

2011 - my year in review

At the start of 2011, I set six goals for myself (don't call them resolutions!) with the overall goal of making 2011 better than 2010 by "taking care of myself, and striving for happiness in my life and the lives of those close -- and not so close -- to me." I accomplished 3.5 of them, which isn't bad... although two of them I totally failed at. Let's review :)

• Get Healthy: I will eat better and utilize either my Wii Fit or the treadmill -- that I plan to "borrow" from my parents' garage -- at least three times per week, in addition to continuing Pilates. I also want to resume hiking when the time changes.
• Check! This was my biggest accomplishment this year. I met my weight loss goal (25 lbs) plus some by completely changing my eating habits -- no more fast food except for special treats, very little bread, and lots of salad, chicken, lean cuisine, fruit and yogurt. I also worked out a minimum of 2 times per week, sometimes up to 5 times using the Wii Fit starting in mid-January, keeping up Pilates once a week, hiking/running 1-3 times per week at Runyon Canyon from March-October, and adding Pop Physique classes, which are a mix of Pilates, ballet barre work and light weights. It kicks your butt and shapes it up at the same time :) I also started taking my multi-vitamin everyday again and added an extra 2000 mg of Vitamin D since Vitamin D deficiency is thought to be a cause of MS.
• Write More: I will not put my journal in a drawer. I will keep it in eyesight and use it to brain dump feelings and ideas not for public consumption here.
• Fail. I wrote in the journal a few times, mostly about tracking my weight loss goals/successes, but it was in the drawer most of the year. And I only updated this blog 21 times all year. Bad, bad, bad!
• Read Actual Books: A minimum of four this year. One per quarter. That's doable, right? (Sub-goal: I will not let my magazine pile deter me from this goal, no matter how tall it gets.)
• Check! I actually read five books this year, all of which were excellent: Tina Fey's Bossypants, The Help, and The Hunger Games trilogy.
• Volunteer More: Operation Gratitude takes place four minutes from my house. I can give up three hours of my life every few weekends to bring some happiness to the lives of people sacrificing theirs for our freedom. I also plan to participate in the "Walk MS" in April to raise funds for the National MS Society.
• Fail. I didn't volunteer once this year. I thought about it a lot, but never did. I did increase my charitable donations this year though, especially to the National MS Society, LA Mission, amfAR, and Smile Train -- I helped four kids have their cleft palates repaired so they could smile again and live a normal life. That makes ME smile. 
• Host More: I love my house, I have a great kitchen and I just spent a lot of money on an awesome patio. I need to invite people over to enjoy it with me more. I also need to practice cooking more, minus eating more (see goal #1 ;)
• Check! In addition to poker nights and my annual July BBQ and Christmas Cocktails, I also had Grilled Cheese Night again this year and started "Summer Grillin' Saturdays." Oh, and I also co-hosted a baby shower for my dear friend Hilda in August (And she welcomed baby Yevah in September :)
• Travel for Me: I will go to Portland this year to spend time with friends -- I've made that promise. I also hope 2011, one way or another, will finally be my Italian vacation year. I'm thinking either April for someone's birthday, or a solo tour in the Fall.
• Half Check/Half Fail: I did go to Portland and had a fabulous time with my dear friend Jenny and her family. Also went to San Fran in May to see Hugh Jackman's show and visit with my friends Jason and Josh. And went to Orlando for a rainy trip to Disney World and an awesome night at Harry Potter World. But the Italy trip still hasn't happened. I did do a little research on it though... and got a new big suitcase for Christmas ;)

I think those goals were overall good ones so I'm sticking with them for 2012, with minor adjustments. For instance, this year I want to read the classics sitting on my bookshelf that I've never read... The Hobbit, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Jane Eyre. If I get through half of those, that will be a good accomplishment, considering three of them have been on my shelf since high school ;)

And for posterity/since I apparently don't write in my journal anymore, here are some of the memorable things from my 2011:

January:

• Burke Williams trip #1
• Pre-hockey meal at delish Bottega Louie
• My mom and dad celebrated their 41st Anniversary
• Get healthy goal achievial begins
• Game Night #1

February:

• Burke Williams trip #2
• Finally ate at Ford's Filling Station (my 4-years-in-the-making bday dinner with Diana, Daryl and James)
• Stars on Ice in Anaheim

March:

• Hmmm....

April:

• Grilled Cheese Night
• The Los Angeles Kings make the playoffs for the 2nd time since 2002! Lose to friggin' Sharks

May:

• Trip #1: San Francisco for Hugh Jackman in concert
• The 2011 Summer Movie Blockbuster Club kicks off its season
• Trip #2: (work) Hackensack NJ (yuck) and Chicago (yay) for focus groups
• Afternoon tea at Chado with mom and dad

June:

• U2 at Anaheim Stadium
• Pop Physique starts

July:

• Met my weight loss goal
• Hosted my 2nd 4th of July BBQ (on July 3rd)
• Burke Williams trip #3
• Dolly Parton at Hollywood Bowl, with Mom, Dad, Daryl and Diana
• Summer Grillin' Saturdays begin

August:

• Hairspray with John Stamos at Hollywood Bowl
• John Williams @ the Hollywood Bowl, with narrator James Taylor
• Bella the crazy, adorable puppy joins our family

September:

• Trip #3: Portland to see the Z's

October:

• Trip #4: Orlando for party at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
• Foo Fighters at the Forum
• Clinton Foundation 10th Anniversary concert at the Bowl with Bono, The Edge, Lady Gaga
• Apple and pumpkin picking in Oak Glen
• The Kings season begins...

November:

• Dinner at Little Dom's ... delish
• Sophie the cocker spaniel joins our family

December:

• Christmas Cocktails
• 12 days of vacation kicks off
• Christmas with siblings and Granny
• Burke Williams trip #4
• Tea at Rose Tree Cottage in Pasadena
• New Year's Eve dinner at The Melting Pot in Pasadena (too much food!)

And here's what I did this year, according to some of my favorite Facebook status updates:

damn you delicious grilled cheese!!

So yesterday, in honor of National Grilled Cheese Month, there was Grilled Cheese Cook-off in my kitchen. It destroyed my possibly achieving my 3-month Wii Fit goal that is due tomorrow. I now have 3.2 pounds to lose instead of the 1 pound I had left as of Saturday morning. (So my deadline may get pushed back to this coming Saturday, with two more trips to Runyon, plus Pilates, in between, but I digress...)

What made me gain 2.2 pounds you ask? Well, other than too much delicious Taco Dip, it was yummy recipes like this one for "Sophisticated Grilled Cheese" and other yummy concoctions including roasted garlic and truffle cheese; bacon, gruyere (I think) and loganberry preserves; caramelized onion and cheddar... ooh all washed down with freshly-squeezed margaritas.

Yep. I knew that damn grilled cheese would do me in. Oh well. At least it was delicious! :)

2010 -- the year that was

It's New Year's Eve, my most hated of holidays. People put way too much emphasis on going out, drinking, and cheering when the clock strikes 12. Any time I've tried to "celebrate" this "holiday," I usually regret it... I get in a fight with someone, or the evening doesn't live up to the artificially manufactured expectations that it be awesome, and I feel like I've failed the Party Gods. So this year, I'm sitting on my couch watching movies, with a vodka cranberry in hand. This has been a not-awesome year, and I prefer to just let it slip quietly into the past.

The year 2010 actually started off really well. I was the happiest I'd been in a long time... for about six days. Then things went awry. Sadness, worry and stress took over my personal and professional lives. I'd like to say those feelings lessened as the year went on, but alas, they did not. My mom was diagnosed with MS in June. Work got all re-org-ish over the summer, some people I loved working with are no longer there, and it now seems more in flux than it's ever been. And since July, four colleagues, all under the age of 50, have passed away, three from health issues that took them from this earth way before their time; and the fourth was killed the day after Christmas at the hands of a drunk driver in Vermont. (RIP Johannes, Leslie, Wayne and Kaye.) So sad.

The year was not all bad though. I traveled a lot, (although most of it was for work) and went three places I'd never been before. I also saw a lot of great shows and concerts, participated in three great volunteer events, and made a great home improvement. This year also saw me convert from PC to Mac at home, and I must say I love the freedom of my light, easy to use, virus-free MacBook now, even though converting all my files (or not, as the case may be) was a pain. I got my awesome Droid Incredible phone. And I went to Pilates almost every week of the year. (But went on only one hike due to my knee problems, finally diagnosed in May as runner's knee... although I do not run). Here are some of the highlights of the year:

January:

• My mom and dad celebrated their 40th Anniversary

February:

• Bon Jovi Concert #1 in Anaheim
• Saw Cast and Producers of LOST at PaleyFest

March:

• Bon Jovi Concert #2 in Los Angeles @ Staples Center

April:

• I started blogging (here) again!
• Michael Buble Concert @ Staples Center
• Trip #1: Seattle, WA, for the first time
• The Los Angeles Kings make the playoffs for the first time since 2002!

May:

• Trip #2: San Francisco for Web 2.0 Expo
• The 2010 Summer Movie Blockbuster Club kicks off its season
• Renoir in the 20th Century @ LACMA, with Mom, on Mother's Day
• Trip #3: Boulder, CO
• Upgraded to the Droid Incredible
• Trip #4: New Orleans (my one non-work, just for fun trip, for Jason & Nora's wedding!)

June:

• Sting's "Symphonicity" @ the Hollywood Bowl
• Jonny Lang @ House of Blues, Hollywood
• Grease Sing-Along @ the Hollywood Bowl
• I got my new, gorgeous back patio installed!

July:

• Hosted my first 4th of July BBQ
• Went to the Grammy Museum

August:

• RENT @ the Hollywood Bowl, directed by Neil Patrick Harris
• Trip #5: St. Louis, MO, for the first (and hopefully last) time ever
• John Williams @ the Hollywood Bowl
• Goo Goo Dolls @ the Greek Theatre

September:

• Trip #6: Raleigh, NC, for the first time... at the same time as Hurricane Earl
• Trip #7: Palo Alto, CA
• Southern California Coastal Cleanup Day
• Trip #8: San Francisco, again

October:

• Trip #9: Phoenix
• Trip #10: New York City & Hackensack, NJ
• Apple and pumpkin picking in Yucaipa, CA
• The Kings season begins... awesomely. 

November:

• Volunteering for Operation Gratitude
• Disneyland with The Z's 

December:

• My first year with outdoor Christmas lights!
• Volunteering @ LA Regional Foodbank
• Christmas Cocktails
• 12 days of vacation kicks off

And here's what I did this year, according to some of my favorite Facebook status updates:

As 2011 nears, I'm thinking about what I can do to make it better than 2010 was. I think my overall goals are to take care of myself, and strive for happiness in my life and the lives of those close -- and not so close -- to me.

To that end, I want to:

• Get Healthy: I will eat better and utilize either my Wii Fit or the treadmill -- that I plan to "borrow" from my parents' garage -- at least three times per week, in addition to continuing Pilates. I also want to resume hiking when the time changes.  
• Write More: I will not put my journal in a drawer. I will keep it in eyesight and use it to brain dump feelings and ideas not for public consumption here.
• Read Actual Books: A minimum of four this year. One per quarter. That's doable, right? (Sub-goal: I will not let my magazine pile deter me from this goal, no matter how tall it gets.)
• Volunteer More: Operation Gratitude takes place four minutes from my house. I can give up three hours of my life every few weekends to bring some happiness to the lives of people sacrificing theirs for our freedom. I also plan to participate in the "Walk MS" in April to raise funds for the National MS Society.
• Host More: I love my house, I have a great kitchen and I just spent a lot of money on an awesome patio. I need to invite people over to enjoy it with me more. I also need to practice cooking more, minus eating more (see goal #1 ;) 
• Travel for Me: I will go to Portland this year to spend time with friends -- I've made that promise. I also hope 2011, one way or another, will finally be my Italian vacation year. I'm thinking either April for someone's birthday, or a solo tour in the Fall. 

That's six things, some more complicated than others. But I was quite amazed with everything I got done in December simply by planning my month, day by day, and checking things off a list. Tomorrow is the start of a new calendar and I can start filling it in right away :)