I love a look back. I get nostalgic. You can read the 2010 review here.
In many ways, 2011 has been a very, very long year. It was peppered with beautiful moments, to be sure, but I feel like I've been hunkered down in survival mode for most of it. Figuratively head down, avoiding eye contact, holding my breath.
I have high hopes for 2012. I have distinctive goals and an overall vision and can't remember the last time I felt this motivated to move forward. But before we close the door on 2011, a look back:
Best Book I Read: The Passage or The Keep
Best Movie I Saw: We have barely made a dent in this years awards contenders, but so far my favorite has been Ides of March
Best Memory: It's a close tie, but since they all have to do with the arrival of my son, I'll let it slide into one big ball. It was Valentines Day the morning I found out I was pregnant for the second time. I kept the news to myself for the whole day before I told The Gorilla. I remember how I felt, I hope I remember it forever.
Other standouts include finding out I was carrying a little boy, and the moments just after he emerged from my body.
Runner Up: The first time we saw Pigtail ride a pony.
For all of these, my heart filled to the point of bursting.
Best Meal: I shared a table with my high school girlfriends who came to visit, hot wings at a gas station grill on my birthday, and flakey fish at a table overlooking the ocean. But the best meals were taken right in my own kitchen, including our Make Your Own Pizza party.
Best Internet Discovery: Pinterest and the Google Next Button.
Best App for the iPhone: Instagram
Best App for the iPad: Gilt
Best Trip: We went to Hawaii on vacation, to Vegas for a girls weekend, and San Diego for a blogging conference. I spent Easter and Christmas in Oklahoma.
All were special in their own way, but the best travel of 2011 was the three months I spent at our lake house. It shouldn't count as a "trip" - since it is our home - but it was such an important chunk of the year that it wins anyway. I will always remember those weeks on the water with Pigtail the summer before our family of three became a family of four.
Best Hollywood Event: Critics Choice Movie Awards, even though my mouth was incredibly swollen from dental surgery, I had a great time that night in a sparkly blue drop-waisted number.
Best Party I hosted: Rachel's baby shower where I was pregnant, and I didn't even know it yet! That's not why it was a great party, but it does make me smile.
Best Friday Links (a short list of my favorite things I read this year):
And That's Why You Should Learn To Pick Your Battles
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My mantra for 2011 was: Cook and Create in an Organized Home. This was a personal goal. I didn't blog about it, but it was always in the back of my mind. I do believe I accomplished that: I cooked more than ever, I created regularly on this blog and I created a human life in my womb. I also managed to tackle some (but definitely not all) of the home organization I crave.
I have a new mantra for 2012. It's a bit more vague, but it's what I need for now. More about my goals for 2012 next week, as I flesh them out for myself and for those who keep me accountable - that's YOU!
Have a safe and wonderful New Years, HH readers!
