December 1 Trip
The best, most relaxing trip was traveling by train to Illinois with the kids to visit my sister.
December 2 Restaurant Moment
I’ve had several great restaurant moments this year, and the top ones would have to be with my “book club” friends. (We call it that because it sounds more sophisticated… and we DO read books, and we often spend at least a bit of time discussing them.)
December 3 Article
I’m going to have to say the article I ghostwrote for a client that got them coverage on a major network newscast.
December 4 Book
Hands down, the book I read this year that had the greatest effect on me was No Impact Man, by Colin Beavan.
"...instead of trying to save the world by sitting around figuring out the best course of action, we should just start trying to save the world. If we all just start trying from where we are, even if some of us fail, one of us or a couple of thousand of us will cross the finish line and get the job done."
December 5 Night out
The night Moms and Daughters went to see the Vagina Monologues.
December 6 Workshop or conference
I believe the Kansas Authors Club convention was the only thing I attended that qualifies. It was worth the time, as always.
December 7 Blog find of the year
I’m trying to decide if I added any entirely new blogs to my list this year. I’ve been watching the TED blog more closely than in the past. I’ve also really enjoyed connecting with many of my cousins and relatives on Facebook this year.
December 8 Moment of peace.
I am learning to appreciate these and allow them to come to me more and more frequently, but I have to say this holiday break has been full of many peaceful moments.
December 9 Challenge
Keeping my writing business going has proven to be a bit more of a challenge. Last year it felt like the work just kept flowing and 2008 ended up being my biggest year ever. The work really slowed down this year and I found myself needing to work a bit harder at it. I kept it going, but never quite hit the stride I had in 2008.
December 10 Album of the year
I bought exactly one album this year, Echo Movement, whom I ran across at Warped Tour when I took my daughter and her friend.
December 11 The best place
Wherever my family happens to be hanging.
December 12 New food
I learned to make tamales at my friend Kim’s house this year. I hope this becomes an annual gathering and tradition.
December 13 Change you made to the place you live
We tore down our dining room ceiling, put insulation in the walls and got a new ceiling up. This room is still a work in progress, but much changed!
December 14 Rush
Completing 50,000 words on a novel attempt in the month of December was a rush. It was such a great rush, that I began a second (much more focused draft) mid-December, also shooting for 50,000 words in a month. I’m nearly half-way there!
December 15 Best Packaging
Hmmm… the No Impact Man book has really got me looking hard at packaging and I have come to the conclusion that we go well above and beyond on the way we package things. I guess those are my thoughts on packaging for 2009.
December 16 Tea of the year
Green.
December 17 Word or Phrase
Portmanteau.
December 18 Shop
I’m not a big shopper, but the Sweet Granada here in Emporia is one store I don’t mind going into again and again.
December 19 Car Ride
I suppose one of the short trips with my kids at the wheel. When we were back in Dodge this year I showed them my old stomping grounds, including the roads I learned to drive on. Each of them got at least a little turn driving.
December 20 New Person
Hmmm… Well, Jen came back to book club this year (Yay, Jen.) and Tracie has now joined us. She’s not exactly a new person, but she’s new to book club.
December 21 Project
The project of the year—beginning and end—is the Kansas Authors Club yearbook, once again. I’m a little behind this year, but pleased with the way it is coming together.
December 22 Startup
The thing that comes to mind? Both cars are still starting up. I know that's not what was intended, but it's a good thing, none-the-less.
December 23 Web tool
RSS feeds, as both a comminicator and a recipient, make life online so much more efficient and organized.
December 24 Learning experience
Always learning. This is the year I hope to mark as one where I learned to balance work and play, being driven and living in the moment. At the very least, I improved on these things.
December 25 Gift
Friends.
December 26 Insight or aha! moment
Just a week or so ago, a good friend pointed out to me that one of my ways of coping with stress is to create greater structure for myself, even in areas of my life that won’t necessarily benefit from structure. It was a definite aha moment, and I feel almost as if something physical inside me has been uncoiling ever since. It feels good and it is a lesson I intend not to forget.
December 27 Social web moment
It’s not quite as great as childhood, but I love the feeling that I have cousins that are part of my life again. The peeks at their pictures on Facebook and little snippets of their lives has made me feel connected to family members again who were once very central to my life.
December 28 Stationery
I haven’t allowed myself to buy paper in years. I am still working on boxes of leftover stationary (pretty paper, at least) from my days working in a print shop and a gift of scrapbooking paper that a friend passed on to me a few years ago.
December 29 Laugh
We made this wonderful video for my brother-in-law for Christmas. It made me laugh again and again, partly with pride for my part in the creation of the video and partly because it was just good clean fun that I knew he would appreciate.
December 30 Ad
I’m relatively TV free these days and certainly commercial free. In print, I was tickled by this one…
December 31 Resolution you wish you'd stuck with
I am a bit surprised to see that I never blogged about my resolutions last year. Most of them had to do with my writing business and goals. I did do some business plan tweaking and revamping, and I didn’t quite hit the marks I was shooting for overall (financially), I can’t say that I seriously dissed any of my resolutions. The coming year should be easy because I’m resolving not to make any new resolutions.
Life marches on.
Happy 2010, everyone.
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