2009 in review

It's almost New Year's Eve and while I tend to think that New Years Day is as arbitrary as any other day, it is nice to reflect on the year.

Let's recap 2009.

In January, I actually cared that the Ravens lost their shot at the Super Bowl. It was just the beginning of my football renaissance. (As a kid, I loved Joe Montana, Steve Young, and all of the 49ers, since I was living in Monterey at the time. Once high school boys entered the picture, I had no time to care about football.)

I pondered the difficulties of marriage. I stand by the notion that marriage is tough... Anything worthwhile requires work.

February came and I realized, I spend an awful lot of time on the Internet. I think I'm making progress in establishing real relationships and enjoying the natural world around me.

In March, I turned 31, but I felt like an 11 year old when I met Joe Mcintyre and the rest of the New Kids on the Block.

My life changed forever in April when my sweet dog Molly passed away suddenly. Just a week before she died, Matt and I took her to Washington DC where I took some photos of her that I will cherish forever.

In May, I flew to Boston where I ran (uh, and walked) 5 miles and saw the Red Sox play at Fenway.

The traveling continued in June with a trip to New York City. I finally had an authentic and spontaneous celebrity sighting at Penn Station where Jen and I had a quick chat with Rachel Dratch of Saturday Night Live. Jen was nice enough to give me one of the tickets that she scored for another New Kids On The Block show at Jones Beach. The next day, I met with my friend Angie for a girl's weekend that included a Sex and the City tour and Wicked! on Broadway. That is the exact moment when I became a little bit obsessed with Wicked!

July was a fun month because my cousin Robin and her family traveled from Pennsylvania for a week-long visit. We had a great time in DC and Annapolis. It's so fun to be a tourist in your own town.

In August, Matt and I did a little doggie-sitting for an acquaintance. This may not seem like a noteworthy event of 2009, but reflecting on this time, I see that this was just a necessary reminder to continue to work towards my unspoken aspirations.

September was pretty boring.

In October, I experienced a little bit of Post-Concert Depression after Brandi Carlile at Rams Head and U2 at Fed Ex Field. I fell in love with Adam Clayton.

The music played on in November when I saw Bruce Springsteen in Baltimore. What an amazing show! I'm still reliving that one. I cannot get enough of The Boss!

Reviewing my posts for December, I realized that 4 of my 6 posts were about food. I am really proud of my decision to become vegetarian this year. I have been reading book after book about factory farming and the personal and environmental health benefits of a veggie diet. I have toyed with the idea of becoming veggie in the past, but Molly's death made my decision very easy. I decided to take it one step at a time and just reduce the amount of meat that I was eating. The less that I ate and the more that I read, the easier it became to give it up altogether. I don't think that I am going to write exclusively about food or vegetarianism in the future; but I'm positive that it will continue to be a very important part of my life.

Overall, I think it was a pretty good year. There was music and travel and a whole lot more that did not make it to this humble little blog of mine. Of course, losing Molly was one of the most devastating things that I have ever lived through, but I am so grateful to have had her for 2 1/2 years. Everyone loves their dog (or should, anyway), but I am a changed person because of my first pup. She helped me cope with a crazy, crazy time in my life, she helped steer me in the direction of a healthier, vegetarian lifestyle, and she showed me pure, unconditional love and forgiveness every single day of her life. Since her death, I feel like I have become a more spiritual person. I believe that I am happier now than I have been in years, because I am capable of appreciating the moments instead of constantly worrying about the big, bleak picture. So, my resolutions for 2010, in honor of the soulful and gentle Molly Anna, is to live in the moment as often as possible, to love, and to forgive.

Happy New Year, everyone!

34th Street in Bawl'mer

Tonight: One margarita and a vegan burrito at Golden West, a fun group of gals, and Baltimore kitsch at it's finest. The residents of 34th Street create their own little miracle with fantastically tacky Christmas lights. Just a few photos and fewer words. Enjoy.

I can change the world...

This song came on today while I was at work. I had just read a pretty heavy email from a family member about life and death, God and eternity, and politics. Yeah. I'm not going to get into all of that on my today, but I will say that this song could not have randomly come on with better timing. Ben Harper's My Own Two Hands from his album Diamonds on the Inside is very simple, but it is inspiring and brings me great joy. When life's complicated questions start creeping into my mind, these words are a nice reminder that kindness yields kindness and that we all have the power to make a positive difference in the world.

With My Own Two Hands - Ben Ha...

I can change the world
With my own two hands
Make a better place
With my own two hands
Make a kinder place
Oh with my own two hands
with my own, with my own
two hands

I can make peace on earth
With my own two hands
And I can clean up the earth
With my own two hands
And I can reach out to you
Oh with my own two hands
with my own, with my own
two hands

I'm gonna make it a brighter place
(with my own)
I'm gonna make it a safer place
(with my own)
I'm gonna help the human race
with my own, with my own
two hands

Now I can hold you
With my own two hands
And I can comfort you
With my own two hands
But you've got to use
Use your own two hands
Use your own, use your own
two hands