2009: The Recap

In keeping with tradition, here is my 2009 Recap (or what I can remember before I get too hungry for dinner)

January: Oof. So long ago. My cousin Erin has a baby. She's early, but an amazing fighter and is now getting ready to celebrate her first birthday. What a blessing! I decide to start making more home-cooked meals and do a fairly decent job. My parents dog, Tanner, dies after a fairly short life. He was Missy's bestest bud and my dads constant companion so we are all a bit broken up about it. I resolve to start working out more and lose 10 pounds. Zach starts new job and works until midnight. We only see eachother on the weekends.

February: I consider entering a triathlon but chicken out, numerous times. Things start getting stressful at work. We celebrate Zach's 29th birthday. I made the worlds richest (and definitely the most unhealthy) peanut butter brownies for the first time and it looks like they will be a staple for every birthday from here on out. Walk Missy every single night, even in the freezing cold, because DAMN that dog is wild.

March: Run in the 1st annual Drumm Farm Run. It was an off trail run and holy hell, it was hard, but I finished. My "official results" say I came in 4th place and even though I know that's SO not right, it makes me happy. Oh and I won a free pedicure (that I let expire before using it. Dang!) We start thinking about adding to our family in the canine sense. Zach draggs me out to look at English Mastiffs. No way. Too big. Ha! I go out for my friends 29th birthay at the Power & Light district and have a total quarter-life crisis and leave in tears. Realize I'm getting old. It was a tough month.

April: Survive my frist round of layoffs at work. Realize I need to step up my game. Do. Get noticed. I compromise and tell Zach we can LOOK at Great Danes. Find Ted. Heart melts. Sign papers. Wait for him to grow up a smidge. Run the Trolley Run for second year in a row. Get the exact same time. Become very frustrated with working out. Consider, for a second, training for a half marathon.

May: Bring Ted home. Don't like him much at first. He bites and Missy won't leave him alone. Zach goes to visit friends in Sioux Falls and leaves me the puppy on his first weekend home. I cry, a lot. At least he slept more than Missy did. Zach starts summer break and we start training dear Ted. He learns fast. I grow to love him. Decide to run Hospital Hill 10k instead of Half Marathon. Hate training with a firey burning passion.

June: Run Hospital Hill 10k. Finish with a decent time and have fun. Shoes really hurt my feet. Vow to run Half Marathon in 2010 (unless unable to...wink!) Zach's mom and sister come visit and spend most of the time babysitting Ted. He's a hit! Zach joins the Nelson Atkins "fan club" and says we'll go all the time. We haven't been yet. I turn 28 and am deeply saddend. Get a new bike and ride it all the time. Still very frustrated with working out. Ted starts puppy school. He's the shy kid in class.

July: Trade in the 'ol Neon for a Ford Escape. LOVE! Spend the 4th of July at my parents and nearly get killed by renagade fireworks. Go to a couple Royals games with friends. Really like the new stadium. Start baking "healthier" desserts. Ha!

August: Take the pups to the lake. Missy loves it and wants to explore the whole time. Ted falls off the deck and will likely never go near water again. Try laying out and drinking, realize it's not for me. Get a Costco membership and feel like a "real" adult. Decide to switch gyms. Ted "graduates" puppy school. Barely. Mom is diagnosed with cancer.

September: Start taking working out seriously. Join new gym down the road and start to get my groove back. Go on vacation with Zach to Chicago. We have a blast. Have a mole removed and can't workout for two weeks. Gain a million pounds. Get chosen to do the Ink Magazine fitness challenge. Start working out all the time, which totally helped with all the stress that was starting to build. Realize Ted hates other dogs and stop going to the dog park and taking him on walks by myself. Very sad.

October: Work out and diet like a crazy person and love every second of it. Ted tears up our carpet, eats our bannister, chews our couch and destroys countless other objects. I nearly lose my mind. Purchase my first "little black dress" and go to second cousins wedding. Looking fabulous. Spend Halloween in Atchison, KS hunting ghosts. Sad that we didn't find any. Make it through the second round of layoffs.

November: Continue to workout and diet like a crazy person. Totally succeed. Vacation in Vegas for Thanksgiving. See The Beatles "Love". Get an awesome suite at Bally's for nearly nothing. Work gets insane. Missy and Ted start behaving a little more and life with two dogs becomes manageable.

December: Enjoy "Girls Christmas", bake lots of cookies even though I said I wouldn't. Work gets REALLY crazy. Dread Christmas. Hate Christmas shopping. Half-heartedly decorate the house. Vow to enjoy the actual Christmas holiday. Mom starts having seizures during Christmas Eve dinner. Spend Christmas at the hospital. Go to Christmas mass in the hospital chappel. Worry, worry, worry. Get ten million grey hairs. Experience first blizzard. Stress, stress, stress. Mom has cancer surgery. Wait, wait, wait. Try out new Garmin GPS. Enjoy new Slanket. Plan to eat lots of cheese and dink lots of wine for New Years Eve. At home, alone.

2010 Goals:
-Maybe run that half marathon? Eh. I wouldn't bet on it. At least do 4 runs.
-Maintain weight loss and maybe get in even better shape.
-Continue home improvements.
-TBD.