2010 Recap

Note: You can always count on me to do New Year's memes. I find them both fun and useful. If you do this, I promise to comment. :) LOVES!

I re-read 2009's re-cap. It seems I had a lot of fun with my law school friends and I dreaded having to find a real job. I obsessed over my new puppy. I had puppy dates and costume parties with Ben and Dani. I hung out with Mhana and my SILs and that extended group of Eugenians I call family. But I didn't much love 2009, and was happy to start fresh in 2010. Here we go...



January: Party at Chez Elliseux with epic Jenga and an epic overuse of the word "epic." Side boob. Working at Western Standard. Discussions about everything under the sun with Kristen. Helping Logan with his architecture school applications--always at the last minute. An awkward trip to San Francisco. Had a sick puppy and a wicked case of the hiccups.

February: Olive ran away and got lost. We searched for hours and were devestated. Our neighbor kid prayed for her to come home while we were out searching and she did. They locked her up in the yard and called us to come home. My sister got married. We planned our Caribbean cruise with our friends and cracked up at the Travel Channel's "Do's and Don'ts of Cruising."

March: The whole office gets laid off on my birthday. It was a bummer. Waiting to hear back from architecture schools. Superior birthday. Dinner at Communal. Friends join us for dessert at The Chocolate and then hottubbing with the crew (minus secretly pregnant Ellises. :) They got a pass.) I develop an ice cream making obsession.

April: Graduation and gastrointestinal disease punch me in the gut like a pair of street thugs who know my life has been too easy. On the plus side, I lost 8 lbs before the cruise. Mercy Thompson is my home girl.

May: Disney World with the family followed by a Caribbean Cruise with my law school crew. Dennis. Cruise Di-rect-or GARY. The land whale. Fart noises. And why do our conversations always go back to lube? The demonic screams of the toilet in Miami. Packing up our house to move. Trying desperately to find renters. Too many sad goodbyes to count.

June: My Provo house is scrubbed with the help of Kristen, and we leave. If I had allowed myself to stop and think about it, it would have made me bawl, but I didn't. Eugene is cold and wet and moving is a pain. We spend a ton of money on weird crap like mops and draino and ant poison. I tried to study for the bar, but mostly the PMBR lectures put me to sleep. Logan begins architecture school and loves it immediately. I get an independent contracting gig which pays well when there is actually work (hint: there's rarely work). We started our garden.

July: Happy fourth! See old singles ward friends. Bar study, 10-12 hours a day. Our house was miserably hot, and my life was miserably stressful. My dog was pretty much my only friend. Logan and I worked like mad. I took the bar, cried, celebrated, and slept for days. Worried a little about employment, but mostly did nothing.

August: Job search and frustration. Trips to Otis and the coast. Taking little independent contractor gigs. Gilmore Girls begins to compensate for my lack of real friends. I help Logan with his final studio project with my friend Mr. Tacky Glue. Plenty of trips to the Saturday Market, and the dog park(s). A visit from KS and hubby and gorging ourselves.

September: Lots of reading about polygamy for some reason. Working. Modeling for my sister's project and going to Oregon State fair with Rainbow Brite makeup. Elephant ear with Josh. Return of Mhana. Our house is finally the perfect temperature.

October: All You Can Jet passes. First stop: California to see family. Second stop: Salt Lake to see friends. Then New York, Washington DC, and San Juan. It's a riotous time. Bank debacles. A day after the trip I find out that I have passed the bar! I scream and freak out and call the family. Sworn in by the Supreme Court. Saying "Screw it." and starting my own practice.

November: For the first time in years, I get into the holiday spirit and have my Christmas Shopping mostly done before Thanksgiving. Win. Giddiness at my life choices paired with the weight of being the breadwinner. Setting goals and mostly keeping them.

December: The office search. Justifying painting and decorating my office because it's well under budget. Lots of litigation support and grunt work. First big estate plan. Then congress changes the estate tax. Temporarily. Again. Fun with the family at the Cabin, but no mouse this year. Awesome anniversary at Bandon.


What was the most significant thing that happened this year?: All things law-related. Graduation, the bar, etc.

What was the best concert that you attended?: Uh... we went to Retribution Gospel Choir at Kilby Court. It was awesome because I let Alan and the band use my sweatshirt to mop up their soaking sweaty faces. But the sound in that venue kinda sucks. The New Pornographers was also excellent. The set list was primo.

What was your biggest challenge of 2010?: Studying for the Bar.

Your biggest regret?: Spending so much time miserably studying for the bar. I'm not sure how much less I could have gotten away with doing, but I probably should have enjoyed myself a smidgen more.

What moment stands out to you the most?: Passing. I ran into my office, clicked the saved link, then CTRL-F my name. And it was there! And I screamed and danced and I was so, so, so happy that I did not have to take the bar again.

What band did you listen to the most?: Hmmm. I don't know. I think I listened to whatever Pandora was serving on my Nina Simone, New Pornographers, and my chick station which was a combo of Rilo Kiley, Lisa Loeb, Lily Allen and Mirah.

On a scale of 1-10, 2010 was: It was an Eight! Good times.

Your favorites of 2010

Favorite song: I had a period of obsession with the Beatles White album. Particularly Happiness is a Warm Gun and Why Don't We Do It In The Road? From 2009 I loved Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk by the New Pornographers.

Favorite movie: Inception. I love movies with skewed timelines and dream states. So how could I not?

Favorite person to talk to: Basically the same as last year. I've only managed to keep regular contact with Kristen, but I miss having Ellis nights. Logan and I are BFFS! And any night I can hang out with the Gilkeys, I consider myself blessed to have snarky, elitist, heretical friends just like me only smarter.

Favorite thing to do: Making ice cream was an obsession, gardening--particularly the harvesting part, and a new found appreciation for doing nothing.

Favorite TV show: Curb Your Enthusiasm, Gilmore Girls, Castle and I'm starting to come around to Community and 30 Rock. I also have a bone to pick with those of you who failed to watch Better Off Ted. Yet another series canceled. :(

Favorite memory: Fun vacation times with Logan. Laughing to tears with friends.

Favorite food: Tomatoes from the garden.

Favorite drink: Lilikoi with honey smoothie at the hotel in San Juan.

Favorite outfit: Anything with my new boots.

Favorite place to be: Cabin in Otis, the Alton Baker dog park, and anywhere my friends are gathered.

The New Year
What will you be doing on New Year's Eve?: Dinner with the in-laws in Bandon. Then I expect we'll play games all night.

Will you kiss anyone at midnight?: Logan.

Who do you WANT to kiss at midnight?: Tobey Cat. Again.

What is your New Year's resolution?: Get out more.

Did you keep your resolution from last year?: I don't recall making a resolution.

Do you think things will be different in 2010?: I sincerely hope the economy picks up, particularly in the legal market. Do I think it will? No. But there's hope.

What do you want most out of 2011: Clients, please.

Do you think 2011 will be better than 2010?: It has some stiff competition, but I think it could be. Maybe I'll find more friends in Eugene. I'll be doing the HOPE program. I will be my own boss. Yeah, 2011 has definite potential.

Anything you are particularly looking forward to?: The next architecture school break. Finding out what Logan will do with his life come June. Getting clients. Waiting for the weather to warm up just enough so that I'm warm but not so much that I'm hot.

4 Final Quotes / Lyrics / Comments to describe 2010:
1: WHARE'S THE FREANCH TOAAST!?
2: All the honeys who makin' moneys? Throw your hands up at me.
3: The breaking and entering into the dwelling house of another with the intent to commit a felony or larceny therein.
4: She's not a girl who misses much.


HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!