You say goodbye....(to 2010)

Dear Blog,

I have neglected you.  For that I am truly sorry.  I have been busy, too tired, too traveled, and haven't felt the creative juices flowing like they have in the past.  Though I've failed to capture some great experiences as they have happened, it's never too late to go back in time to highlight some of the best.  So here they are...in no particular order.

1.  Caldwell Family Reunion--It had been years since my family last had a family reunion that wasn't related to a death or the less-frequent marriage.  Talks about a family reunion had circulated for a while but nothing had come to fruition.  Since I was on a pretty heavy streak of event planning at work, I figured that it wouldn't take that much more effort to start the ball rolling for the family.  Emails were exchanged, dates were set, activities were planned, assignments were made and it all worked out.  We had a great turn out and had a lot of fun.  Some of our family was very much missed but it was good to be together.  I love my family.  I am grateful that I was able to spend some quality time with them this summer (reunion) and also at Christmas.

2.  Summer Lovin'--It was a summer of scandal and intrigue....well, not really.  I wish.  But I did receive innumerable inquiries from curious friends about this new man friend that graced nearly every Facebook album posted this summer.  Unfortunately, my summer was not as scandalous or love-filled as I would have liked it to have been.  (Can't say I didn't try though!)  Christian Ward, one of my closest friends, interned this summer at Amex.  We went to high school together but our friendship didn't really flourish until we moved to the city in August of 2003, literally 3 days apart.  We noticed each other at church on our first Sunday and became instant friends.  Despite the distance and the time apart, we have managed to stay pretty close and make every effort to see each other when I am in Utah or he is in NYC.  And if I can speak for both of us, we both love spending time together.  We lived it up this summer.  We went to the ballet, went out to fine restaurants, traveled to CT, hung out in Central Park, played Frisbee, shopped at Whole Foods, did Broadway, met random strangers, took walks, saw Maroon 5, made dinner together, went to the beach, laughed our heads off, you name it.  We had an fantastic time together and I must confess that as I sent him to the airport in a black gypsy cab, I did have a few tears well in my eyes.  Christian is one of my most favorite people in the world, one of my best friends, and he was part of one of my best summers to date.  It's a zen thing, like how many babies can fit in a tire--you know, that old joke.

3.  New York, NY--I have always prided myself in the fact that I have made the most out of living in one of the greatest cities in the world.  I have played both tourist and tour guide and I have, for the most part, enjoyed every moment of it.  But as life goes on, the novelty of living in a big city may wear off and those fun, touristy things of yester-year take a back seat to real life.  This last year, however, I revisited my habits of a newbie and took advantage of some of the city's most excellent offerings--including, but not limited to:  Palmyra road trip, Saturdays in Central Park, Movie on the Intrepid, US Open,  Jersey Boys, Procession of the Ghouls, Thanksgiving Day Parade, Christmas windows/tree/Santa Land.

4.  End of Apartment Nightmares--Hallelujah!  Oh blessed day!  I finally moved out of my hell-hole of an apartment.  After four years of inconsiderate neighbors, elevator floors covered in urine, blood stained walls, hallways that reeked of garbage and smoke, and a neighborhood that came straight out of an episode of CSI, I am finally free!  I'm in my new place.  It is lovely.  I am so happy.

5.  Raw--If any of you know me, you will know that for the last two years and change I have been exploring new ways of eating.  I have developed a keen interest in nutrition and have made concerted efforts to change my eating patterns to include more fresh vegetables, to eliminate processed foods, to avoid refined sugar (I do slip occasionally!  Don't judge!) and to be the one who makes my own food.  I've always had a passion for good food and have always been intrigued with the culinary arts.  There is nothing more satisfying than creating a perfectly balanced and creative meal from start to finish.  This year, however, I started to explore another facet of the healthy eating movement: Raw.  I had come upon such amazing information about raw eating that I wanted to explore it further.  Now I am far from living a raw lifestyle.  I still enjoy cooking and I will, occasionally eat meat.  But I have also dabbled quite a bit in raw cuisine.  Add to that an amazing and inspirational friend (The Raw Model--Anthony Anderson) that I made over the summer and you've got some good motivation to continue to dabble. 

6.  Work--For the most part, I really like my job.  Sure I have my bad days and deal with politics at varying levels that make life a little more difficult, but who doesn't have to deal with that?  I think what really gets me through is the people.  I have some really great co-workers and colleagues....people that I have come to trust and enjoy.  I also get to work with fantastic volunteers.  People who are busy and important but who still find the time to give back.  My heart is constantly warmed by the generosity and kindness of my volunteers.  And to top it all off, I really do get to participate in some fun events....things that I normally wouldn't participate in.   For example, I got to meet Elmo.  Not the fake Elmo or the giant sized walk around Elmo that you can find anywhere...the real, live muppet Elmo.  I swear I was more excited than the kids.  I could hardly contain myself but I managed to stay somewhat professional and allowed the young preschoolers an opportunity to hug him first.   Other highlights:  Manthropy (a bachelor auction), Toy Drive Party at Gallery Bar, free tickets to various sporting events and concerts, and innumerable volunteer projects throughout the year.  I'm grateful for my job and the wonderful people I have met because of it.

7.  Concerts--Despite my love for music, I haven't been much of a concert-goer.  It's not that I haven't ever wanted to be, it's just that my cash flow hasn't ever really allowed me to be.  I've been to a few--mostly boy bands, but nothing consistent or out of the pop genre.  (I am not counting symphonic or orchestral events here.)  This year, however, I was able to fulfill a life long dream of mine.  One day, my good friend Jane and I were walking in Times Square, looked up, saw that Harry Connick, Jr. was coming to the city for a short stint, and we decided to go.  I cannot tell you how excited I was to be seeing Harry.  I have loved him for more than half of my lifetime.  He instilled in the beginnings of my deep love for jazz.  Anyway, the concert was amazing.  Harry was amazing.  Not only is he a talented performer, but he is a talented musician.  He put on the best show ever.  And bonus!  Jane and I were happily seated in our seats about 15 minutes before the show was scheduled to start.  We were probably 5 rows from the top.  Then the house manager approached us and asked us if we wanted to move further down.  "Sure!"   I thought we would get bumped down a little further, but not much.  Imagine my surprise, however, when we were moved to Row J--ten rows from the stage.  We were dead center.  I was in heaven.  My face literally ached from smiling so much that night.  And double bonus:  sweet Jane waited with me to see Harry exit the theatre after the show.  I got some pretty great pictures of him.  Harry, I love you, baby!   Oh, and I also saw Maroon 5 (with Christian) at Beacon Theater, Dierks Bentley at a small venue in Brooklyn (with Dustin, Rustin, & Aubrey) and Usher at MSG (with Tami & the girls at work).  

8.  Cooking--Did I mention that I love cooking?  I think for a while there I was making at least 2 new recipes a week.  It was quite the adventure.  I also developed a slight crush on two chefs over the past year:  Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.  Don't worry, still love Bobby, too!

9.  Glee & White Collar--Obsessed!  Love Glee.  Love White Collar.  I can't stop visiting iTunes after each episode of Glee and I can't help but feel that Matthew Bomer's piercing blue eyes are staring deep into my soul each time his image flashes on the screen.  Love, love, love!

10.  Friends & Family--I have amazing friends and family!  I feel so blessed to have the friends that I do.  They've helped me to learn about the world and myself.  They've been supportive and loving.  They've offered great advice or have lent a listening ear.  Again, I'm truly grateful for these wonderful people!