For as much as I bitch, 2010 wasn’t too bad...

The yuck that jumps out at me:

• The trip we took to Reno with Husband’s bowling league. It was a week of being cramped with people that I do not like. I spent most of the time drinking so I wouldn’t snap at anyone. Tequila before 10 a.m. is never a good idea. Then again, it was the only way I could deal with Husband getting texts at 7 a.m. from his odd bowling buddy wanting to know what all of our plans were for the day.
  

• Things changing at my job. New things that I have to do that give me hives by the end of the day. But at least the health insurance is affordable.
  

• My sweet doggy dying. It was super bad for her at the end but she was old and didn't suffer any more than necessary.
  

That’s about it. No major calamities in our family...Husband did wreck his knee right before Thanksgiving but (knock on wood) thinks it’s feeling better.

The great stuff?

• The whole week in Vegas. Getting to hang out with Winnie & Charlotte. Totally fucking awesome. The side trips we took while we were there to see the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and Los Angeles. Going to The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil - great seats and I'd never been to something like that.
  

• Getting to meet bloggy peeps in Reno and Vegas. It was cool to actually hug the people that I’ve gotten to know.
  

• Running around with my niece for a week in the summer. I picked her up in Oklahoma and she was my partner in crime while we visited friends and family in OK and Texas. It was probably the best vacation “back home” that I’ve ever had. I can’t wait to do it again this year!
  

• Taking a quick trip to Miami to meet a bloggy peep. Husband was supposed to go but couldn't. Despite the insane traffic, I liked going somewhere "big" like that alone and returning safely. And I don't think I could have properly visited with my friend if Husband was perched on my shoulder.
  

• Getting to know you three ladies more. You all have kept me sane. For real.
  

• Going with a couple of the neighbor kids to Disney. They'd only been once before when they were really small so we park-hopped and made a day of it.
  

• Going to an Insane Clown Posse concert with one of the neighbor girls. Sure, I wasn't crazy about the music but it was neat to see her so excited.
  

• Getting my finances in order. It’s kind of ugly but we’ve made a lot of headway at getting rid of debt. That feels good.
  

• Deciding to try and have a baby. I always said that I’d know I wanted to have a baby when my biological clock went off loud and clear and that happened. I was afraid I’d miss its ringing but did not. I’m quietly excited and terrified at the prospect of breeding.
  

Hopefully, 2011 will present more good than anything else.

There are many good things from 2010 that I am going to cherish forever.

Friends I made, and others that came back into my life.
Learning that family is truly those who accept you, warts and all, even if there is no blood between you.
Learning that I can make it happen on my own two feet.
Looking at myself in daylight, the good and the ugly parts, and knowing that I can change them.
I got out of a bad relationship that was abusive. It was killing me so slowly that it took me years to notice.

2010 was also terrible for me in some ways...

I got a divorce. It was a good idea, but it was still terrible.
I moved to an area I'd never been too and learned just how lonely a person can be.
I was forced to realize just how physically ugly I find myself, and it was a difficult pill to swallow.

I am already doing what I can to make 2011 so much better than 2010. Now that the divorce is over, I can move on. I am taking EMT training, I am still studying for my degree, and I am already planning a move back to an area where I have family and friends who would give me the shirt off their back.

Okay, so there are all sorts of best of this and best of that and some are very specific (Best Songs of 2010) and... well most are just specific I guess. My list is specifically general in that it's my personal thoughts, selfishly or otherwise. Just my own personal bests of 2010 ditto on the worst.

Best of 2010

- Terriers on FX
- Weekend in Vegas with Celeste and Winnie
- Business rebounding over the summer
- Losing 12 pounds including 3 over the holidays
- My dad always being there, I don't know what I'd do without him


Worst of 2010

- FX canceling Terriers
- Losing my cat.
- Dental fiasco of November 2010
- My mother working for her boyfriend who is my husband's boss
- Finances


Now, my hopes for 2011 are that I can escape for a weekend away with my husband at least once. That our family plans (extended family - my dad, stepmom, sister, etc.) to go to the Rose Parade in Pasadena for 2012 (yeah, that's a year away but the planning will have to go down in 2011) work out. That we can manage to get some decent dental insurance and that our business will continue to grow after nearly dying last year. I also hope that we can carve out a few weekends of family camping trips and just manage to work in more fun and less stress.