The year in review.

[taxguykarl]

*I got my biggest tax-year end commission yet.
*We went on a cruise through the Panama Canal.
*We refinanced to knock off 2 years and 2 percentage points.
*This thread. I'll be getting the tricked out name tag (and whatever other goodies go with it) next week.
*I had a great harvest of tomatoes,cucumbers, carrots, blackberries, pears (finally producing), peaches and crab apples (yes, I have a lot of dwarf fruit trees in my backyard). Needless to say I was crazy busy with the canning.
*We (Mrs. TGK & I) managed to make huge gift baskets for all this Christmas.
*Avoided getting laid off from my year-round job.

[Becks]

In no particular order--

• Even though my boy cat got (possibly deathly) sick, he's now much better..better than ever, in fact!!
  
• I got a job.
  
• I made new friends and reconnected with some old ones.
  
• I've added to the male harem.
  
• I've added to the female harem.
  
• The Brewers did damn good this year.

[Cookie]

1. My husband and I finally moved into an apartment we still love and want to stay in for years. Really, really, really don't want to move again!

2. The apartment gave us friendly neighbors like I've never had in my life.

3. A new church opened up half a block from said apartment. It was exactly what we had been looking for. Neither of us had been in several years. Hard to find one that really fits what we believe.

4. Making lots of new friends at said church. The people have been amazing.

5. Turns out a lot of friends are either really close to our new neighborhood or moved here this year.

6. I got to host Thanksgiving this year with my mom, brother, and uncle coming to stay with me and my husband. If you had seen how torn apart my family was a few years ago, you'd know how huge this was.


Thanks, Jester. It's a good exercise to focus on the positive for a while.


P.S. PhiSigGirl1988 - I was 24 on my first date.

[AnaKhouri]

Lessee...

* Due to the generosity of my in-laws, we all went to Florida for a week back on February. Haven't been there since second grade, it was a lot of fun.

* Lost a friend to cancer in April. That was not good. The good things to come out of it are that she is now with her mom, dad, and brother. She also left us a sketch by a famous artist she'd possessed that my husband had always admired; we hung it in the bedroom so now every day I think of her.

* Attended my first Gencon in August. SO FUN! Already planning for next year.

* As my son gets older he becomes more and more interesting. He's really fun to be around and his point of view is refreshing. He also discovered a show called Superhero Squad which has advanced our quest to make him a geek by light years.

* My mom had an MRI for a possible brain tumor which came back negative.

* We finally got to see my niece for the first in 3 years (she is 8). Her evil bitch of a mother finally relented (which means she became desperate for money) and let my brother and the rest of us reconnect with her. My dad cried when he saw her again for the first time since the separation.

* Sold several stories and an editor asked for the full manuscript of my first novel. I won't hear until January if it is accepted but a full read-through is more than it ever got before!

[SuperRTL]

My body forced me to be still for the first time in . . . 15 years? Maybe longer. I stopped living in panic mode and looked at what I really, truly wanted to do with my life.

This feels like the calm before the storm and I am so ready for what's coming next.

This year, I published my first 2 ebooks and made more progress on my novels in a month than I have in years.

I went from 120 hits on my blog in a month to 120 hits in a day.

I've made friends with people I admire who I would never have dreamed had already read my work.

We've realized the possible scope of all the medical problems I may be having and, I think, are prepared for it. I admit to being freaked out but, then again, I'm ready to go charging in, sword flashing, and I will beat whatever is wrong. I will come out of this better than ever and ready for my best friends wedding.

My best friend got engaged to a great guy and I get to be the maid of honor!

[Jester]

1. Finally got my first kiss and had my first date...at age 22.

No, you don't understand. It's more that age 22, you GOT YOUR FIRST KISS AND HAD YOUR FIRST DATE. Emphasize the positive. LOL!

(I honestly couldn't tell you when my first actual "date" date was. Weird. See, most of the girls I've dated, we didn't do that many actual dates.

But I CAN tell you when my first blind date was. It was, if I'm not mistaken, when I was 23. She was 20. Turned into the longest relationship I've had so far. (2.5 years.) She's the one I often refer to as "Blondie" in here.

We found out one of my best friends is getting married - in San Diego which means in 2012 I will finally fulfill an ambition and see California.

Not a huge fan of San Diego, but I definitely recommend checking out the Gaslamp District. It's one thing that San Diego got absolutely right!

I know a lot of these sound like negatives ...

Actually, no. You did make them sound like positives, so don't worry. Hell, you described your firing as a huge release, so how could anyone think that you took it as anything BUT positive? Well done!

The Brewers did damn good this year.

As did the Diamondbacks....though clearly it would have been better if they had won one more game against the Brewers. LOL!

Seriously, though, considering they were predicted to finish dead last in their division, but actually won it? And I was AT the game where they clinched it, over the hated Giants? Great....freakin...year!

And the best experience I've ever had at a baseball game EVER. With my friends Cat and Music Girl, and Music Girl's wife Florida Girl. (It's 8:30 in the morning...I can't think of a catchier nickname for her than Florida Girl. Sue me.)

Thanks, Jester. It's a good exercise to focus on the positive for a while.

Thank YOU, and everyone else, for making it as awesome as I had hoped it would be. And thank you all (and everyone else yet to post) for sharing your awesome stories!

* As my son gets older he becomes more and more interesting. He's really fun to be around and his point of view is refreshing. He also discovered a show called Superhero Squad which has advanced our quest to make him a geek by light years.

Funniest thing I've read all week!

[trailerparkmedic]

-My husband started his new job, got a promotion, and for the first time ever was not laid off when a large chunk of the company was.

-I graduated nursing school WITH a job I'm crazy excited about. Almost everyone who made it through the first semester graduated with me.

-I got my wonderful, crazy, adorable dog. She can be challenging, especially when she wakes me up an hour early because she wants to play, but she is also lots of fun and a great comfort after a bad day or when I'm sick.

-I ran my first 5k.

-My little sister got a fantastic new job which will allow for some good professional growth and she's finally making enough money to move out of my parent's house (3 and a half years after graduation).

-The Texans are going to the playoffs for the first time ever.

-I met one of my closest friends this year.

-I started drinking craft beer.

[Kanalah]

Good things about 2011

-Placed 4th in machine quilted catagory after placing 9th in it last year.

-Finally got in touch with my dad and his side of the family. Found some loving supportive people.

-Made a ton of awesome friends at CS, and I know I have a support net if I need it.

- Got my daughter into an awesome school where I know she'll get the help she needs.

-Learned how to make awesome new things to sell. (stockings, pillowcases, little dollies, potholders)

-Started school in a field I've wanted to work in since I was a child.

[kansasgal]

Great place. Been there 3 times, most recently in 2008. When you go back, some suggestions: If you're a garlic fan, make a point of eating at The Stinking Rose. It's a garlic restaurant. 'Nuff said. Also, if you like Chinese food, definitely have some chow in their Chinatown. If you need a couple suggestions, let me know. But definitely avoid the famous touristy trap place that everyone else goes to. You can get better food cheaper right in the area. Also, if you're a beer fan, plenty of good barhopping to be had there. Finally, if you're a baseball fan, as much as I hate the Giants, I have to admit that they have a damn nice ballpark, and it is worth checking out.

Okay, enough travel advice.....back to the good news!

OMG I LOVE the Stinking Rose! I hadn't ever met anyone else who knew about it!

For my year, I got accepted into the School of Social Work, meaning I am three semesters away from my degree, and will achieve it by age 52. I am on the downhill side of school..YAY!

[Redbeard]

Moved out of Utah, something I've been trying to do for a decade now and moved to the Portland area, whcih made my inner pirate squee like a schoolgirl and go "Ye've been in Salt Lake fuckin city all this time when you could have been HERE??!"

Still got a good job that pays well and gives me good benefits

Car may have been laid to rest, but there's awesome public transit!

The wife is recovering from the loss of her daughter and is able to smile again and well on her way to recovery. That there is my biggest good thing moment when she said "I'm going to be okay now."

Oh yes! funniest moment(s) of the year! the wife’s sister harangued her into reading the Twilight series, and she would randomly put down the book that she was on, give me a big hug and go "THANK YOU for not being an emotionally abusive douchebag!"

[draggar]

I got to get together with my family (parents, sister, her husband and son) for a week in Orlando.

Had a great time at a FLA meeting and met many wonderful people and their wolfdogs.

Got two new digital cameras (a high end one and a "cheap" one).

Was the first person (and Luna) to represent wolfdogs at a national level AKC event on an official capacity.

Zorro got an Award of Excellence at the Eukanuba National Championship

We whelped ZJ (and kept him)

The "forever" home for Pollux officially became "forever"! (YAY!!!)

Zorro got cast to star in a small production film (filming starts in the spring) - he and Kiri were also used in a commercial.

My wife's youngest sister got married. I also got to see my brother (and his GF) and sister in law (the two middle children).

[MoonCat]

OK, this is another of Jester's awesome ideas. Let's see:

- I did NaNoWriMo for the first time and logged my 50K words on Nov. 29th, a day early. I learned a lot from participating in this.
- My sis dumped retail and got a better-paying, full time job.
- I had to have surgery but that means the nasty old gallbladder will never bother me again.
- I'm getting dental work done, after being just too damn scared to go for a long time. It was pain that drove me to it, but hey, as someone once said, "The absence of alternatives clears the mind marvelously."
- My old kitty stayed with me through another year. Thank you, Bast & awesome vets!
- The contract bargaining team at work managed to hang onto paid health care for us. We don't get a raise but we weren't really expecting to, and we did get a "signing bonus" so that was a few bucks I wouldn't have had otherwise.
- I replaced the crappy old stormdoor we had on the back door with a pretty new one. It's minor, but it made me happy.
- I discovered Chobani Greek yogurt. Again minor, but you have to understand that yogurt used to make me gag, and this stuff is fantastically delicious.
- Started reading steampunk and really enjoying it. Planning to make some jewelry based on it.

[shankyknitter]

This year I:

Got to live with a really awesome friend of mine
Got my snake
Got my first job since 2010
Got my first apartment ever
Got my boyfriend to move in with me from another state

[IDontWorkHere]

In 2011 -

I went from jobless to gainfully employed - while on a vacation in another state (yes, I "moved" with nothing but a small suitcase and purse)
In moving, I ended up 364 miles closer to the love of my life.
I got semi-engaged (we agree that we want to be married, but he wont "officially" ask until he has a ring.
I got a raise on my 28th birthday.

Good year, I'd say. :-)

[Jester]

I started drinking craft beer.

Welcome to the club! Any questions, just ask me. I've been here a while....

-Learned how to make awesome new things to sell. (stockings, pillowcases, little dollies, potholders)

If you can make such things (pot holders, chef hats, aprons) with team logos or fabrics, I would be interested in purchasing them. PM me. Yes, I am very serious. (Specifically, I am looking for such things for either the Oakland Raiders or the Arizona State University Sun Devils.)

OMG I LOVE the Stinking Rose! I hadn't ever met anyone else who knew about it!

And now you have! I even have one of their "Got Garlic?" t-shirts, which ROCK!

OK, this is another of Jester's awesome ideas.

Wait...I've had others?