Monday, January 14, 2008

Year in Review

So since I've read Rachel's year in review I've been thinking about my own and its been a doozie so I think I better make some kind of record.

January
- Found out my Nana had been diagnosed with cervical cancer when out to a birthday dinner with Patrick. That was a sober bowl of humus.
- Went to Lady Sinatra's Album Release Party in Hollywood
- Attended an EPIC 12th Night feast a la NaToya
- Discovered the beauty of Walt Whitman in my American Lit class. Was moved to tears for the first time in my life by a poetry reading in said class by my professor (a solider still on active duty) reading Whitman.
- Read Crime and Punishment for the first time all the way through
- My best friend locked her California door for the last time and got on a plane for Kansas. Without her ruby slippers even.

February
-
Started volunteering at the Community Literacy Center CalPoly runs in downtown Pomona
- SAW WICKED with Jeanne for her birthday and oh what a joyous day it was!
- Completed my 6th year home from my mission (on my unbirthday even)
- Learned how to crochet - that was a landmark day. Thank you Katie. I owe you much much much.
- Nick got the news back that he needed to drop weight for the mission so we started our work out extravaganza 3x a week.

March
- Went to Tuscon with my WHOLE family for an impromptu family reunion for my Nana's 80th birthday and for a chance to say goodbye because the doctors types only gave her 6 months (shes still kickin btw - they lied).
- Went to a killer bender of a Chinese karaoke St. Patrick's day extravaganza and tore up the mic with Nicole. Will I forget the image of my favorite Asian buddies sake laden with leprechaun hats and a microphone? Nay Who rocked the Lisa Lobe options? Yours truly, and I can't even begin to tell my love for the looping Taiwanese videos of a pensive girl walking through gardens and blowing bubbles with random images of amphibians edited in between. It was sheer poetry.
- Disneyland Trip #1
- Visited the bestest friend ever in her beautiful brand new Kansas home. There I: went to BassPro Shops and met Bubba, Discovered Famous Dave's BBQ's on tap sasparilla (new levels of yum), saw the house my mother was born in, taught Tracy how to crochet, and went through a tornado warning, but mostly played with the nephew type.
- Went through the temple with Hannah on her first time through. That was a magical day.

April
- The other nephew type Kegan turned 4
- Went to the Getty Villa for the first time since the remodel with my Fam and LOVED it
- Had to suffer through reading Gulliver's Travels
- Read all of The Inferno for the first time
- Decided to bike the south coast of Ireland in Oct 2008

May
- Staged a surprise retirement dinner for old Student Government Advisor at Citrus College. We got about 200 of his former students gathered at Pomona Valley Mining Company and pulled one over on our professor. It was one of Adrienne's finest moments I think.
- That same weekend my old bunch of Citrus buddies all came in for the dinner but we had our super friend's reunion. Tracy flew in from Kansas, Fred's car broke down on his way down from Tahoe and he sold it to the demolition derby and took a greyhound to LA. Cavanaugh drove in from Utah, Eric drove in from Vegas and we stayed up all night talking about life, the universe, everything like we did every Thursday night 9 years ago when we were students on the ASCC and didn't have a care in the world or anything much better to do. It was a beautiful, awesome, fun filled night.
- Had Mother's Day Tea at the Huntington with Wendy-bird and our multiple moms.
- Donated a 20" 3lb ponytail of my hair to Locks of Love and started sporting and adorable A-line bob cut (that I still have).
- My friend James came to visit and introduced me to Frank Caliendo (the comedian).
- Caught the Keane show at the Universal Amphitheater despite the Griffith Park fire that moved the show from the Greek to Universal. It was mind blowing. Nicole and I participated in much screaming. The third row at a show like that is a lovely thing indeed.

June (ie Summer of Concerts)
-
Spent an AWESOME weekend in Phoenix with some of the best cousins ever, Rich and Janelle. It was sleepless fantastic time. I wub them, and road trips with The Nick are always epic.
- Saw John Mayer at the Hollywood bowl with the timeless Nicole and had a true parking adventure that was concluded with missing all 3 openers (that we wanted to see) and half of John's set, parking 4 miles away and having my knight of a Cousin Patrick shuttling us there and back. He is a king among men to brave Bowl traffic in the middle of the night.
- Went to an acoustic set Mellowdrone was putting on that the Roxy with Patrick and caught one of their openers, Gliss. Fell in love and got an awesome Mellowdrone experience too. Yay for reserved tables and waitress that charge you alcohol prices for Diet Cokes.
- Tracy came back into town for a wedding and I got to see my Alex again and have a party or three at her parent's place. It was a bit of a flash back summer too. I practically lived there when I went to school at Citrus but haven't been back for years.
- Went to the Nikki Forrova show at Club 41 in Santa Monica

July
- STARTED MY BLOG
- Book 7 of Harry Potter came out. I borrowed Nicole's kid Rosie (who I lovelovelove), dressed her up and took her to the festivities.
- Bought Book 7
- Finished Book 7
- Openly wept at Book 7
- Mourned the loss of Harry because of the conclusion of Book 7
- Saw Fall Out Boy at the Pond, or Honda Center, or whatever With Jeanne and Nicole and Nicole's sister Mary. Reminded myself why I don't got to concerts at the Honda Center. The place is shaped like a massive Kleenex box and you can't hear a thing. I decided Andy is the hottest member of Fall Out Boy, yay for drummers. We had a guy in front of us that was sitting with his daughter that had a shirt that had a skeleton of a dog that said "In dog years I'm dead". It cracked us up through out the show. I still have the picture in my phone.
- My brother Jonathan came to visit for a whole week. It was heaven to be with Nick and Jonathan for a whole week straight. We all took one too many trips to The Hat and not enough to the beach. I miss him. I miss both of them. A lot
- Kidnapped my friend's kid and took her and Nicole and Rosie to the Getty Villa.
- Decided to apply to Grad School

August
- Went to Nashville to visit Lisa and met Jonathan's girlfriend April for 30 seconds during a 6 am layover in Salt Lake.
- Turned 29
- Saw Sunshine at the Arclight with Patrick and Nick. Its one of those change-your-life-flicks

September
-
figured out I was allergic to dairy
- Started my final quarter as an undergrad with the dreaded Grammar class with the Russian Nazi
- Jonathan announced his engagement and Feb 20th wedding date
- Jonathan moved up his wedding date to Nov 29th
- Had roses delivered to work for the first time for me. I truly do have the best best friend ever.
- had an impromptu trip up to Arrowhead with Rachel and Hannah (two of the best car ride buddies ever. I think I just laughed most of the time.) and happened upon an Oktoberfest (complete with Oompah band and leiderhosen) and a pit stop at the local Masonic lodge.
- Became amazed, impressed, and inspired by Sis. Beck at the General Relief Society Meeting

October
- Salt Lake trip #1 - flew up for Conference and met the sister-in-law to be (for reals) and started to plan the wedding
- Volunteered at the Special Olympics with Rachel and Liz. We rocked those pompoms and rediscovered the fury of the sun and the concept of sunburn.
- Was a Winter Fairy for Halloween (thanks to NaToya's superior seamstress skills)
- Took the most traumatizing midterm of my life
- My blackberry died and I was lost for a few weeks
- Disneyland trip #2 - saw the Jedi Training Academy show and teared up. Really - I was moved. DON'T JOIN THE DARK SIDE KIDS!!!
- Got my house broken into and my computer stolen
- Nick got his mission call to the Raleigh North Carolina mission

November
- Saw Sister Beck speak at our tri-stake Relief Society Conference
- Salt Lake Trip #2 - Flew up to SLC for last minute prep for the wedding
- Went through the temple with Nick when he took out his endowments
- Salt Lake Trip #3 - this time for the actual wedding
- My brother gave me his MacBook
- Thanksgiving yummyness with a congenial big brother (that's a rather new development)

December
- Nick reported to the MTC and I openly wept for the first time in an airport
- went to the Streetlight Manifesto and Suburban Legends show at the Knitting Factory with Nick for his birthday on his birthday
- Graduated from college
- Took the GRE
- Finished Graduate School applications
- attended far too many Christmas parties and school concerts
- Packed up Nicole for Detroit
- Saw Mellowdrone at The Eco with Patrick and sited Michael Cera crossing the street with us
- decided to move back home to take care of the parental types
- somewhat caught up on sleep

Top 5 Movies I saw
5- King of Kong
4- Lars and the Real Girl
3- Elizabeth: The Golden Age
2- Amazing Grace
1- Sunshine

Top 5 Albums I fell in love with
5- Into The Wild Soundtrack
4- Gliss - Love the Virgins
3- Feist - The Reminder
2- Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
1- William Fitzsimmons - Goodnight

Top 5 Books I read
5- The Inferno
4- Crime and Punishment
3- Mara - Daughter of the Nile
2- Love is a Many Trousered Thing
1- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Top 5 things I will never do again
5- leave my kitchen window open
4- leave late for the Hollywood Bowl
3- visit the South during the summer
2- drop my blackberry
1- take a Grammar class

Top 5 things I'd do again and again
5- donate my hair
4- visit my best friend
3- go to any karaoke party my friend Eunice throws
2- let NaToya cook and/or make a costume for me
1- blog

So there it is. That's my 2007. Like I said, it was a doozie. And I must say, looking back, I'm amazed that I made it through in one piece, but I did. Yay for adventure, some good music, some good shoes, accomplishments, and feeling like you're living your life in one of the greatest places in the world.


~tootles

5 comments:

Nicole said...

I'm so happy that I was such a big part of your 2007. I couldn't have gotten through the year without you. Whenever I think of pensive-asian-girl-blowing-bubbles while singing Tears for Fears, I will remember the most awesome karaoke night ever with you (and consequently, the best St. Patrick's Day party I've been too.) We went to some amazing concerts, had some lovely adventures, ate way too much food, enjoyed the fun that is water aerobics, and all the activities that bosom friends must do. Let's try to factor in some travel in 2008! I miss you like crazy, and I'm looking forward to visiting this weekend. Let me know if I can help set up the reception.

Liz the Poet said...

Um, so, since we have the same name and all, I was wondering if I could just pretend that your 2007 was my 2007.

You did so much! I'm totally jealous. When I attempted to recap my year it went something like this:

Jan.-Dec. I got up, went to work, did stuff, came home, did stuff, went to sleep.

How sad.

Ms. Liz said...

Liz: what are you talking about??! You had an amazing year - you got called to Beehives and we rediscovered sunburn theory together and heard the Specail Olympics pledge with our own two ears. It was a marvelous year. You won the car battle with the new car (knock on wood). You conquored this last year my friend.

rachelsaysso said...

And Liz (W. that is) you also did a little something we like to call GRADUATE!

Liz (L. this time) your memeory is phenomenal! I'm glad I made it on to your list. That oompah band was rockin'!

Ms. Liz said...

Lol - well my planner and ticket stubs helped jolt it a bit. We did have a few awesome adventures - I think we should go back next year and Polka our hearts out.