Year in Review... December 2010

My month started out in a fabulous way when I was honored as "Queen for a Day" at Our Dandelion Wishes. Thanks, Mamarazzi. You made my month!

Then, I dealt with the fallout of mean girls in high school. My poor baby!

I also took some time to re-evaluate my blogging reasons, goals, if you will. They haven't changed drastically and probaby won't.

And I had a very merry Christmas! I hope you did, too!

Stay tuned for my 2010 Books in Review, coming soon.
If you missed a post, here they are:
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, and November.

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Year in Review... November 2010

My beautiful (step) daughter, the star of the show! Football season finally ended in November, which gives her a short break before Winterguard competitions begin.

November was a fairly quiet month on the blog, although it looks like I posted every day. I guess when there is a holiday, the posts tend to take on a lighter note, with one exception. There was a horrible tragedy involving one of the students at my school. She and two of her siblings died in an apartment fire. Rest in peace, Kaitlyn.

My friend Jenn from My Kids are My World tagged me. She had four unique questions for me. See how I answered, and see the questions I asked the people I tagged.

My husband and I went to New Braunfels, Texas for the 50th annual Wurstfest. It was crazy crowded! But we had fun! We always have fun when we get away for a night.

Then, there was Thanksgiving. I cooked for my mom, kids, and nephew (who is a riot). She was (and still is) undergoing chemo, so we went to her house. My husband spent the day at his aunt's home. I really needed to be with my mom, though.

And that is going to bring us to... December! Stay tuned!
If you missed a post, here they are:
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, and October.

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Year in Review... October 2010

My twins got to experience their first high school Homecoming dance this month (pictured above). Other than that, October was a fairly rough month around here. Our beloved dog died. We miss Rocky! Also, we had to give away my daughter's little dachsund. The cat never adjusted to him.

It was also the sixth anniversary of my father's death, something I still probably haven't completely dealt with.

My mom had her mastectomy in October. It was a successful surgery, but the chemo is so hard on her. I think I'm ready to move on to November!
If you missed a post, here they are:
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, and September.

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Year in Review...September 2010

September was not an extremely remarkable month, even though it's my birth month. Once you pass 40, which I did a while back, it's jut not a big deal anymore. It was also the ninth anniversary of the World Trade Center bombings which I will never forget.

One fun thing I did this month was participate in Mamarazzi's Guilty Pleasures Swap. Mamarazzi's swaps are always fun. And I wrote this little post to help my readers get to know me a little better.

I hope everyone enjoyed a festive new year, and I wish you health and happiness in 2011. Stay tuned for the remainder of my 2010 year in review. If you missed a post, here they are:
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, and August.

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Year in Review... August 2010

August marks the end of my summer. Since I teach, I go back to work mid-August. School starts the last week of August. This year was a milestone. My oldest (step)daughter is a senior, and my twins started high school. I still can hardly believe it!

It was also a sad month. Both my mother-in-law and my mother were diagnosed with breast cancer. Both had surgery and underwent chemo or radiation. Actually, my mom is still in the midst of chemo treatments. Please keep her in your prayers.

If you missed them, here are January, February, March, April, May, June, and July.

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Year in Review... July 2010

July was a fun month! Since my kids were in Nebraska with their dad, I had to stay busy, and I did.

I tried some new recipes and even tried baking. (Disaster!) I went to see lots of movies. I even "guest-directed" the Monday Movie Meme.

The highlight of July was a week in Southern California. I loved it! The weather was heavenly. You could walk outside in the bright sunshine, yet it felt like the air conditioner was on. DH and I spent a day at Dana Point and another day at Disney. While he was in a seminar, I did a day tour to LA as well as a couple of days of shopping.

Stay tuned for August, and if you missed a post, here they are: January, February, March, April, May, and June.

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Year in Review... June 2010

By far the most important event in our household every June is my twins' birthday. How they are already 14 years old is beyond me!


I took my son and ten of his friends for a day of PaintBall. It drizzled some, and they got so muddy and stinky! They played for hours! He said it was the best party ever, and that makes me so happy.


My daughter and five of her friends went to the Kemah Boardwalk for pizza, games and rides. She and her friends had a great day, and it wasn't too crowded.


Also in June, I started something new... Wednesday Website. I have to admit that I don't have a new website to share with readers every single Wednesday, so if you have suggestions, or if you want to participate or guest host, please let me know!


Once again, I participated in Mamarazzi's Red, White, and Blue swap. Choosing gifts for my partner is so fun!

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If you've missed any posts, here they are:

January
February
March
April
May

Year in Review... May 2010

My beautiful children are pictured above. They make life worth living, don't they?

May was a hodge-podge of posts! Like March and April, I posted every day in May for NaBloPoMo. First off, there's a picture of our cat begging for tuna. Then, I wrote about what I consider three extremely funny "party" movies.

I also taught my seventh graders how to write poetry. That was actually kind of fun, even though we were anxious for school to be out and had trouble concentrating on anything. And I had fun writing about one of my pet peeves... public restrooms!

The month came to an end with a celebration of my anniversary on Memorial Day weekend. (The picture above is from this weekend.) There was time for the family and time for just us. We weren't always so happy. The previous six months were an exercise in patience, commitment, trust, and real love. This was the start of a great summer, too. More to come!

If you missed previous posts...

January

February

March

April

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Year in Review... April 2010

Gorgeous photo, right? I couldn't believe all the snow... in April! But, I guess that's what happens in the mountains of Colorado. Certainly not in Texas! The hubz and I were flying on standby to Virginia for a conference. After nine hours in the airport, we still didn't get a flight to Virginia. We had taken a couple of days off work already, so we asked where the next flight was going that had open seats, and hopped on it. We didn't make it to our conference, but we had a great time! We toured the Coors Brewery, went up in the mountains and played in the snow, and went to a Colorado Rockies game. The only thing wrong? We weren't prepared for the cold! We had to buy jackets and hats, and we froze our rears off waiting for the hotel shuttle at the airport. But wow! I don't think I've ever done anything so spontaneous!

The movie The Gift is coming out soon, based on a book by one of my favorite authors, James Patterson. However, it's a sequel to a book I reviewed in April called Witch and Wizard, and it was NOT an enjoyable read. Needless to say, I'm not going to continue with the series, but I still love Patterson!

April was also a time for remembering the loss of my father. Actually, I always remember that loss, but I wrote about how his absence feels at Sunday dinner. And if you missed my other posts, here they are! January February March

Year in Review...March 2010

I posted every day in March for NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month). Yay me! I remember that I was getting spring fever, just anticipating spring break, because I wrote a post about how to make Mondays more fun. Kind of a silly post.

I also did a series on "destinations" including places to go in Texas, the U. S., outside the U. S., and places I would like to go someday. Boy was I ready for a vacation! We spent a few days in San Antonio for spring break and had a great time. I even rode Goliath at Fiesta Texas!

March was also Oscar month, and I had vowed not to watch it (again), but I got suckered into it by my kids. Obviously, I had to write about it! I also participated in another one of Mamarazzi's swaps, which was tons of fun! Great month! Stay tuned for April.

January is here.

February is here.

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Year in Review...Feb 2010

February was a month of good times as well as introspection. My husband and I had hit a rough spot in our marriage, but we began to get back on track. I was completely surprised that he had been reading my blog, including a list of gifts I think women enjoy receiving. This was one Valentine's Day that he wasn't at a loss as to what to give me.

The picture above is from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. I took my daughter to see Gary Allen which was a much better concert than the Jonas Brothers from the previous year! Just sayin'.
There was some introspection as I decided how to respond to a bloggy buddy's "self awareness badge." It helped me to reflect on myself and my personality traits and to think about how other people may view me.

And I revealed my inner dorkness! That was fun! Stay tuned for more Year in Review posts. And if you missed January, that post is here.

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Year in Review... Jan. 2010

Welcome to my Year In Review... 2010. Although it was a year of ups and downs, there are definitely things worth remembering!

This picture is actually from December 2009 instead of January 2010, but I'm going to begin with this post from Dec. 31, 2009. One of my favorite things to do is to read. I read 35 books during 2009, some good, some... eh. That doesn't seem like many books, but now that I have my Nook, I'm never without reading material. Can't wait to see how many I've read this year. Goodreads helps me keep up with that.

Last January, Extreme Makeover Home Edition was in my area helping a family rebuild after Hurricane Ike. There is still damage in our area, though much of it has been cleaned up in the last two years.

Do you ever contemplate all the things you need to do versus those things you NEED to do? Last January I needed to see the eye doctor, and I did. Yes, I have glasses now, in spite of having Lasik done in 2002. I now have both reading glasses and driving glasses, but I still see pretty well without them. But it's amazing how many things I still need to do! (get that new hairstyle, file papers, clean out closets, etc.)

And last, my poor kitty was a "conehead" for a while. So pitiful, yet so cute! I guess January 2010 is something she might not like to remember, but it wasn't so bad for me!

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