Resolute.

I love New Year's. To be sure, it is a false fresh start constructed solely out of noisemakers, streamers, confetti and paper hats, but hey, what the hell?  I'll take it!  And I will resist nudging 2009's ass with the tip of my new boots as 2009 finally staggers out of the door.

2010? I am so ready for you. Come on in, have a glass of champagne, will you not?

2009 was not a good year.  But I am fine with that because at the end, I am still precisely, exactly, absolutely where I would like to be.

To be fair, the Aughties were very, very kind to me.  It is certainly not the entire decade's fault that 2009 turned out to be a little bitch (and yes, 2009 IS female because 9's are female.  And yes, that was for you, Monkey Dearest) 

Anyway, to recap the Aughties:

1. I met a boy.  A really, really nice boy (more on that later.)
   
2. I turned 30 and celebrated by dancing with my sister to Abba's Dancing Queen.
   
3. I was working for a Dot.Bomb (Viva la Empriva!) when everything blew up and I had a fish-eye lens view of history in the making.  Which I do appreciate now, perhaps not so much at the time.
   
4. I got a new job as a Blockhead as business systems analyst at a Big Corporate Tax Preparation Company that paid me much, MUCH more than the Dot.Bomb and was able to pay off some major debt AND buy myself a house - one accomplish I had always wanted to do as a Single Girl.  In addition, I made some incredible friends at this new job.  Friends who are still with me today.
   
5. I went to Rome with a friend.  We had an amazing, incredible walking adventure of Rome and the Vatican - only taking the train once and no cabs whatsoever.  Everywhere else, we walked.  It was a trip of a lifetime for me.  Also, the plane ticket was a grand total of $329!
   
6. I married that nice boy in a very pretty ceremony in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire and we spent our honeymoon exploring the entire state.  (Sidenote: It thrills me to no end that now anyone simply wishes to build a life with the person they love can get married there - gay, straight, lesbian, whatever.  I am so fucking proud of New Hampshire.  Live free or die!)
7. I went to work for the Federal Reserve Bank - it was a hellish job, actually, but I did have some amazing experiences there and got to work neck deep in the Check 21 project.  I was able to travel to 16 banks and branches, coast-to-coast in a very short amount of time.  I did NOT appreciate the experience at the time, but I do believe it allowed to really settle down and.......
8. give birth to my first baby and become a homemaker with no hesitation whatsoever.  And then?
9. 20 months later, I gave birth to his sister.
10. And in the midst of all of this, I began this blog.  Writing here is purely narcissistic and I am my Audience of One. I cannot pretend otherwise.  Still, I thank you for reading all this endless blather.
    

I do not normally do resolutions.  Do you?  Do you keep them? 

Actually, I tend to make my big life changes in the summer -  I did not do this on purpose, but there is a lightness to summer that probably lends itself better for change.  After all, I quit smoking in June 2000 and this past June, I began a steady, consistent exercise program that has changed my life.  When I am plodding around on the track or doing my hamster moves on the elliptical machines, I am still amazed at what exercise has done for me.

I would like to wish all of you a Happy New Year.  We are spending ours snuggled up in our house with movies, a nice champagne and a yummy dinner prepared by yours truly.  And I am not the least bit ashamed to say that I am pushing for a viewing of Grumpy Old Men - what better way to start the new year?