Best of 2009 Blog Challenge

Here we go, all in one post, 31 days' worth of the Best of 2009.

December 1 Trip

So many to choose from! Do I have to pick just one? Yes? Okay. I'll pick visiting family and attending Good Vibrations in San Diego in September.

December 2 Restaurant moment

Frank talked about our hot date at Ruth's Chris, so I'll pick a more routine but no less special kind of night. The four of us regularly dine together at Romio's in downtown Everett. We feel comfortable there, which makes for a relaxed and chatty family meal. Blissfully ordinary.

December 3 Article

Another tough choice, but the one that wins by virtue of coming to mind first is Why Don't Students Like School? Well, Duhhhh..." by Peter Gray.

December 4 Book

Fiction: "The School of Essential Ingredients" by Erica Bauermeister. I reviewed it here.

Nonfiction: "Radical Acceptance" by Tara Brach.

December 5 Night out

Partying with Beth and Dana and Shonna and Jacinta and Robin at Casa Que Pasa. In memory, the night is one long laugh.

December 6 Workshop or conference

LIFE is Good, Vancouver, WA, May 2009. It was an exceptional weekend. MJ said, "It was as fun as camp!" High praise indeed.

December 7 Blog find of the year

Linda Hessel's "navel gazing" blog, Cottonwood. I am thrilled to have another place to read Linda's thoughts.

December 8 Moment of peace.

The class I took in Vipassana meditation. The sessions were themselves calm and interesting and soothing, but the tools I learned there have provided many hundreds of peaceful moments, during and since, and many thousands more to come.

December 9 Challenge

Being laid off threw me for an emotional loop. Getting hired again has done it again. The whole unemployment cycle has been the proverbial growth experience.

December 10 Album of the year

No album (yet?), but it's The Greybeards that have really rocked my world. Making music with my friends is FUN.

Note: If you really want some album recommendations, check out Craig's Top 28 Moments in Music :: 2009.

December 11 The best place

Where the unschoolers are.

December 12 New food

I can't think of one.

December 13 Change you made to the place you live

We converted the homeschool room (itself formerly known as the diningroom) into a music room where the keyboard and guitars and amps can be in a constant state of readiness.

December 14 Rush

The whole frickin' year was a rush, let me tell you. But if I'm picking one specific rush, it would have to be learning to shoot a bow and arrow and actually hitting the target. I can tell that there will come a time when archery is a passion of mine, but for this year I just had the appetizer.

December 15 Best packaging

???

Oh, I know! The conference bag for Good Vibrations was mega-cool.

December 16 Tea of the year

The fruity stuff Gillian kept me supplied with while I was at her house earlier this month. Tea cozy!

December 17 Word or phrase

You probably know the old curse/blessing: May you live in interesting times. Well, I do.

December 18 Shop

Everett Optometry Clinic. I got new glasses! With this slick little sunglasses attachment! And trial hypoallergenic contact lenses!

It's been a long time without all of these things.

December 19 Car ride

I'd have to say it's the ones I don't have to take now that MJ is driving herself around. We are all loving her new independence.

December 20 New person

Nope, I can't choose just one, so I'll just give a shoutout to all the new babies in my world, especially Gabriella, Rudy, Jackson, Ryan, and Connor.

December 21 Project

Three-way tie here:

1. The Maier Family Cookbook, 2009 Reunion Edition. Sonya gets primary credit on this, but I'm proud of my desktop publishing contribution. I also ran the reunion Web site and organized lodging for the Marty Maier branch, all while preparing...

2. My "RATS in the House" talk for LIFE is Good. (RATS stands for Respect, Acceptance, Trust, and Support.)

3. The Greybeards performance at Good Vibrations.

December 22 Startup

Guadalupe's Coffee Roaster! (I'm the startup in this case; Dana has been selling her fine coffees for a long time.)

December 23 Web tool

Facebook. By all means, Facebook. It has filled a need I didn't know I had.

December 24 Learning experience

Life.

December 25 Gift

Friendship.

December 26 Insight or aha! moment

There were many. I'll go with Chloe's return to school and the chance it provided me to see what a mostly positive experience school can be when the student is there by choice and without pressure.

But I'm glad she's home again. :-)

December 27 Social web moment

Exchanging double entendres on Facebook was really fun.

December 28 Stationery

I love paper, but the only kind I use anymore is printer paper and notebook paper and sticky notes and the backs of envelopes. The Internet is my real stationery.

December 29 Laugh

Giggling with my girls. This happens with some regularity, so I can't pick just one time.

December 30 Ad

I hate commercials. But, okay, I like the one where the guys rent puppies to help them pick up girls. "Ohhhhhh, he's so cute!"

December 31 Resolution you wish you'd stuck with

Ahem. See here. It's not that I didn't stick with them, but my consistent application of these new habits is spotty.