2008 in Review

I have seen this done on so many of my dear friends' blogs, and since I think it is an excellent idea, who cares if I'm a bit late? I could use a reminder myself of all the fun things that I did over this past year!

January: We spent our first night in our new rental house in Del Mar, CA on New Year's Eve. Mike and I, and our new roommate, Troy, were so worn out from moving that we spent the evening with a bottle of rum, a coconut, and the latest Pirates of the Caribbean. Sadly, none of us even stayed awake until midnight! I did a lot of blogging this month, since I was working at my temp job as a receptionist with nothing to do most of the day. I did a lot of cooking. I sampled my first cupcakes from Mr. Cuppycakes. Little did I know, this was going to be the beginning of a big cupcake obsession. I got pretty new dishes for my kitchen, and saw my Chargers in the Playoffs! They didn't make it to the Superbowl, but they sure put forth one hell of an effort. I went to my friend Marilea's wedding.

February: Mike took me to see Cirque du Soleil's "Corteo" at the Del Mar Fairgrounds for Valentine's Day. It was so awesome! I wasn't sure how it would be seeing a Cirque show in a circus tent vs. a Vegas venue. It was totally awesome, I must say! Afterwards, we went to dinner at one of our favorite local places, Paradise Grille. I entered my first Cupcake Hero contest, and entered my now legendary Vanilla Nut Martini Cupcakes. I didn't win the Cupcake Hero award, but I sure won with all my friends - I still get requests for those cupcakes! I continued to do a lot of  blogging and cooking, and made Superbowl cupcakes. My husband and roommate started really getting a kick out of my blog photography. I began my love affair with Vanilla Beans after discovering they could be acquired on ebay for a very good price.

March: I got a new job!!!! This was DEFINITELY the highlight of my year so far. I had to finish most of the month at my crappy temp job, but I was SO excited to finally have a new job lined up. I started at my design job as Girl Friday at the end of the month. I gave my blog a makeover. I made some fierce cupcakes. I won my first blog award - "You Make My Day". Mike and Troy went on a trip to Hawaii for 10 days. This was the longest we've ever been apart. It was nice to have some time to myself for the first couple days, but it got ROUGH after a while. I got so lonely. Thankfully I had my cats and my wonderful friends who took me to baseball games, breakfast, and so on. I had a girls' brunch one weekend morning.

April: I visited Chicago with a group of 16 wonderful girls from around the country that I met while planning my wedding. We had SO much fun! Definitely one of the highlights of my year!!! I WAY started slacking on my blog, since I was so busy at my new job. No complaints though - it's better to be working!!! The boys and I started our garden. I went to my friend Molly's wedding, and I went to see KT Tunstall with Amanda.

May: I found out that my sister was pregnant with her third baby, due in December. I tried my hand at homemade pasta, and it was delicious. I saw the Police in concert. It was good, but not mind-blowing, like I had hoped.

June: I went to the Independence Jam and saw a new band called The Silent Comedy. Flogging Molly was DEFINITELY the highlight of that concert. I got to spend time with my friends Melissa & Jason, who are living in Trinidad. (Melissa was home on break from school.) I saw Ingrid Michaelson with my friend Jamie, and I just LOVED her. I didn't think I really liked her, but since that show, I just can't get enough of her music. My garden continued to grow, and the homegrown veggies were excellent. I posted my recipe for White Sangria that Amanda won an award for. I hosted an Asian-themed dinner party with my friends Jamie and Keziah. We traded in my car and Mike's truck and bought a Honda Element. We visited the Del Mar Fair several times. Roommate Troy's surf film premiered. I bought my first Phalaenopsis orchid and watched it bloom.

July: Mike and I went to Ohio for the 4th of July, and our trip happened to cover our 1st wedding anniversary. We took a road trip up to Canada, and spent the weekend at Niagara Falls. We went on Maid of the Mist, and several other attractions. It was an AWESOME trip. Mike and I took a motorcycle safety course and got our motorcycle licenses. We bought a Vespa for our local commute. The Del Mar Races started, and since we live so close, we went many times. We saw Heart and Journey. AMAZING. We saw Wolfmother and Stone Temple Pilots - AMAZING. I made cupcakes for the Obama bake sale.

August: I hosted book club at my house. Football preseason started!!! We went to the Seahawks vs. Chargers game. We got a trackside table at the Del Mar Races. We went camping up in the Idyllwild mountains. Mike and I created a tasty new summer drink we called "Peters Punch." I got my new Blackberry Pearl!!!

September: We had a Labor Day beach party at our house. I invented Cherry Vanilla Coffee Cupcakes. Not my fave, but they were wildly popular. We went to the Panthers vs. Chargers game. We saw Nick Cave. What a cool show! We went on a weekend trip down to a condo in Mexico for Mike's 30th birthday, and I made Roasted Pineapple/Jalapeno Margaritas. We went to the Jets vs. Chargers game and WON!!! I acquired several new orchids (bringing my total up to 5) and started my obsession with my 'chids. I love them! I joined my first Fantasy Football leagues.

October: The Chargers beat the Patriots. Ah, that was sweet. I started Christmas shopping online. The Chargers played the Saints in London! We saw Neil Young. Another awesome show. Mike and I started house-hunting, and started discussing the idea that we might want to have kids in the not-so-distant future. Mike and I dressed as Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett for Halloween.

November: BIG election - Obama won!!! Joyful tears all around - what a wonderful night! My cousin Philip and his wife had their first baby (premie - but she is healthy and doing well! I turned 30 and went wine-tasting in Temecula with several of my friends. I continued to do Christmas shopping. Mike had his first gig with his new band. We went on a road trip to Colorado for Thanksgiving. We had a great time! We stayed at a couple of B&B's, spent time with my little nephews, and went to a hockey game with my brothers. We also went to the Broncos vs. Raiders game and then went to ESPN Zone to watch the Chargers play. We spent a lot of time with my BFF Stesha. We spent some time in Vegas on the way to and from Colorado, and got stuck in hellacious traffic on the way home. I changed the name of my blog to it's current name, combining my two blogs into one. I started getting stressed that I wouldn't finish my knitting projects.

December: My friend KT had her baby, Bailey. We put up our Christmas decorations. All the holiday parties began! My work party was awesome. I got my first Christmas bonus ever!!! I finished my Christmas shopping, and had a hard time waiting until Christmas! We had a nice Christmas at home, and had Christmas dinner with my aunt, uncle, and cousins here in San Diego. I made a HUGE Christmas dinner the day after Christmas, and we had a house full of people to help eat the food. My third nephew, Elijah, was born two days after Christmas. We went to the Chargers vs. Broncos game, and watched the Broncos get destroyed. Chargers are in the PLAYOFFS!!! We had a New Year's party with our neighbors.

Which brings us to 2009! We are still house-hunting, and are very much looking forward to big things happening in 2009. I will do my best to keep my blog updated occasionally, at least with anything big that happens! :) I hope that you will all have a wonderful year!!!