goodbye 2009, hello 2010

I've had a bunch of time off for the holidays. Which apparently means... a lot of NPR listening, while cooking, while eating, while hanging out. From the endless year-end discussions, it seems that the general consensus out there is that 2009 was a pretty suck-tastic year. Bad year, bad.

Hmph.

Well... For us, I beg to differ. It was a fantastic year! Sure, our "portfolio"--or whatever lame word you want--is not where it could have been, but is that what really matters? I say no. I propose the following as evidence of a stand-out year...

For starters, Toby and I learned to be parents. (And, we're having the time of our lives. Shhh!) Our formerly helpless, sleepy, semi-oblivious little cutie pie now walks, talks, laughs, dances and has OPINIONS. He also learned to pet Kitty s o f t l y. Mostly. We finally moved into a house we'd been renovating since 2008. We built stuff -- heck, Toby built a retaining wall. I took six months off work for full-time baby bonding, and then went back part time--a situation that suits me perfectly. And, I managed to bake during the holidays. Score.

So, I'm real good with 2009. But, being that today is January 1, it must be onward and upward from here.

Yep, I'm talking about resolutions. I'm not spilling all my beans--I'll be keeping some to myself--but as far as those that pertain to this here blog, here goes:

• Make the garden fantastic. Like, really major. It's still evolving out of a jungle and trash heap into a useable space made for eating and hanging out. I hope to: Grow lots edibles and other useful plants. Explore interesting herbs and other rarities. Create playspace for Jacky and a few different "rooms" for adults to hang. Use our outdoor space on those random, hard-to-predict, gorgeous San Francisco days.
• Get better at photography. I actually took photo classes in college as part of my major. Which feels like a really long time ago. I need to find the patience again for things like reading my manuals, exploring other types of cameras (film?!?), and simply shooting more.
• Crank up my nutrition. I already eat relatively well... Organic, lots of vegetables, the usual routine. But the motherlode of my energy in the past 7 months has been all about building the kiddo's diet. And, if I do say so myself, he is literally the healthiest-eating person I know. His diet is flat-out great. I've sort of started letting all that rub off on myself a little more--my breakfast almost matches his now--but I want to fully go for it. Use more superfoods. Explore different veggie options. Perhaps I eat less meat. Try for more variety. Jacky's diet is fabulous because it's seasonal, colorful and varied, hardly a diet of deprivation.
• Be present. With Jacky, with Toby, with friends, with work, with play. Be there wholly, be focused. I truly believe we are all way too in love with multi-tasking.
• Redesign blog. Yeah, not a very touchy-feely resolution. But, I feel the need to tinker seriously with the default Blogger junk. Also, use photography more and better.
• Conquer more of the lower level of the house. On deck next: new home office, re-org garage, additional BR & BA.
• Entertain more. Brunch, brunch, brunch!

So, how's your 2010 shaping up? Any plans?