Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011!

As 2010 draws to a close, one can't help but review. After the hustle and bustle of Christmas, I rather enjoy the contemplative nature of the following week and the approach of the new year (and the new decade!).

Funny. When I think of the past year, it went like this: WhOOSH! When I think of the past decade and what happened, it is more of a turtle pace.

• I got my first vehicle (remember the Swamp Tiger?!) and then my second (my Black Beauty).
• I have had three addresses (Main Street, Belcher Street and Pleasant Street).
• I started paying attention to exercise (I miss Tim's classes, I discovered mountain biking and running and I walk the dog ALL THE TIME).
• I started participating in Centrestage theatre (13 shows altogether).
• I met the love of my life, we married and are awaiting a babe.
• I started my career with the CFIA and have been on the Hill.
• I bought a house.
• I lost two dear kitties but met my Hound.
• I have been to Bermuda (3x!), Alaska, Mexico and drove from Alberta to NS. I also helped a dear friend and her daughter and doggie move all the way from NS to South Carolina and saw 11 States in the process.
• I have rediscovered, found, and sadly lost great friends.

I think that qualifies as a pretty darn great decade! I can't even imagine what is in store for the next ten years...oh wait. Yes I can. Sleepless nights, constant worry, soccer games, and complete and utter awe and fascination and joy in the process of rearing a tiny human. Thank goodness I have Troy here to walk with me (not to mention a bevy of supportive friends and family). He truly is a good 'un. And he's handsome to boot!

Therefore, my word for 2011 is this: Nurture.

• myself (being kind to me, taking care of),
• the baby (continued mindfulness of what I am eating, lots of cuddles),
• our marriage (continued mindfulness of what I am saying, lots of cuddles and appreciation),
• our home (creating a place where we can be a family and be safe).

The cool thing is, I recently found out I won a contest for leaving a comment on the Ali Edwards blog where the prize was free registration for an on-line creative class entitled One Little Word where Ali will provide a creative prompt each month where we use our word for something. That will probably be the extent of my creative pursuits for 2011 as I will be a little busy come April (to recap, these have been my words since we were encouraged to begin in Bookclub:

breathe, honesty, now, good). So at the end of the year, I'll have 12 reminders of a nurtured year.

Anyhoo, there you go. Whatever the new year brings for you, may you tackle it head on and have a little fun in the process.

Happy New Year.