Happy New Year, Y'all!

I love New Year’s Eve, because I usually spend time thinking about all the wonderful things that happened this year. (Yeah, I’m optimistic like that.)

So here is my top 16 list of happy moments in 2008 (there were so many; I couldn’t limit it to ten—or even fifteen):

1. Iwanski and I sitting on the balcony of our hotel room at the top of an Arkansas mountain…watching the fog finally clear away so that we can see the fantastic view.

2. My entire family showing up in great numbers for my Grandma’s 93rd birthday party…and my surprised mother managing to pull together a meal for all of us.

3. Finding out that I didn’t have cancer (the best news ever!).

4. Getting a new job that I like so much better than my old job.

5. Iwanski finally quitting his soul-sucking insurance job, after me asking him to quit about a hundred thousand times.

6. Hiking through numerous national and state parks and forests with Iwanski—and seeing a bald eagle in mid-flight at Tower Hill State Park.

7. Enjoying a yummy Hungarian meal (prepared by chef Buck) with good friends…and then enjoying crazy karaoke afterwards.

8. Telling people I was pregnant (in February)—even though I later miscarried, I wouldn’t trade that time for anything in the world. It was just magical to me.

9. My sister Mary, the nieciest niece Sfoofie, and her funny husband, brother, and sister coming down to Chi-town for a whirlwind tour of our city. (I still laugh at the slightly naughty version of “Yankee Doodle,” sung and acted out by Savannah.)

10. Obama being elected President. Whoo-hoo!

11. Calling up my friend Diane on election night, and telling her that the election night souvenir that I’d saved for her was a Care Bears beach ball that people were throwing around.

12. Enjoying a pre-Christmas karaoke party with Danny Wanny, his lovely wife, and hilarious son (that kid could really belt out the “Twist and Shout”!).

13. Driving up Iwanski’s Mom’s driveway on Christmas Eve, to see that she had the leg lamp from “A Christmas Story” in her living room window.

14. Iwanski shedding a tear at a poem that I wrote for him on his birthday.

15. My sister Sheri surprising me with a “Miss Healthypants” t-shirt on my birthday.

16. Every single moment that I spend with my wonderful husband.


And you know what? Even as I tried to limit this list to 10 (and then to 16), I kept thinking of more and more great moments from 2008. Even though there were some sad moments, as well, this really was a wonderful year.

I can only hope that 2009 is filled with as many joyful moments.

Here’s wishing you all the Happiest of New Years!