a.k.a. the first friday 5's - and first post! - of 2008.
where, oh where, have i been? i called my mom earlier in the week and she commented that i must be busy, because i hadn't called in a while. whoops - and, nope. i have no excuse ... actually, since the new year began, busy is the one thing my personal life hasn't been.
content.
optimistic.
reflective.
crafty.
but not busy. in what can only be described as a knee-jerk reaction to the go-go-go attitude of the holidays - and the fact that my love for my not-so-new-anymore apartment grows deeper every day - i have spent more time hanging at home [with episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on in the background] over the last few weeks than i have in the past year. frankly, you'd think i'd have gotten more knitting done. on the other hand, i have managed to get my craft room cleaned out and organized to the point where i can actually use it again - i made a set of blank note cards as a gift for a dear friend last week - so i guess i haven't been a total slacker.
immediately after i returned to PDX after the holidays - as in, 3 hours after - Holly arrived from Michigan for a visit. her entire trip was a whirlwind ... and a food-and-drink fest! i probably gained 3 pounds while she was here. tea & cupcakes at Crema, fish tacos & drinks at Oba, girls' brunch at Mother's, thai food at Typhoon... we caught the Darjeeling Limited at Laurelhurst and made sure to hit Blue Moon for drinks. and of course, there was the main event: New Year's Eve at Moon & Sixpence. the "friend-iversary," as Joe called it ... the evening that marked one year to the day from when the "subculture of Joe" met.
and how did i forget to mention that party hat?! i was wearing a different one - but when i mentioned to the waitress that i loved her hat, she gave it to me! how cool is that? how awesome are those feathers? seriously.
[and if you noticed that that only 5 people in the group photo are part of the original group, you win the prize!* by this point in the evening, lauren had gotten - shall we say "partied out"? - and emily & johnathan had left to take her home...]
the evening was great fun. we played darts and drank beer, toasted with champagne at midnight, and danced as a group to the celtic band [that part was interesting. i'm surprised nothing was broken or knocked down]. and then ... it was 2008.
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but wait, wait... not so fast! as a recap, here are 5 favorite photos from 2007:
february 07. portland. em, tif, lauren & i at salty's for what would become a regular past-time: girl's brunch. i love this photo because it represents all of the great friendships i've made and cherish here ... but also, when i look at it, i laugh remembering how sore tiffanie and i were that morning - we'd tried snowboarding for the very first time the day before!
june 2007. kell's irish pub, portland. the group post-scavenger hunt. my most successful event as organizer of the Portland New In Town Meetup Group.
august 07. @ lucky's, in boston. bethany's pre-wedding all-girl celebration. that trip to massachusetts was a highlight of my year.
november 07. maui. bliss.
december 07. ponte winery, temecula, california. because this year taught me a great deal about the unique importance of family.
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on the next friday 5's: the top 5 things i'd like to accomplish in 2008.
but first, a fun weekend with friends ... game night at ben & ziggy's tonight; dinner at a new restaurant and dancing at Crush to celebrate Erica's (not the sister, but the other one) birthday on Saturday; tea with the gals on Sunday. and, as an extra treat, i've made it a long weekend: i'm taking Monday off and going snowshoeing with Doug.
i guess we're back to busy again. :) have a great weekend.
[*sorry. there really isn't a prize. but do go buy yourself something nice, ok?]
my favorite parts of this post: "knee jerk reaction" and "wait, wait" and if you don't understand why i am easily amused by those simple phrases then obviously you don't talk to me on gchat...ever
Posted by: lauren | January 18, 2008 at 02:01 PM
oh, but i do. understand. and talk to you on gchat. :) and, i love that those were your favorite parts.
Posted by: sharon | January 18, 2008 at 02:03 PM
love your new photo at the top. Glad to hear 2008 is starting off great.
Posted by: julie r | January 19, 2008 at 02:50 PM