It's the dawning of a new year and I, like many of you, find myself looking back and looking ahead. 2010 was a year full of changes, and growth, and accomplishments.
The biggest change of 2010 was The Move. In July Dale and I and our three dogs moved back home to Minneapolis from Austin TX. We moved into a 100-year-old house that sits across the street from the creek and the running path. The house needed work, in fact it still needs work. It has been a love/hate relationship with the house, mostly love, but a house this old presents its own unique challenges.
When we left Austin we said goodbye to a handful of great friends, a change I wasn't one bit fond of, but being back in Minneapolis meant being reunited with a handful of great friends.
Our return to Minneapolis also meant being near family again. We celebrated my Dad's 70th birthday, we grieved Dale's Dad's fight with pancreatic cancer and passing, we welcomed Antonio Miguel Dominguez Johnson into the world, we hosted our first Thanksgiving, and spent the first Christmas in 5 years with family.
In May of 2010 I launched this new blog and website. It has been a fabulous venue for free tutorials like Needle Felting Basics, for knitting patterns like the Cozies Felted Wool Mittens, and for my Photo of the Week project. Most importantly, my little blog has provided me with innumerable connections to the crafting community, connections I am grateful to have.
2010 was the year of the Farmer's Market. Moving in July meant I didn't plant a garden. But I did take advantage of the abundance of farmer's markets in Minneapolis.
In February of 2010 we vacationed in Colorado and I took a few Nordic Skiing lessons. I loved it. Which is convenient seeing as winters are long here in Minneapolis. I got skis of my own for Christmas and have taken advantage of the fact that I live across the street from the creek -- I can walk out my door and ski.
I continued to run in 2010, of course. In August I ran a personal best 10k and in October I ran my third half marathon filled with doubts about my training and my feet. I somehow managed another personal best at that half marathon, an achievement I'm very proud of.
Looking ahead to 2011... We will continue to work on this old house and I suspect learn to love it more with each project and each creek and crack and quirk we discover. And we will continue to cherish the time we spend with loved ones near and far.
I will continue this blog, and continue to nurture my place in the crafting community. I've got notebooks full of sketches and ideas, which I hope to publish in the coming year.
A garden. I've got big plans to put in a small vegetable garden, a few fruit trees, and a raspberry patch this year. Of course I will also continue to spend my Saturday mornings at the farmer's market if for no other reason than because it's fun.
With three big athletic dogs in the house and piles of snow out my door my interest has been piqued by skijoring. Perhaps, maybe, 2011 will bring a new sport to my life.
As for the old sports in my life, 2011 will be big. My plans include 2 indoor triathlons this winter, and the YWCA Women's Triathlon in August. I may or may not get talked into doing the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon again in July. I've already registered for the Minneapolis Duathlon, the largest duathlon in the nation, it will be my first du. And I'll start the New Year this morning by running the Polar Dash 10k, a fine beginning to a fine new year.
Happy New Year!