2009 in Review
December 21st, 2009
Chronologically: House flood * camping on the living room floor * healthy friend (yay!) * no water in the house * unhelpful landlords * let’s move to Portland * Chris to Southeast Asia * find a perfect place in Portland * move * miss Seattle desperately * discover Waffle Window * Kiana comes to visit * ask for a job * show at Mash Tun * Mary comes to visit* explore new places in our new city * birthday of blah * Seattle visit (yay!) * mini-break with Chris * Pam Slim workshop where I meet Tsilli * trip to Utah * wallet stolen * Stitch group * Mom comes to visit * berry extravaganza * SoulSisters Retreat * wallet recovered (yay!) * massive heat wave * Chris to Saudi Arabia * bought a bike *another mini-break * trip to Huntsville * book edits * show at Powells * year end planning vacation
Books Read: (a partial list) I met my goal of 104 books, but didn’t record them all. Thankfully, the Multnomah County Library system keeps up with everything I check out from them, though that doesn’t include books purchased, borrowed from friends, or read in the cafe at Powell’s.
Dreams from my Father by Barack Obama * Ramona the pest by Beverly Cleary *
The women of Pemberley : a companion volume to the Pemberley chronicles : a novel by Rebecca Ann Collins. * Netherfield Park revisited by Rebecca Ann Collins *Ramona the brave by Beverly Cleary * The ladies of Longbourn by Rebecca Ann Collins * Harry Potter and the deathly hallows by J. K. Rowling * Mr. Darcy’s daughter by Rebecca Ann Collins * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling * Ribsy by Beverly Cleary *Otis Spofford by Beverly Cleary * Suite française by Irène Némirovsky * The zookeeper’s wife by Diane Ackerman * Three cups of tea: one man’s mission to fight terrorism and build nations– one school at a time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin * Salt : a world history by Mark Kurlansky * Sister of the bride by Beverly Cleary * The thirteenth tale : a novel by Diane Setterfield * Socks by Beverly Cleary * People of the book : a novel by Geraldine Brooks. (Best book all year!) * Mary Thomas’s knitting book by Mary Thomas * The audacity of hope : thoughts on reclaiming the American dream by Barack Obama * Snow Flower and the secret fan : a novel by Lisa See * The gathering by Anne Enright * The Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer * Loving Frank : a novel by Nancy Horan * A fine balance : a novel by Rohinton Mistry * Pie & tart recipes and text by Carolyn Beth Weil * Steering by starlight : find your right life, no matter what! by Martha Beck *The Gardner heist : the true story of the world’s largest unsolved art theft by Ulrich Boser *The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows * Nights at the circus by Angela Carter * Outliers : the story of success by Malcolm Gladwell *Vegan brunch : homestyle recipes worth waking up for– from asparagus omelets to pumpkin pancakes by Isa Chandra Moskowitz * Home : a memoir of my early years by Julie Andrews * Food matters : a guide to conscious eating with more than 75 recipes by Mark Bittman * Mitch and Amy by Beverly Cleary * Bright evening star : mystery of the Incarnation by Madeleine L’Engle *A girl from Yamhill : a memoir by Beverly Cleary *My own two feet : a memoir by Beverly Cleary * The space between us by Thrity Umrigar * A Yellow Raft on Blue Water * Identical strangers : a memoir of twins separated and reunited Elyse Schein, Paula Bernstein *Netherland by Joseph O’Neill *The enchantress of Florence : a novel by Salman Rushie * New and selected poems. Volume one by Mary Oliver * The glass castle : a memoir by Jeannette Walls * I feel bad about my neck : and other thoughts on being a woman by Nora Ephron * White pine : poems and prose poems by Mary Oliver * Those who save us by Jenna Blum * The perfect wife by Shari MacDonald * The madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean * The maternal is political : women writers at the intersection of motherhood and social change edited by Shari MacDonald Strong *The wishing year : a house, a man, my soul : a memoir of fulfilled desire by Noelle Oxenhandler * Stardust by Shari MacDonald * Cycling fit by Jamie Baird * Zinn’s cycling primer : maintenance tips & skill building for cyclists by Lennard Zinn *The forgotten garden : a novel by Kate Morton *I’d rather be in the studio! : the artist’s no-excuse guide to self-promotion by Alyson B. Stanfield * The art of cycling : a guide to bicycling in 21st-century America by Robert Hurst * Every woman’s guide to cycling : everything you need to know from buying your first bike to winning your first race by Selene Yeager * The practical cyclist : bicycling for real people by Chip Haynes * Bicycling magazine’s cycling for women : savvy advice from the sport’s leading women writers edited by Ed Pavelka * The help by Kathryn Stockett (another Best Book of the Year!) *Sarah’s key by Tatiana de Rosnay *The elegance of the hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (loved, loved, loved it.) * The lace reader by Brunonia Barry * The 19th wife : a novel by David Ebershoff *The calligrapher’s daughter : a novel by Eugenia Kim * The noncyclist’s guide to the century and other road races : get on your butt and into gear by Dawn Dais *Pedaling revolution : how cyclists are changing American cities by Jeff Mapes *The house at Riverton : a novel by Kate Morton * How to live well without owning a car : save money, breathe easier, and get more mileage out of life / Chris Balish. * A homemade life : stories and recipes from my kitchen table Molly Wizenberg * Olive Kitteridge Elizabeth Strout (loved loved loved it)
What went well: Moved to Portland * 2 shows and a few sales * good visits with friends * bought a bike and actually ride it more than 30 miles regularly * got a real website that I’m happy with * SoulSisters Retreat * Building community in Portland * new friends * successfully vegan for 4 weeks * Fully recovered from Ankle Surgery * Significantly less freaking out when Chris leaves * Mondo Beyondo * Maintained an exercise program all year (for the first time ever!) * learned more about my self and the idea of self-discipline
What didn’t: plummeting self-esteem due to uncertain job situations and income (mainly lack thereof) * feel like I spent a long time recovering from abrupt Seattle departure * not fully owning my issues
I proclaimed 2009 as the “Year of Self-Discipline.” And it worked. I’ve never managed to keep to a regular exercise program for a whole year. But I think maybe I was a little hard on myself. I did a lot of thinking around the idea of self- discipline and maybe that was the wrong way to approach it. I kept beating myself up because I felt like I wasn’t accomplishing everything I should be. But once I actually looked at my goals for the year, I realized I had accomplished much more than I originally thought.
Moral of the story: I need to cut myself a little slack.
As for 2010– stay tuned. More to come.
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:42 pm
I think the world would be a much better place if we ALL cut ourselves a little slack.
And Mondo Beyondo was definitely on my ‘what went well’ list, too.
December 23rd, 2009 at 7:03 am
You’re right, Amber. Hopefully I can remember this in 2010, too.
And yes, Mondo Beyondo was amazing.
December 26th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
I loved this post! Especially your review of what went well. I’m wanting to become more aware of giving myself credit. I can’t really articulate what it was, but when I was reading your list of what went well, it just felt sweet and delicious. Reading it somehow inspired me to do my own review in a new way. I tend to get all rigid about even this simple thing, making a big deal of doing it well enough and then thinking nothing went well enough. Geez!
Thanks for sharing.
CJ
December 28th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
i need to do this. you’ve done and experienced so much this year… all things that will make next year even better.
ps when did you come to utah? and why didn’t we visit?
December 28th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Jenica, it gives a whole new perspective. Every single year I’m astounded by all the things I did that year, when usually I think I’m just hanging out on the couch.
We were in Park City in June. I have *no idea* why we didn’t visit. I’m racking my brain for a reason… next time!
January 1st, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Thanks for that idea Jolie. You’ve accomplished a lot and it looks like you’ve done important work both internally & externally.
Will do my own version today, thanks for the inspiration.