January:
We went to New Orleans! We saw the dog parade! We had SO MUCH FUN.
I sewed a lot of dresses because I wasn't feeling the knitting mojo much. I wrote. I think–if I'm not wrong–I was working on Cypress Hollow #5, FIONA'S FLAME, which will be coming out in October(ish). I really like that one. I'd been trying to write Fiona's story forEVER.
February:
Got bronchitis! Fun times. Worked too much.
March:
I went to Italy with my little sister. HOW LUCKY AM I?
And I'll say it again: traveling with the kiddo is like traveling by myself only with someone interesting to talk to. It's pretty perfect. (Want to go here? Nah. Want to go there? Sure! See you later? Okay! Wine? Hell, yes!)
I was in my favorite city, Venice. I miss it right NOW.
Isn't that photo ridiculous? Like a painting! From an iPhone 4! We live in the future, people. I say it every day, but it's true.
April:
We built a kitchen island from my old Formica table and salvaged kitchen cabinets.
Yes, we still feel very clever for this.
I wrote a lot, judging by my calendar. I also worked a lot (too much) and volunteered quite a bit. Not much time in there for much else. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED IN 2014, PEOPLE.
May:
Penguin bought PACK UP THE MOON!
I'm still over it. The moon, that is, not the book. (I love this early review I got from Larissa Brown, whose own gorgeous book I'm totally going to pimp at you soon because it is AMAZING. Viking time travel love story. You will love it.)
Bookbookbookbook. So soon now!
And my marvelous and sweet agent sent me these earrings for Christmas. All packed up in a box. *sigh of delight*
June:
We celebrated Lala's birthday in Mendocino. Lots of baths, eating, drinking, drawing, knitting, and sleeping. Pretty much perfect.
Prop 8/DOMA! We were still married!
July:
RWA in Atlanta, dressed by Modcloth most of the month. My favorite dress of the year:
And I tried to make a lot of time for this:
but honestly, for most of July, I worked too much.
August:
I got a Vitamix!!
Life changing, y'all. I use it up to three times a day, not only to blend green smoothies but to chop onions, make soup, etc.
Also in August, I realized why I couldn't eat much more than green smoothies. My gallbladder threw a fit and had to be taken out, and I spent three nights in the hospital. Here's to never having to dispatch my own ambulance to myself ever again! Or ever having to take off my clothes at work so coworkers can hook a 12-lead heart monitor to my chest!
Up side: lots of time while recovering for this:
September:
This was the year Lala fell in love with opera. I think our favorite was The Barber of Seville. I don't love opera, but I do like it. Also, we get to dress up, so bring it.
There was some knitting while I was recovering, too.
Juliet Blackwell and Sophie Littlefield.
My favorite writing cafe closed, but I discovered that I LOVE writing at Mills College, where I got my MFA.
There is something thrilling about getting PAID to write at the tea shop where I paid so much money to get that degree. I also love with an unreasonable passion my alumna parking sticker.
October:
Cora's Heart came out, the fourth in the Cypress Hollow series. YAY!
November:
Lost Digit.
Still don't really want to talk about it. But you know what? Remember when he came back from the dead and I said he needed a CalTrans vest to safely cross freeways? My friend Tash made him one.
Right? Right.
Also: NaNo! The most fun one in a number of years.
Also: Boise for Thanksgiving, to the in-laws! We had a GREAT time there (we always do) and spent time with the neph. Good looks run in the family:
December:
Really, December was about working a HELL of a lot at both jobs and knitting a HELL of a lot.
2014: May we all rest as comfortably as Clementine does on her chair:
Last year's word was NOW. I learned about meditation and sitting in one spot. I learned how to lie down and sink into the bed, turning my brain off. That was good, and needed.
2014's word? REST. I think I proved to myself and everyone around me this year that working too hard just lands you in the hospital. I'm bad at balance, though, always have been. I work hard and then I rest hard. I'd like this year to bring more regular, planned rest. Fun rest. Chosen rest. Not enforced recovery.
What about you? What's your chosen word or theme this coming year?
Thanks, friends. I'm so glad and thankful for YOU.