So long 2009

2009 wasn't a bad year. It wasn't a great year. It was just a good year. The worst part of the year was how it started and ended. I started the year mourning a co-worker who died over the holidays. I ended the year mourning the deaths of two former co-workers. Also, I saw friends of mine have to part with their animals as they passed away. Throughout the year, I was confronted with these reminders of mortality. I'm more mindful of time and relationships as I start 2010.

The best part of 2009 was reconnecting with friends and family. I have to thank Facebook for facilitating this process of reintroducing long lost friends. Whether it is friends from high school or college, I am pleased with the opportunity to reconnect and stay current with people. I've also become closer to family members who are at a great distance. A trip to Illinois this summer helped me reconnect with family, family friends and my best friend. Despite aggravating my general homesickness, I treasured the time spent in Freeport and Chicago. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see everyone I wanted because of the time of year with family vacations or I was trying to balance free time with a conference.

For financial reasons, I was unable to travel as much in 2009. I used some of my extra money to cover conference expenses in Denver and Chicago. I also spent quite a bit of time in Davis. I spent one week just sleeping and reading as Mary worked. We were able to spend a wonderful day with one of my aunts. We also went on our annual trip to Charleston, South Carolina. Not only is it one of my favorite cities, but it is also one of the best library conferences. The best trip in 2009 was spending time with 4 close friends on a Texas ranch. Tubing down a river with a cooler of beer was probably one of the most relaxing moments of 2009.

I started 2009 with many frustrations over my professional career. It wasn't until the late fall that I started to feel better about things. I've always relied on my professional network to help me through difficulties on my local level. It was the same thing this year as I really struggled with morale. Things are settling down and I'm working on some interesting projects.

I am healthy. I keep working through medication issues but I have nothing to complain about. Elston is fine even as her whiskers grow a little whiter and she needs help jumping up on things.

I don't really remember my 2009 resolutions except the one that I would figure things out. Ha. My main 2010 resolution is to try and do a better job of keeping in touch with people. I am horrible with maintaining communication. I also want to do a better job of sustaining my Portland community of friends as I try to figure out where 2010 will take me.