2010: Year In Review

2010: Year in Review

January 2010

Hosted an NYE party.

Started off the year in a slump.
Wrote my anticlimactic 100th blog post.
Re-started watching Lost.
NYE 2009 to 2010

February 2010
I got frustrated with trying to balance life.
Started a DIY: Trial and Error feature on my blog, then never touched it again.
Gave some thought to who I am, and who I am not.
I took a cringe-worthy look at my old Livejournal
Went to New York City for the first time, and assisted in doing $1.2 million in business over dinner. Felt important.
Was chosen to write for the Demoiselles: Getting Healthy.
Had a winter beach party for my sister.
Brittany's Surprise 22nd Beach Party

March 2010
Kept blogging because of her.
I celebrated my 1 year Blogversary.
Put pictures of myself in my underpants online.
Mike and I outside of Color Me Mine (may have been April) with Rache and Jay

April 2010
I wrote a post that had the highest views on my blog.
Discovered that the siding on my house was falling off. Boooo.
Downtown Chicago for Lisa's Bday

May 2010
Hosted a Derby Party!
Got my car totalled.
My sister graduated college.
Finished watching Lost, and was INTENSELY disappointed by the finale.
Celebrated my 1 year anniversary!
Britt's college graduation
1st Annual Derby Party

June 2010
Finally felt ADULT.
Turned 25 and got a Butters.
Celebrated a triple birthday in Lake Geneva.
Lake Geneva Bar

July 2010
Saw, and then slammed Eclipse.
Went to the CABIN for the first of two trips!
Visited Massachusetts.
Attended my first Pride Parade.
Taste of Crystal Lake/Lakeside Fest
Eating lobster in MA
St. Joseph backyard on the 4th
Cabin trip #1

August 2010
Made my first vlog.
Made 4 Simple Goals.
Had a moustache-themed bachelorette party!
Lauren's bachelorette party - James Hotel

September 2010
Met some awesome people.
Mike and I opened up a conversation about kids.
Saw Dave Matthews and Jason Mraz at Wrigley Field.
Skydeck with Emily and Britt
Dinner at Goose Island with bloggers!
Pre-DMB/Mraz concert in Chicago

October 2010
Two of our nearest and dearest got married!
Found out two of our closest were expecting!
Lauren and Jeff's wedding

November 2010
Was forwarded a shocking newsletter from my old church.
Celebrated the release of HP7 Pt. 1 with another vlog.
Ate Turkey Testicles!
Parkside Pub - home of the Turkey Testicle Festival

December 2010
Civil Unions were legalized in Illinois!
I got festive. Really festive.
Lincoln Park Zoo Lights

Overall impressions
I made a LOT of promises, vows, plans that I DID not keep.
I wrote mostly when I was crabby and frustrated. I wallowed A LOT.
I did NOT write enough about the good and exciting and FUN things I did.
It seems like I relied on Rachelle to fill in what I skipped.
2010 was a good, but stagnant, year.

Summer 2010 Recap

I did one of these bad boys last year, where I relived Summer 2010. I loved looking back at everything I did this summer - because it goes by SO fast, and you never really get a chance to digest.
As if on cue, the leaves have started changing and the weather is hovering between 50 and 70 degrees and IT IS GORGEOUS.

Without further adieu, my summer...
(OH! and many thanks to Miss Rachelle for supplementing posts about my summer!)

• Hosted a Derby Party.
• Got my car totaled, and subsequently got a new one.
• Celebrated my one year anniversary with Mike!
• Mike got me a kitteh for my birthday.
• Celebrated birthdays in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
• Had a BLAST at Chicago Pride Parade.
• Saw and criticized Eclipse.
• Gorged the Crystal Lake Fest.
• Went to the cabin and blogged my first recipe.
• I made THIS.
• Traveled to Massachusetts to visit Nana.
• Had a sangria recipe featured!
• Went to the cabin AGAIN.
• Made my first (and only) vlog.
• Attended a mustache themed bachelorette party!
• Met with a gaggle of amazing people in Chicago.
• Saw Jason Mraz and Dave Matthews at Wrigley Field.

Unfortunately, though this whole exercise, I realized that even thought I had a BLASTY this summer, I was REALLY whiny and sad pandas and a Donna Downer in most of my posts. I feel like it's safe to blame that on impulsive ranting, because I genuinely didn't feel that way during the glorious summer months.

Ah well. What's done is done and I'm a happy camper now. I looooved reminiscing May through September. But now! It's fall, and I am SO happy.
Next thing you know...

It's Christmas time.

Cabin Recap and Colors of the Wind Salsa (my first recipe!!)

This weekend was everything I dreamed of and more.

I ate my body weight in ice cream, hamburgers, baked beans, pasta salads, delicious Chex Mix, corn nuts, cucumber salads, and most importantly my Colors of the Wind salsa (recipe below!)

I literally spent every moment of the weekend eating something. It. Was. Awesome. Because, duh, I love food. SO MUCH.

I arrived Friday afternoon at about 4pm. We drank Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka and lemonade. Like I said in my previous post - this is the perfect summer drink. The vodka is 35% alcohol by volume, when regular vodka is 40% - so you don't lose any of the kick. It's a little sweet and syrupy alone, but with the acidity of the lemonade, it's delightful. It tastes like juice, you guys!

Golf cart rides!

Sweet Tea Vodka!

Plaid shirts!

Saturday, we hung out by the pool and grilled and (most of us) hid from some short thunderstorms. Mike didn't, and consequently, he was damp for the remainder of the time we were there.

More plaid!

Rain!
(I feel like they belong in Appalachia.)

HEADLAMPS.

For this glorious event, I made salsa. I've made salsa in the past, but it's always just been a simple tomato salsa, so I wanted to mix it up. I browsed through The Pioneer Woman, and tastepotting.com, but nothing struck my fancy. I want this salsa to have beans (OMG, I am on a HUGE bean kick), so I did a little Googling, and came up with a Paula Deen recipe, and tweaked it a little. I have since re-named it: Color of the Wind Salsa, because once all the ingredients are added, it's a beautiful RAINBOWWWWWWWWW.............

Colors of the Wind Salsa
Ingredients
2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced*
3 ears sweet corn, cut off the cob**
1 large avocado (not too ripe), peeled and diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained (Well, they look kind of blue)
1 red onion, diced
Juice of 2 limes
A splash red wine vinegar, to add more liquid
1 whole SALSA seasoning packet (found at most grocery stores, any will do)

Directions
Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl. Taste and add salt, pepper, lime juice, vinegar as necessary.
Cover and chill overnight, and make sure to taste again before serving, the flavors will have mated overnight.
Serve with tortilla chips!

This recipes was RIDICULOUSLY easy and can be adjusted based on your taste. I started feeling crazy and throwing pinches of different spices but, you couldn't taste them in the final product. It was delicious and we actually had to put it away after 10 minutes because it was almost gone.

*I didn't add an orange pepper this time, but I plan to based ENTIRELY on color.
**I regret this decision - Paula calls for frozen corn, and I absolutely will do this next time. Cutting fresh corn off the cob is a RIDICULOUS pain in the ass.

It disappeared in 20 minutes...