Farewell, 2010

Here we go again. Another round of out with the old, and in with the new. As always, I'm amazed that another year has passed so quickly. Where does the time go?

I do love the New Year though, don't you? What a great chance for a fresh start. As I said, out with the old and in with the new. It's the perfect time to say "good riddance" to those things that have been getting you down, holding you back or weighing on your mind and start over with a clean slate. People make resolutions to better themselves, we approach the world with renewed hope, and get excited about things to come.

But, all that starts tomorrow! Today is a day for looking back and reflecting on where we've been.

What a year 2010 has been! We have done so many new things and gained some great experiences. I've been having so much fun over the past couple days as I think back to the year that has gone by. We've achieved some personal goals, visited new places, spent time with family, traveled, enjoyed our city and each other.

In my memory, these are some of the highlights of our year in 2010:

• Chipping away at my bucket list: I fulfilled my dream of horseback riding on a beach (twice!), conquered my fears and went scuba diving, served on a jury, wrote my name in wet cement, and  jumped into a pool fully clothed.
• Working our way through our NYC To-Do List: We crossed a LOT of things off this year, including ice skating in Rockefeller Center, watching circus elephants march down 34th Street, walking the entire loop of Central Park, and seeing a performance by the New York City Ballet.
• NYC Rocks: We also got the opportunity to do some other very cool things thanks to our city of residence, like attend the NFL Draft and tapings of The Late Show and the Colbert Report; celebrity-watch at red carpet events and premieres; dine on caviar and champagne in the presence of supermodels at Fashion's Night Out; and hang out with the stars of Dexter at the Season 5 finale screening party.
• Travel: Man, we did some major traveling this year. I went on a two-week, nine-island cruise with my sister; we made a spontaneous weekend trip to Los Angeles (where we sat on the Friends couch!); Eric went to India twice; we each went to Florida quite a few times (including one trip together for my high school reunion, one trip by myself to see Heather's show, and Eric once for Kelley's graduation); we went to Cleveland for my family reunion; I went to Bloomington, Illinois for Molly's bridal shower; we went to Mexico for Molly's wedding.
• Eric's athletic accomplishments: Eric had a great athletic year. He met his goal of running a half marathon in under two hours, played Bethpage Black, and broke 80 on the golf course.
• Toni: Toni has continued to make incredible improvements this year, and we were delighted to celebrate her birthday (one we were not sure we would see) in October. She continues to amaze me.
• Birthdays and anniversaries: I had the best sushi of my life on my birthday; we celebrated our third wedding anniversary by unknowingly each making each other the same gift; and I kept on listing the things I love about my husband on his birthday.
• Molly got married: I pulled off Molly's bridal shower in Illinois in October, and we had a great time at her wedding in Mexico.
• Visitors: Heather, Molly and Zita came for Memorial Day; Jeff came for a weekend and we discovered Hoboken; Megan and Rachel, Mark and Sarah came in August; Heather and Aunt Debbie came in December to see the Christmas sights.
• Achilles: Achilles turned seven years old this year, and presented us with new challenges and problems to solve. But, he is still cuter than ever and bringing us much joy. A major Achilles highlight was his superstar status at this year's Easter Bonnet Parade.

Quite a year, right? We are so lucky to have made so many great memories this year!

VIDEO: A look back at our year in 2010

Once again, I thank you so very much for spending another year reading the things I write and sharing in our life. I hope that 2011 brings nothing but joy and good things to all of you.

As for me, I have great hope for 2011. I'm looking forward to shaking off anything from 2010 that is still weighing us down and starting fresh. I know this year will definitely bring some changes for us (starting with a move out of our apartment in February), and hopefully all changes will be good changes. In the meantime, I am just thankful for where we are today and all the wonderful things I have going on in my life. I am very blessed.

All the best to you and yours in the new year!

Signing off for 2010,

Meghan