Oh, Nine!

Happy New Year!

Wow, what a year 2008 was! Let’s review, shall we?

In one of those moves that was considered foolish by just about everyone we know, we adopted a third dog that taught us great lessons about patience and love. There were weeks of surgeries and creams and sprays to make him healthy, and I had a brief moment of, “What the hell am I doing?!”, but it was quickly overcome with vast amounts of love for the little guy who is getting sweeter every day.

We attempted to sell our house, and failed to do so. We also attempted to buy an apartment in Brooklyn, but gave up after months and months of hunting, deciding instead to buy my grandmother’s house (meaning we now own two houses, neither of which we live in). I moved out of Connecticut for the first time in my life; we moved to Brooklyn in a rented apartment. I heard gun shots that resulted in death, and saw the dead body out of my front window. This traumatized me for a bit, but left no lasting ill effects.

I got an iPhone, and wondered how I lived without one before. Also, (unrelated), I spent nearly three weeks with Elton John’s “Benny and the Jets” stuck in my head.

We all watched the Democratic race with great interest as folks dropped off one by one, and then we watched Hillary and Barack duke it out until he final concession, and it was the most fascinating political process I have ever lived through. (With the election between Obama and McCain, it seems so long ago!) Also, I finally realized that there was a name for the set of political beliefs I’ve held for ages and had been told were foolish for my entire life by both Democrats and Republicans, and I met other people who felt like me, and it was comforting to know that I am not crazy, or, if I am, I am, at least, not alone and am, in fact, in pretty good company.

Shortly after we moved for Rob’s job, he lost it, in the single worst set of coincidental events, like, ever.

I got to see Canada for the first time, and I made a ton of great internety friends who then came to our house a few weeks later for an entire weekend. It was fun and exhausting and I can’t wait to see them again later this month. They are good people.

I walked five miles in a charity event with Rob’s family, and we called ourselves Team Soup!!! and had matching sweatshirts made. This was my greatest physical accomplishment.

There were two weddings, both Jewish although only one was for family. I had a great time at both, and cried during both, too.

At the end of 2008 we went to Puerto Rico again with Rob’s family and I got to bond with everyone, which is cool. Rob’s older brother is just the right mix of obnoxious big brother joking and hilarious stories about college, and his sister is great; I loved hanging out with her and occasionally ditched Rob to do so. I like watching her parent; it’s good to have a sister who’s a mom I want to be like. Speaking of which, no baby for me, despite the thought crossing my mind a time or two, but that’s totally ok. I’m excited for new babies born to dear friends, and new babies “in the oven” that are due this year.

I wish you all the best in 2009. I’ll share my resolutions tomorrow, which I hardly ever take seriously, as MY new year starts on March 13. I do them though. If you made some, too, let me hear them!