But I also really did love last year…

I think maybe I was a little bit harsh on 2010 in my last post.  The holidays were heavy with stress (see: five million petsitting jobs, none of which I am willing to go easy on; if I do a job, I’m going to do it well, dammit. Even if it means being snippy at my wife a lot. Sorry, wife.), we had to put our dog Thumper to sleep on Christmas night, and with all the birthdays crammed in, it was just a really hard time of year.  So: I dedicate today to celebrating what was amazing last year:

My family.  Things have been hard and we are undergoing some changes, but one thing I can be grateful for is how intentional I have been with them.  It’s not possible anymore to just go hang out with everyone for an evening, and that sucks.  But the upside is that I have been able to spend some really quality time with every member of my family, and I love that.  Maybe this is because of the changes, maybe it is because I’m a Grown Up now, or maybe it’s a combination; regardless, it’s a good thing.

My new family.  My wife is amazing and I talk about this all the time, so I won’t make you gag again now.  Let it suffice to say that I am grateful for her every day, even when I am grumpy about it.

Our wedding.  It was possibly – probably! – the best day of my life.  Not because it was “supposed” to be or because I followed any sort of script; it was the best day because Turtle & I were celebrating and affirming our relationship while surrounded by our most important people.  It was absolutely amazing to feel so much love in that one day.  It was wonderful to spend so much time articulating what we want out of our relationship before the wedding.  It was such a blessing to feel our family and friends rise up to support us in the days before the wedding, and on our wedding day itself.

My job, and deciding to leave it.  I learned a lot there, and it helped me to articulate what I do and don’t want in my life; I think that without that experience, I would still be fumbling around trying to be a vet and wondering why things didn’t feel quite right.

(This is the one and only picture of me at work. Jake is helping by sitting on exactly what I wanted to write on.)

Friends! I mean, of course, friends.  But new friends.  I have met so many people this year through petsitting, through Weddingbee, and through APW – it is is so encouraging to meet so many amazing people in the world.

APW Boston Meetup

What were the best parts of your last year? Please share – I miss you guys.

Gratitude, Inside Out

Things for which I am grateful:

Fighting cats. Halfway through the fighting, they start cleaning each others’ faces. Cutest thing ever.

Bickering spouses. Halfway through the bickering, we realize how silly we are being, and apologies ensue, along with a thoughtful conversation with how to improve our lives, end world hunger, and stop global warming. We are pretty awesome.

bicker bicker bicker

all better! excellent!

How freaking cold it is outside the covers in the morning. It makes me really appreciate a quality down blanket as well as my apparently freakish ability to produce body heat.  Yeah, body, thanks for being awesomely warm!

It's cold out there and I am NOT coming out.

Nonworking internet the one night I finally decide to keep writing wedding recaps. Instead I finally had the time to go through and delete a lot of my photos, so maybe my computer will stop telling me there’s not enough memory to run my applications. Oops.

So.  I had big things planned for you today, but see my last gratitude and you’ll understand why you got this list fifteen minutes before I have to leave the house.  How much do I appreciate you guys? I’ll make sure to put up a post while it’s still dark out. THAT much.

What went “wrong” for you this weekend that really went right?