Farewell to 2010

Once again, I find myself at the end of another calendar year thinking, where did the time go?  It sped by so fast.  So many memories, some happy, some sad.  I had to look back in my calendar and reread my blog postings to remember the early part of the year, it seems so long ago.

In January, I was busy with various creative pursuits - taking photos and art classes, visiting the Royal Ontario Museum and making a Remains of the Day journal for my boss, who was heading to London, England with her daughter. I took this picture of myself on January 1st:

In February, we were all focused on the Olympics in Vancouver.  Here's my friend Heather and her family, having their picture taken with one of the torch bearers as the flame made its way across Canada prior to the Opening Ceremonies:

In March, I was busy finishing this piece for the Toronto Bead Society's Bag of Beads Challenge:

In April, I celebrated my 5th anniversary at my current job, one which I am grateful to be able to say I am still enjoying. I leased a new car, the Cherry Bomb. And I lost my last surviving uncle, Ron, unexpectedly.

May was highlighted by a visit with Kate McKinnon which included a trip to Niagara Falls, staying overnight with Debi Nicholson and a class at her store, Beads of Colour, in Dundas.

In June, I went to see the Eagles in concert with the Dixie Chicks with my good friends Barb and Wayne. 

At the time, I thought it was one of the best concerts I had ever seen, a claim to fame that was to be relinquished as early as July, when I saw Paul McCartney in concert with Heather.  Words still fail me when I try to describe how awesome that experience was!! 

July was a very musical month, come to think of it, because I got to experience the Elvis Festival in Collingwood for the first time as well!

August is a bit of a blur, as I was counting down the days until our trip to France at the end of the month.  What an amazing 17 days that was in the South of France with Gwen, Kate, Doriot, Dawn and Meryl.

I had barely had time to unpack upon arriving home from France in mid-September when a week later, I was rear-ended on Highway 401 and that was the end of the Cherry Bomb.

October brought a new car, Daytona Bluebell, and the experience of Journalfest - what an exciting one it was!  My head is still buzzing from all of the interesting things I learned and I am thrilled to have met so many wonderful new friends there. 

In November, I spent a lot of time finishing my Journalfest journal and celebrated my 49th birthday.  The countdown to 50 is on!

This past December has been overshadowed with much sadness, having said goodbye to my darling Max.

So there have been ups and downs in my life over the past 12 months, times of great happiness and great sorrow and the range of every emotion in between, as there usually are in all our lives each year.  The pages of the calendar continue to flip faster and faster, the seasons come and go, we say goodbye to some we have loved and welcome the joy that new friends bring to our hearts. 

As this year draws to a close, I wish you all the very best for a happy and healthy 2011.  May it be a year filled with love, laughter and new adventures for all of us.