1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before?
   Public speaking
   Bought a house
   Was interviewed on the radio
   
   
2. Did you keep your New Year's Resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
   I didn't make any last year. Officially, anyway.
   
   
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
   Jimbo's cousin.
   
   
4. Did anyone close to you die?
   No, and for that I am entirely grateful.
   
   
5. What countries did you visit?
   Canada, US
   
   
6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
   Peace, relaxation.
   
   
7. What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
   July 15 - patched up my friendship with Janet
   July 28 - Spoke at Blogher
   August 29 - AGirlMustShop.com was born
   September 8 - Closed on our house
   November 17 - Interviewed in the newspaper for AGirlMustShop.com.
   
   
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
   The house
   blogher
   AGirlMustShop.com
   
   
9. What was your biggest failure?
   Losing 15lbs in 9 months only to gain it back in 3.
   
   
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
    Nothing major and for that I'm grateful.
    
    
11. What was the best thing someone bought you?
    Jimbo bought me a new camera!
    
    
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
    
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
    
    
14. Where did most of your money go?
    Dirty martinis and chocolate
    
    
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
    The hype around AGMS.
    
    
16. What song will always remind you of 2006?
    Crazy by Gnarls Barkley
    
    
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
    a) happier or sadder? sadder :(
    b) thinner or fatter? fatter :(
    c) richer or poorer? richer :)
    
    
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
    Reading, relaxing, taking baths,
    
    
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
    Work
    
    
20. How do you plan to spend Christmas?
    
    
21. Did you fall in love in 2006?
    Sure! I fall in love with Jimbo and my friends and family regularly.
    
    
22. How many one night stands?
    
    
23. What was your favorite TV program?
    Probably Lost, because I was in love with it most of the year, but I'm not impressed with this season. Next up - Heroes
    
    
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
    
    
25. What was the best book you read?
    
    The Year of Pleasures, Elizabeth Berg
    
    
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
    
    
27. What did you want and get?
    A new house
    
    
28. What did you want and not get?
    
    
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
    Departed
    
    
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
    Went for a hike and then dinner in the north end. 31.
    
    
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
    Less stress.
    
    
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
    pajamas
    
    
33. What kept you sane?
    Mr. Jimbo and all my wonderful friends.
    
    
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
    
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
    
36. Who do you miss?
    
    
37. Who was the best new person you met?
    Deb & Laura
    
    
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006?
    That my happiness is within my control.
    
    
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
    

Make your own!

It's been pretty crazy around here. Exciting! I have a feeling that 2007 is going to be a great year for me! I met up with Janet last night at Cobblestones where we indulged on amazing dirty martinis, beet and goat cheese salad, osso bucco and the a yummy cheese plate (chocolate cheese!? Sign me up!).

I told her all about the goings on in my life, including signing up to be a Boston blogger on the Hotels by City Boston travel blog. I posted my first entry there last night. Go take a look!

I'm back in the saddle at Weight Watchers, and after a year, I'm ironically the same weight I was when I started last year at this time. That's Ok, I'm determined!

Nominations have begun for the 2007 Annual The Weblog Awards. Have you voted? I just did! If you feel so inclined, feel free to nominate my new shopping blog A Girl Must Shop for the following categories:

Best American Weblog
Best Topical Weblog
Best-Designed Weblog
Best-Kept Secret Weblog
Best New Weblog
Weblog of the Year

You'd totally make my day!

So Darlene was crying the other day because I don't update here enough. I can't let her cry now, can I? Ok, so here's an update.

Like most girls, I've been planning my wedding in my head since I was born. I wish I could tell you why we fixate on this milestone, but fixate we do.

Now since I've been with Mr. Jimbo for three-and-a-half years and counting, and we just bought a house together, all signs seem to point to a wedding in the future. Now, don't ask me when, because I don't know. I've left all of the engagement details to Jimbo, so that I can be surprised. I love to be surprised.

So with a wedding looming in the future, I get a little excited. I start thinking about wedding dresses and venues and turkey dinners. I think about colors, and the wedding party and cute leetle wedding favors. Aaaand with all of this wedding stuff in my head, I tend to surf around the web a whole bunch for cool wedding things. And so I happened upon the knot and a couple of other wedding sites and in order to take full advantage of the search capability, I had to register. Aaaaaaaand when I register they ask for a date and I can't register without a date, so I throw a ballpark range in there and I'm in. Cool beans.

Wedding dresses and reception sites and rings, oh my! I've been surfing around with a little bit of my free time (it's a commodity nowadays!) and getting ideas for a wedding that doesn't exist, yet.

Of course what I didn't know was when I was entering all my personal information into the site (name, address... why do they need to know my bra size? ;) was that this information will be sent to ever single wedding vendor east of the Mississippi.

So I was surprised when the following postcard appeared in my mailbox

Whoops! Um. "Congratulations on your Engagement"? I read it aloud as Jimbo and I walked back into the house and not remembering typing in my name and address on the wedding site, I said to Jimbo... "when did we get engaged? Because I don't remember it and surely I wouldn't forget a little thing like that!"

Jimbo says, "uhhh, nope, I don't remember it, either. And don't call me Shirley!"

Ha ha haaaaaa haaaaa haaaaa.

So light dawns on marble head and I remember giving our address to the wedding site and I blush as I tell Jimbo about my secret wedding searches and pre-planning. He wasn't supposed to know about all that. That's my deep dark secret.

From fondofsnape

1. My ..fancy new coach bag .. means the world to me. ;)

2. Books are ...usually rectangle with pages and words.

3. When I ..pick ., it's because ...I'm crazy

4. If I want a snack, I usually reach for a ... um, chocolate, but i'm trying to be better, soooooo, carrots.

5. The most recent movie I saw, ..Cold Mountain... made me ...sad, but in a good way... I really ...liked.. it.

I've been very quiet lately, but that's not for lack of things going on in my life - the complete opposite. It's been crazy!

For those of you who I haven't told, I got a new job. They made the offer this morning and I took it. I just gave my notice and todl my coworkers. I'm gonna miss this place.

I'm going to be a content manager in my new position. I'm going to be managing the content on a web site and having a work into design as well. It's a telecommuting position, since the main office is in Scotland. And the best thing!? I'm heading to Scotland the first week in March for training! I've never been to Europe before!

Color me excited!

Yay!

Some days when I don't have an audiobook in the car and NPR isn't all that exciting. When there's nothing good on the radio and silence is too defening, I break the law and listen to my ipod in the car on my way to work.

And as it turns out, that's exactly what I needed this morning. I busted a move in the car and sang at the top of my lungs, then tossed the pod in my pocket as I walked into work. I was listening to Freedom by George Michael which always makes me want to dance, envisioning walking into work and shaking it like Hugh Grant in Love Actually, and giggling at the thought. Of course I didn't realize I was singing along until I turned around and someone was right behind me walking into the building. She was, of course, grinning.

It all makes for a smile-inducing Monday morning. You should try it.

The last week at a job is really weird.

Every day
I pack more
I attend meetings
I pass my baton
I teach others my job.
But it's not my job anymore.
Nope.

I loved working here.
The people
the CULTure
the office supply nazi
and buffalo chicken day.
These will be missed.

But the more meetings I attend
and the more I talk about life here without me
I'm more convinced that I'm making the right decision.

This week I continue to work up until the very end.
We go out to lunch, have one last Target run, meet after work for drinks
and eventually say goodbye.
To this, I am not looking forward.

Because a lot of these people,
they made coming into work something to look forward.
And I really hate to see that go.

So we make plans to get together
and hope that they stick.

It just so turns out that today is bonus day. My last bonus day here. I shall enjoy it!

Theees eees what I shall do:

• Take Janet out to dinner. I did this last night. We met at Cobbie's for tinis and mac & cheese and gooey chocolate bread pud. Mmmm!


• Pay off my credit card from christmas. Done!


• *Janet, avert your eyes!* Get mah new Blackberry Pearl!


• Save, save, save!


• Maaaayyyyyybe get this


• Save some more


• Save