12.31.2010

Friday Favorites: 2010 Edition

by erin

I promised myself that I would resist. You see, the beginning of a new year has always been significant for me. I love a fresh start, a new leaf, a blank slate, all of those cute little phrases that come into play when discussing the end of one year and the start of another. But this year I promised myself that I wouldn't get all sentimental, that I wouldn't blab about the year gone by and my wishes for the new one.

And, yet, after reading so many fellow bloggers' 2010 recaps and 2011 wishes...here I am. Listening to this song and getting all nostalgic. In my defense, this year has been full of changes for me, and I think I'll really enjoy reading this recap someday.

So, without further adieu, my ultimate Friday Favorites: my favorite parts of 2010, mixed in with some that weren't quite so great, and what I look forward to in 2011.

1. Trip to Washington, D.C.
Fun fact: my husband and I have never bought each other Christmas presents. Instead, we book a trip together, which, to me, is much better than any gift. In January, Ryan had a Super Important Concrete Conference in D.C. (he's a structural engineer) so we decided to go a few days early and see D.C. I had never been there, and being a history nerd/law student, I was so excited to see the city. It did not disappoint.

 Inside the Supreme Court building - possibly my favorite part of the trip. I tried to explain what was written on this wall to Ryan (Marbury v. Madison etc), but he lost interest after like 2 minutes. I can't say that I blame him.

 Pretty ceiling of the U.S. capitol

Lincoln

2. Trip to Chicago
Earlier in the fall, we stumbled on a Southwest airfare sale, and managed to score tickets from Minneapolis to Chicago at a ridiculously low price. Because we had to book well in advance not knowing what my class schedule would look like, we just went for one night. And, of course, tried to pack everything into that one night. Despite the freezing cold (we are tough Minnesotans, after all), we had a fantastic time.
 the bean

us in the bean
 
huge, delicious stuffed pizza
 
the city from the Sears tower (I know it has a new name now, and I don't really care)

3. Trip to Austin
In March, I went to visit my sisters in Austin for the first time since Alison (little sis) joined Kate (big sis) down there in January. My time there consisted mainly of this:
with a little bit of this
as well as some much-needed sister time. It was a fantastic trip.

4. Law school graduation
aka the best day of my life.


and the best part was that my sisters were able to be there to see me graduate. Happy day.

5. Bar exam
Uh, scratch that. This was 10000000% NOT a favorite moment of 2010.

6. Summer 2010
the highlights:
 a few trips to the brand new, gorgeous Target Field
 win Twins!

 a few too many beers at Great Waters

our beautiful garden...before it exploded with tomatoes, beans, zucchini, etc etc

dinner at the Mediterranean Cruise Cafe for Mom's birthday with sis Kate and boyfriend Adrian, who visited in August

7. 27th birthday and first anniversary
Ryan was out of town for work on my birthday, so my parents treated me to dinner at Barrio in St. Paul. We all agreed that it was one of the best meals of our lives. The guacamole, the margaritas, the tacos...my goodness. Completely ridiculous.

A few weeks later, to celebrate our first anniversary, Ryan and I returned to Solglimt. It was glorious.
we spent a lot of time drinking wine and watching the water. heavenly.
got stuck on the wrong side of the lift bridge a few times
watched the big boats
toured Glensheen Mansion
watched our wedding video and looked at our wedding photos, and had a wonderful first anniversary.

8. 2010 concerts
 John Mayer with Mom

Hanson in the rain with Jess
 
ponchos required
 
 Matt Hires acoustic show

9. New job
In September, I started what is basically the perfect job for me. Essentially, I'm a legal blogger. I know, right? It makes me so happy to be able to call myself a 'writer' again.

10. 2010 weddings
dear friend Gretchen and new husband Paul in August

cousin Tim and new wife Amy in September, with the reception at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks (go Sioux!)
also, doesn't my husband clean up nice?

11. Bar exam results & swearing in
I cannot express the relief I felt upon seeing my number on that list. CAN'T EXPRESS IT.
And a few weeks later, I was sworn in by the Minnesota Supreme Court
Where's Waldo? (that's me at the bottom. it was a super personal event...except not at all. I didn't care though, I was just SO HAPPY to be there.)

12. Trip to Austin (again)
We went to Austin to celebrate Thanksgiving with Alison, Kate and Adrian. Too much beer, too much queso, but such is life on Austin trips, I guess.
Christmas picture!

13. Saying goodbye to Grandma Pearl
As soon as we got home from Austin, we headed up to Grand Forks (talk about a climate change) for my grandma's funeral. Although it was a sad few days, it was nice to be able to see my cousins
 and my cousin Kristy's adorable boy, Caine
baby likes beer

And here we are!

Between all of these Major Life Events, there were many quiet moments. Moments that aren't major enough to make the favorites list but which I treasure all the same, or possibly even more. Moments like walking the pup on a perfect fall day, eating delicious food, drinking too much coffee and wine and then coffee again, Glee nights with my besties, singing in my car, snuggles with my kitties in the morning, listening to good music, thunderstorms and snowstorms, reading good books, laughing.

I'm not making any resolutions for 2011, because goals like "lose 10 pounds" or "clean out the closets" don't really reflect where I'm at in my life. In 2011, I want to:

Eat good food and drink good wine
Make memories with my family
Travel. Anywhere.
Laugh with my friends
Try new things, meet new people, be open to new experiences

Happy 2011!

1 comments:

Ariane said...

I'm so glad you decided to write this. 2010 was such a year of accomplishment for you. You should be really proud of yourself. :)

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