Spring break during the last school year, the High School history department took a group of students on a whirlwind tour to New York, and Washington DC (plus some other fun sites). I went along as a chaparone/tourist and had all kinds of fun. We did everything we possibly could in one week, from touring the Smithsonian and the Capitol building to visiting the Statue of Liberty and going to Wicked on Broadway. So much fun! 
Right around Mothers day I treated myself to a brand new bicycle. Before that I had been riding a mens' cruiser that was admittedly too tall for me. Although I would ride it almost all over town, I always felt like I was going to fall over if I had to stop and wait at an intersection. But, my new bike is as short as me, so no more falling over (unless the dog trips me up... lol). Plus, like my lawnmower, it is retro, and very cool looking. I think my car misses me...
Just after summer started my stake led a Treck for the youth, camping at Martins Cove and pulling handcarts over Rocky Ridge. I was asked to go along as the interpreter. So, I got to dress up all funny and look just as silly as everyone else, and go along for a good long hike. It was a really good experience, not something I had ever done before, and a great chance to get to know the youth in the area even better.
This year I really got sucked into hiking. I have always been a walker, but mostly I stuck to the roads and just walked around town. This year I started going out on the trails... and sometimes off the trails :) Climbing to odd high places I could see and taking off whenever I got the chance. Hopefully this is something I will keep doing through the years, because there are lots of places I want to hike.
End of summer brought us up to Washington for a family reunion with my dad's side of the family. We had a great week of camping, good food, and good times with family. We spent lots of time playing rook (of course), hiking (yay!) and talking/laughing. You just can't help but laugh with these people, they are fabulous! Luckily we do this every two years, so it won't be too long before we all get together again. I just wish it were yearly!
Scattered throughout the summer were several little home improvement projects meant to keep me busy. While they were nothing as dramatic as my kitchen, they were enough to make me feel better about my trailer. I finished tearing out the carpet (it was orange) in my bedroom and replacing it with tile (peel and stick, but nice quality). I put in a rock border around the outside of the trailer that only needs a little more done before it is totally finished (I want to do my deck first). And I made some pretty good progress on my bathroom. I repaired the subfloor, replaced the flooring (the old stuff was the same as what was in my kitchen, bleh!), installed a new bathtub, and am mostly done with the cabinets - I just need to finish the staining and varnishing... (I had hoped to get some of that done over Christmas break... but alas, 'tis not to be.)
So, maybe it is only significant to me, but I find it amusing that I blog. I thought only smart, funny people wrote blogs, so I was just a phantom reader. Then I wanted to start leaving comments and harrassing my friends, so I got an account, and really, one thing just led to another. Mostly it led to trouble. Obviously. But I love being able to keep up with friends and family, and since I am lousy at personal communication (email, phone calls, actual conversations...), I rely on facebook and this, and do much better at pretending to be a somewhat normal person.
This year the school district I work for has finally decided to offer us something we can actually use. Three months free at the local gym. I have absolutely loved being able to go to the gym every morning before work, it helps me start the day off right. I bought an eliptical several years ago, and was pretty faithful at using it several times a week, but it really doesn't give your body any kind of variety. Now, even though the facilities are not wonderful, some of the machines are really worn out, and it is small, I am able to mix up my workout. Free weights, machines, treadmills, circuts, and classes keep me on my toes and my muscles continually fatigued - ibuprofin is my friend!
Christmas has also been wonderful this year - my brother came up to visit, and filled the house with beautiful music and just made me happy. I also got a chance to sleep in a bit, playtime, snowshoes, an office, lots of love from my family, and a chance to see old friends again.Other, random good memories from the year: Adams family reunion, a new prophet, a new president, I got hooked on NPR's science friday, started running, and (miracle of miracles!) went on two dates.
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