2011 Rewind

I've been reminded that it's good to take a look back at everything that made up the year 2011. Now, I'm not really remembering 2011 with much fondness, so maybe it's a good thing to give it a review and see how it sorts out.

So here it is, for my own entertainment, and yours, should you care to come along for the rewind:

Trippiest Parts of 2011:

Vacations were less than in prior years, but still more than most people get. I'm lucky that way. Lucky and childless, hence I can spend-spend-spend on myself and actually have free time to travel without worrying about a college education for someone.

Some vacation Life List dreams were realized when I travelled with Joanne in April. Was it really only this year? It seems like a lifetime ago, really.

I made swimming in a bioluminescent bay a reality, down in Vieques Island, a hop-skip-&-a-short-flight from Puerto Rico. I was a little frightened to be jumping in dark waters at dark, but jumped anyway. I didn't let fear stop me from accomplishing a Life Listable Item, and for that I pat myself on the back. Well done, Me.

The experience itself was neat, but fell a little short from my imagination. Perhaps I had just hyped it too high, it's been on the list since I was a very young teen and read about the experience in a Reader's Digest. That's a long time to nurture a dream.

The second part of that trip also realized a life-long dream, of visiting Barbados. That was also a young-teen dream of mine, gathered from reading my mom's True Romance magazines. Oh, the contests I entered to try to win that trip! Filling out those index cards with perfect print, mailing off my "entries" in the legal-sized envelope...never winning. But, oh, how I dreamed as I slid that stamped mail into the box, visions of frolicking on the beaches of Barbados, the most exotic-sounding destination of a young girls imagination.

True Romance should really be outlawed for a number of reasons, first and foremost because of the promise of "True Romance" bottled up in the title. No wonder I've had grand expectations my whole life of how things should be, I was molded from a very young age - and incorrectly so. Ah well. Back to the point. The point is, I made it to Barbados, and frolicked around. With Joanne, which is much more realistic and less pressure-y than a True Romance scenario. With Joanne, I didn't even have to shave my legs if I didn't want to. I did, but it was OPTIONAL.

Other trips included:

Vegas, twice (Fourth of July, Christmas). Those trips are just fun.

Another Caribbean cruise (October), where I had one of the most fantastical beach experiences in Cozumel.

This is Antigua, one of the other beautiful beaches I experienced in 2011:

That was about it. Two big cruises and two trips to Vegas. I need to branch that out in 2012 expand my world a bit. I see this as an "Area of Opportunity" as we politely call "needed changes" in Corporate World.

Stupidest Health of 2011:

Health is a clear Area of Opportunity for 2012. In 2011, I was beset by:

1. Bad, herniated disc - ouch!
2. Scary-boobie not-cancer cells
3. No weight loss
4. Still not nimble

Here's what I'm celebrating about 2011 in the health arena, though:

1. Had my vagina's health checked out. That's a first in about 6 years. She said it looked fine down there. I said, "thank you, I've been told it's nice."
2. Fixed - sort of - my bad ouchy disc with exercises instead of surgery. Hooray, Me! It still twinges up on occasion (well, daily) but I exercise it back into position.

I shall strive for better health in 2012. I won't bore you with those details, as I'm sure you're about to snooze it up right about now.

That's okay, I'll wait for you.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Okay, back to it.

Saddest Parts of 2011:

We said goodbye to our beloved grandfather, Stanley, my father's brother, Uncle Carl, and my best catpal, Stanley. I won't go on about that, but I assure you that each of these losses are still felt deeply, especially during this holiday season.

You are missed.

(p.s. - I'm only posting pics of The Stanley's because I don't have a photo of my uncle. I don't want backlash that "a cat is more important than an Uncle," that's not the case, I just don't have any on hand. So break off.)

That's such a heavy thing to gloss over, and now I feel like a newscaster who segways from a grim tear-filled story to an upbeat tale of puppies romping in the switch of a minute.

Drunkiest Night of 2011

"How drunk was she?" the crowd yells.

"She was soooo drunk one night, she had sex and has absolutely no recollection of it."

With My Mister. Or so he tells me.

Foodiest Parts of 2011:

My Mister & I dabbled in a meat-free month of August. It was good and I had some really good poops with the change of my diet. Of course I didn't keep it up. But that's a new goal for 2012!

I had a big Foodie moment in Las Vegas, where we ingested $108 lobster tails. And it was good. Oh, so very good. Sorry, lil' lobster. Worth the price, although it was comped off in Vegas, so technically "free" if you don't count the $$ spent gambling. But I'd rather spend $108 dollars in a video poker machine than on a meal. Priorities.

I made perfect frosting. Yes, that is noteworthy.

Those are the things that stick out for me in 2011 just now as I sipped coffee and typed this nonsense. There's more, much more, all things that make up a life, but that's enough for looking back. I've got to get the kitty tiaras ready, it's showtime tonight!

Expect pictures tomorrow.