Saturday afternoon, I was walking my dog along side the lake when I decided to check my timer on my phone. I usually ignore emails while I’m on the trail but I didn’t resist the temptation this time. It was Ashley emailing the rest of the Totes Awesome Channel with, “So, um, BISC? I kind of want to go.” Nicole and Other Ashley were already going and then Ashley quickly jumped on board, so I took all but two minutes and committed as well. It’s a big commitment as I have four more trips in 2012 I’ve already started planning and Vegas was not going to be one of them. Oh and registration is $499. That’s a big commitment too.

Yesterday as soon as registration was open, I made it official. I’m going to Bloggers in Sin City this May! I emailed Kim to share my news and lament a little about the dough I just spent on registration when she reframed it for me. “It’s not for registration. It’s for a ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE. It will be worth it. Think of all the new friends and memories you’ll make! Excited for you.” And with that, I let go most of my financial apprehension and basked in some excitement. I’M GOING TO BLOGGERS IN SIN CITY! Last year, I told myself I’d go next year. It’s next year, baby!

I’ve been to Vegas before and I didn’t get lucky because I gambled all but a quarter. This year, I’m still not much of a gambler but maybe I’ll still get lucky and win the Bloggers in Sin City and Paper’d giveaway. BISC and Paper’d partnered up and are giving away one free spot to this ultimate unConference to one lucky registrant. Maybe it’ll be me! How phenomenal would that be?

Almost as phenomenal as going!

Want to read more on this tradition? 4th Year Photos and Quotes 3rd Year Photos and Explanation of Tradition

For more Wordless Wednesdays from others, click here.

I’ve posted yearly recaps since 2008. I’m a stickler for tradition so here’s my recap for 2011.

Previous years: 2008, 2009, 2010

I had a good year.

Note: All links open in a new window.

January

• Rang in the New Year at Speakeasy with Alan, Jennifer, and company.
• Had girls’ night in with crepes.
• Battled an eye infection for a full month. It was gross.

February

• It snowed.
• I didn’t see Alan often because of his work.
• BDF (Best Dudie Friend) visited Austin! This ended up being the only time I saw him this year.
• BDF surprised me with cookies. His note gets me Google search hits that make me a little sad.
• Sent out Valentine cards and socks to my girlfriends.

Alan and I hanging out

March

• Alan took me to my first NBA game, Heat vs. Spurs.
• BFF had cake balls delivered to me at work.
• My solemate (deliberate misspelling) visited Austin.
• Went to Austin’s 2nd Annual Bacon Takedown.
• Went to Sketchbook Project 2011 tour stop in Austin.
• Hosted my first giveaway on the blog.
• Attended a free screening and Q&A with director of Meaning of Tea, a fantastic documentary about tea. Really!
• Alan and I had a two part dinner to celebrate our three year anniversary at Haddington’s and Uchiko (my favorite restaurant).
• Attended Austin Food Blogger’s Alliance Launch Party and applied for membership.
• March was a turning point in my life. I faced myself in therapy. I’m still reaping the benefits.

At Sketchbook Project event

April

• Visited Houston for dad’s birthday.
• Did a month of video blogging everyday in April (VEDA).
• Had a pillow fight in Ikea.
• Puppet showed a conversation between my parents for VEDA.
• Alex, Hillary, and I met up in San Angelo, Texas for a girls’ weekend.
• Took my little (Big Brothers and Big Sisters) to see a presentation about being a teen parent.
• Alan and I went to a drive-in theater for the first time and saw Back to the Future. Drive-in was on my life list!
• Joined Austin Food Blogger’s Alliance.

Hillary, Alex, and Me at the San Angelo Library

May

• I got bangs impulsively, changing my do for the first time in 5 years.
• Took a canoe trip with coworkers, facing a handful of irrational fears very reluctantly. Obviously, I survived.
• I participated in Leo’s Habit Course and developed a palate for vegetables by eating one serving a day for 30 days.
• Flew to Boston to see BFF. We drove to New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island, all three were states I’ve never visited.
• Read 8 books this month.
• Totes Awesome Channel was founded.

June

• Went home to Houston for Father’s Day.
• Rolled down a hill inside of a ball.
• I hit a boulder with my car. I always hit non-moving objects. Anyway, this was the start of a chain of bumper problems during the rest of the year.
• I hemmed my first dress! As part of my new year’s resolutions, I wanted to do 10 learning tasks with sewing. This was my first major lesson.
• Went to third Annual Cupcake Smackdown

July

• Met Ashley D, Ashley, and Nicole of Totes Awesome Channel and recorded a vlog.
• Celebrated my 28th birthday simply with a dinner with Alan and then a movie and drinks with friends.
• Made my favorite video: 28 Life Lessons from 28 People (for my 28th birthday).
• I caught up to 2007 and got my first smart phone!
• My friend, Naz surprised me with a vlog from my dad.
• I got really cozy with Tennessee Williams and his movies. Cat on Hot Tin Roof is excellent!

Celebrating my birthday

August

• Successfully completed VEDA despite being out of town twice and moving!
• Met up Hillary and Alex in Dallas for our second girls’ weekend of the year.
• Moved in with Alan.
• Used my passport for the first time since renewing it 2007. Alan and I took a vacation to Vancouver, Canada, my new favorite city.
• Saw the bats in Austin for the first time.

In front of the Vancouver Aquarium

September

• Adopted Bob from a shelter.
• I went to some of my Ten Year Reunion and was pleased to see all my classmates have blossomed to beautiful women.
• Brandi and I attended Jessica’s wedding.
• With a lot of conscious effort, I averaged 6 hours of sleep in the month of September! (I’m usually sleep deprived.)

Class of 2001

October

• I had a fluffy cable TV show debut.
• Had my first blogger date with Treavor.
• Donned a borrowed construction hat and went as Heidi in Home Improvement for Halloween.
• Cindy visited Austin!

November

• Posted a blog post everyday in November.
• Ran two blocks of a 5k for Race for the Cure and raised 460 dollars. Thanks to a lot of you!
• Went to Texas Renaissance Festival with Brandi and Jessica. It was our third year going and we decided to only do new things. We threw knives, shot bow and arrows, and had our face painted. It was the first time I’ve ever had my face painted!
• Had my second blogger date with Treavor.
• Attended a We Are Girls conference with my little. It was incredibly insightful.
• Had a Thanksgiving picnic with friends at the park. We threw a whole cooler’s worth of ice cubes into an enormous fountain, to create ripples, to help push a soccer ball to a sad toddler across the fountain. We were successful.
• Had a progressive meal day with Kim, Thomas, and friends.
• During breaks between eats, we made paper cranes for Kim’s tree.
• My bumper nearly killed Kim and me and got us murdered in the woods.
• Made our sparkly tattoos dance.

December

• I decide to like Christmas. I discovered it took more energy disliking it than it does to give into the cheer.
• Partcipated in Austin Food Blogger’s food swap.
• I was without a car the whole time I was in Houston for Christmas (the bumper needed to be replaced) and was touched to have friends pick me up for dates.
• Sewed couch pillows with help from mom.
• Hosting a “Never Have We Ever” dinner party tonight. Post to come!

Bob hanging out with snowman

In writing this post, I realized this year was really sweet for relationships. It may have a lot to do with my prioritizing close friends over acquaintances and then learning to set boundaries. Recently, I’ve been in a funk about not having a life’s calling but I have to say, I’m really content with my tribe. Word on the street is that it’s the relationships that really matter.

Wishing you a terrific end of year celebration! Lots of love!

Thanks to Duncan Hines for sponsoring my writing. There’s no limit to the baking possibilities, so grab your favorite Duncan Hines mix and Comstock or Wilderness fruit fillings and Bake On! www.duncanhines.com.

It’s that time of year, friends. I’ve recently explained in my last Totes Awesome Channel vlog why I’m not a big fan of Christmas. My parents worked on holidays and I grew up with it not being that big of deal and also quite lonely since everyone else was with his or her families. I guess the sullenness just carried with me through the years. My friends would clap their hands in glee and go a little bonkers with their holiday decorating and I would just crinkle my nose at them and bite my tongue.

This year I decided to adopt a more positive outlook about this season. I hate that I was such a grump! I’m usually a positive person and being a sourpuss just isn’t me. I’m going to give in to this “magical” season. I’m going to open up my heart.

So what have I done so far to cultivate a more positive outlook? Well I bought my first set of Christmas lights, pulled out the few winter snow globes I own (gifts), dangled a couple of stockings on door knobs, and then called a few girls over to have a girl’s night in over brownies, hot chocolate, a bottle of Moscato, and Love Actually. Love Actually is the best Christmas movie ever! Even scrooges like my former self could not help but be charmed by that movie.

Cradling a mug of hot chocolate and chatting with my friends under the glow of Christmas lights warmed my cold heart. (I managed to find marshmallows that were shaped as little snowmen!) The brownies offered a lingering fragrance as well as decadent snack. I can see myself making this my first holiday tradition.

Who knows, maybe next year I’ll get a tree!

Dear BFF,

I was hoping to write this blog post when I get back to Austin. It’s just easier to blog when in Austin. Unfortunately, I ran into some car problems and am stranded in Houston at least another day so here I am writing an open letter to you from Houston. The good thing is I was able to dig up in my old bedroom photos of you from high school! Look at you over 10 years ago!

I had no idea how lucky I was in high school. To share a city with you and be able to see you at least 5 days a week. We haven’t been able to do that since. With the way things have gone the last decade, I don’t think we’ll ever live in the same city again. When I think about this, it makes me feel a little hopeless. How can we get through never seeing each other? But then I quickly remember we’ve managed to talk for hours most days and are blessed to be able to visit at least once a year. I’m so thankful for this.

It’s also kind of awesome how well we get along despite our glaring differences. I think if we itemize everything, our list of differences would vastly outweigh our list of commonalities. I think my life is made richer not only by our friendship but the difference in perspective you always give me.

I’m so lucky to have grown up with you! Here’s to more growing up. Happiest birthday to you!

Lots and lots of love,
Linda

Making friends with people I routinely see is easy. Be along side someone everyday of the week and the chances of stumbling on some awesome commonalities go up. I think that’s why people label friends in their lives by venue. High school friend, college friend, neighbor friend, church friend, work friend, camp friend, Internet friend. We pay homage to the chapters and locations of our lives that made these friendships possible. As I’ve grown older and became more keen of life’s patterns, I recognized that most friendships don’t survive the ending of proximity. Most people I meet aren’t still in touch with their high school friends (My tiny high school and the friendships I see still fostered on Facebook are an aberration.) I’ve adored many coworkers but have managed to only keep 4-5 as friends after holding 10 jobs in my life time. I’m always saddened when I leave chapters not only because I know that life will be uncertain until I find my next groove, but also because I have to leave the people behind. There’s just not enough time and room for everyone you meet and share french fries with to continue on in your life.

My college friend, Deesh likes to remind me of that one time we took a final in our final semester in 2005 of college together. I had asked him if he thought we’d still be friends after college. He laughed because he couldn’t imagine it otherwise. Cynical, I just thought he was being a bit naive. Maybe he was, but it’s now been over 5 years since graduation and I’m having dinner with him Thursday. In September, I blogged that I was sad that Jessica moved away and got married and I mourned the loss of our friendship. Just a couple months later, we reunited for a weekend. Last year for VEDA, I watched 20-30 people post a vlog everyday for the month of August. It was our first year doing it and at the end, I thought, “Man, another chapter done. I probably won’t keep in touch with most of these awesome people.” Now I share a collab channel with four of the girls I met and tweet at a slew of them still. We make plans to meet each other even.

I wanted to take a moment and marvel at some of these friendships. My college friend Kym and I really just spent one summer together 5 years ago and yet I email her weekly. Kim and I met in 2001 in college and I email her DAILY and see her when I’m in Houston. Cindy and I only really shared a few months of living in the same town when we first met. I respect the importance and fond memories of friends whom life physically moved away and with them the friendship dissipated, but the friendships I managed to keep alive with emails, phone calls, chats, letters, and care packages, they really have a special place in my heart. You can say there’s no closer proximity than the friendships you carry with you.

This post is written in dedication to my BFF, a high school life friend.

An old coworker who relocated to a different state was in need of some cheering up. So I made her a “card” and had everyone at work sign it.

I got the idea from Tates Creates.

The only modification I made was to have two hands instead of one.

Our dearly missed recipient told us she was tickled pink.

Hello from San Angelo, Texas! I just uploaded this video and it’s 11:54pm. Talk about down to wire! Here is today’s VEDA submission. I take you around San Angelo and Eola, Texas.

Mark, the owner of Eola School Brewery, was such a character. He put in the running water, windows, roof, and doors of this rundown school. A one man show, he does the brewing, the cooking, the waiting, the busing, and the grounds keeping. I wished he had help so he could expand his brewery into supplying the grocery stores in surrounding towns. I have to say his passion is completely inspiring.

This week was kind of hard for me. My bestie was having a hard week and when she hurts, I hurt. My best dudie friend left for his hometown of NYC after a too short couple of days. My boyfriend’s sleep cycle has been completely opposite of mine with no overlap. He too is having a hard week, and when he hurts, I hurt. For the first time in my life, I kind of want to skip Valentine’s day. Normally I’d have wrapped gifts by now to send out to my gals around the country and something for my parents, but I still don’t have anything and I’m babysitting tonight. The joke about me is that you know something is seriously wrong, if I, Food Fanatic, skip a meal. Well something’s gotta be terribly wrong if I, Obnoxious Valentine’s Day Cheerleader, want to skip Valentine’s.

So, last night, these thoughts and bad moodifers were pulling me down when I grasped onto the idea of making chocolate chip cookies from scratch. I had all the ingredients sitting around, including Ghirardelli’s chocolate chips. Great quality chocolate chips! Off I went, measuring ingredients and cracking eggs and being completely present in the glory of making cookies. I felt at peace. Things were going to be okay. I was about to have my favorite, chocolate chip cookies. I got my hand mixer and turned it on, within seconds, it. died. on. me. It’s 20 something degrees outside and I really didn’t want to leave my toasty apartment but, these cookies had now become the holy grail of fixing piss poor moods. Grudgingly, I sent my best dudie friend who happened to be online, a bitchy rant. “I NEED COOKIES. MY MIXER BROKE. I’M NOW GOING TO PUT ON EIGHT LAYERS OF CLOTHING SO I CAN GO OUTSIDE IN TWENTY DEGREE WEATHER TO BUY A NEW MIXER. BYE.”

I made the dreaded trek. While parking at the grocery store, Boyfriend called and we got into an argument! He caught me at such a grouchy time. I snarled at him. Why do we do that? Snap at those we miss? My need for homemade cookies was all consuming now. I bought my mixer and went home.

Determined, I resumed cookie making. I didn’t feel completely defeated, just defeated enough to be pathetically crying into the cookie dough. I mixed the dough, dolloped two dozen sizable morsels of dough on my pans, stuck the pans in oven, and waited the instructed 10 minutes.

10 minutes later they came out burnt.

Burnt.

I went to bed.

After screaming.

The screaming maybe didn’t help.

This morning, feeling deflated and defeated, I updated best dudie friend’s facebook wall. “Cookies came out burnt. :(”

Less than an hour later I get a phone call while at work from a beloved and famed Austin cookie delivery bakery telling me they’re in the hallway outside my office with a package.

2 dozen cookies ranging from my beloved chocolate chip, to butter scotch, snickerdoodles, and oatmeal chocolate in a happy birthday box, 2 containers of ice cold milk, and happy birthday balloon.

The card contained a postscript: “P.S. If you get fat, no one will love you.”

I know who gave me the cookies.

A postscript of my own: My birthday is in July.