The Good and Bad of 2010

What even happened in 2010? I used to keep track of what happened month by month by the photos that we took (obviously not by blogging or journaling). Unfortunately I lost my camera and John lost the cable to his - so no real documentation. Thus this is my attempt to blog, in general the good and the bad of 2010.

Because I like to remember both sides of the story I'll recap both the good and the bad.

Thus the bad of 2010, so that we can end with the good.

In January I had just quit my first NY job as an office manager at a dental office on the UES because I disagreed with the owners sense of ethics. A man in a track-suit attempted to rob our apartment, took a dump in the crawl space, and was arrested promptly after he jumped off the second story porch, ran through the backyard, and down the alleyway whilst screaming "I didn't do it!". The 6'5", 250 lb. officer seemed quite thrilled after the chase. Finally they took him away - only one full day since he had been released from prison.

Then in February I quit my second job as a dental office manager in Staten Island because a better job offer and because, once again, I disagreed with the owner's sense of ethics. The leak from the closet in the hall begins to increase.

March, April, and May contained lots of free food from my new job (good and bad I guess). These months also included the period in which we did not have a working toilet and occasionally no working shower. The leaky closet has now produced a permanent lake in the hallway.

In June, John was weighed down more than ever with work from school and left for Paris NYU (good for him, not that great for me). Lake Hallway has now completely formed.

In July John was still in Paris. Unbearable heat and humidity continue as well as our lack of any air-conditioning type relief. Lake Hallway sat pretty no matter how many times I cleaned it up.

In August I was laid off and joined the unemployed forces. Lake Hallway, need I say more?

September brought a lot of "what do I do with my life" questions. Got sick for the first time in years. Lake Hallway.

October hung over John with another mass of work. We paid $1600+ for tickets back to Salt Lake for the Christmas season - we felt robbed to say the least. And most sad of all my Grandma Allen became ill and was admitted to the hospital only a few days after having a pace maker implanted. A damn was thankfully produced by our landlord in pipe valley and Lake Hallway became no more.

November was the beginning of what I call the "sick period", three viruses, one right after the other and peaking at Bronchitis - which still has yet to end. And because I ignored being ill and continued to go to the gym and activities, the forces of nature thought it befit to reward me with the coordination of a drunken monkey and a lovely fall over a crack in a driveway at 6 am on Black Friday morning and sprain my ankle - which also has yet to completely heal.

In December I was asked to call back after an interview for an insurance job in NJ and another as a paralegal for an estate law firm on 5th ave and 34th. I made the decision to not call back as I had already booked tickets to go to Utah. Which normally wouldn't be enough of a reason as getting a new job (an extremely important goal for me right now). But spending time at home with family is more important to me at this time - I feel it was the right decision, but it's still difficult to think of the potential I left hanging there.

That was some heavy stuff. Onto the good.

Last January John gifted me a card with a puppy on the front for my Birthday. Two weeks later Spartacus Gough arrived home for the first time. He was incredibly timid when we carried him through the mall where the store was located and when we went to PetSmart to buy supplies. But after we went to bed he spent all night and all the next day playing with his talking stuffed animal! Tried magnolia bakery for the first time. Stayed up until dawn and had a dance party with our friends Viola and Teo on New Years.

In February John's Mom and sister Julianne came to spend time with us in NY. We enjoyed filling our time with art museums and local restaurants.

March brought Sparky and Sundae together on a play date that included three hours of wrestling and the occasional break to mark my kitchen floor. All play dates now take place outdoors.

April . . . I have no idea what happened during this month. Except that spring is absolutely beautiful in New York. I discovered a new favorite, flowering almond trees and another I have yet to find the name of.

In May John was accepted to present his paper at the University of Arizona for a Medieval conference on Medieval torture. He was so spectacular that they decided to publish his paper! At some point we went to a Bavarian restaurant in the backwoods of Staten Island. Eating out is a favorite activity of ours, but I tend to forget many of the places we visit. This place was special however and will forever be burned into my memory. Mostly due to a 10 year old performing soloist, non-alcoholic beer, and horrible food.

In June I threw John a surprise birthday party in our backyard. On his actual birthday we went to Birdland and tried out one of Gordon Ramsey's restaurants called The Maze. John was given an all expenses paid trip and stipend to attend a writing class at NYU Paris and manage a dormitory of students. He even had time to explore the city and eat Steak and Frites for Lunch and Dinner - every day. Before he left, he planted a garden with hanging plants and lanterns for me!

In July, John continued to bask in the warmth of Paris. My parents resolved part of my loneliness by coming out to visit me and Sparky in NY. We saw the King Tut exhibit, the Frick, and Mary Poppins on Broadway. We spent the 4th of July weekend in Washington D.C. and explored Georgetown and the National Mall museums. After my parents left I went to a LDS stake Young Women's girls camp. It was a fantastic gig for me. I went to a few meetings, put a few things together, drove a few people to the camp site, and led a skit night. And in return I got free meals, a free bed, and didn't have to do any real cleaning.

John came home in August and I got to go on another trip to D.C. to visit his old MTC friend Richard and his cute pregnant wife Sarah (I like that they named their son after Miles Davis). We spent our time in the suburbs of D.C. (very pretty) and explored the National Mall museums (still enjoyed it on my fourth visit there).

In September John began teaching at NYU. He bought an awesome light-saber and a slew of other historical swords that are now displayed on our walls. I now call our apartment the man den (good to one, bad to the other).

October brought more swords. Sparky was made to wear a cute pumpkin costume to the ward Halloween party. Took a trip out to Hoboken, NJ to the shop of The Cake Boss (a t.v. series) and discovered amazing views of NYC. Found the best dumplings in NYC at a street vendor. Discovered our new favorite french NYC restaurant called Lucien's on the LES.

November we went to the Macy's Day parade with our friends the Donovans and the Walkers. We ate Thanksgiving dinner at the officer's club on 34th street. I went Black Friday shopping for the first time with Patty, Ali, and Tiffany. John and I took a trip to Ikea and remade over our little apartment. And best of all, we heard the great news that John's sister Anneleisa and Stanton are engaged to be married!

In December John finished most of his required writing - a huge relief. Had a date night in Brooklyn, which included fresh oysters, the Chocolate Room (yum!), and TRON (our current favorite movie of 2010). Made our way to The Counter in Times Square. Traveled home for the holidays and are currently enjoying ourselves to the max with family and friends.

The End 2010.

Welcome 2011!