Highlights of 2009

(in no specific order)

*NYC bars with the Creep when the Yankees won the ALCS. Hanging out with the Creep is always a blast, but the whole city was pumped that night. Our first bar got us pretty buzzed. There was a lady sitting next to me at the bar and she had a dog next to her. It was a Boston terrier and had buggy eyes and was a little twitchy. I asked her if her dog was blind. Turns out, THE LADY was blind and this was her Seeing-Eye dog!!! hahahahaha!!!! I didn't see her eyes or walking stick before I asked the question. oops. Overall, a hilarious night with the Creep and his magic in getting hot chicks to talk to us.

*Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. A super-crew of Doug, Vanessa, Kzak, Steve, Bonnie, and myself camping in the rain and folking all day Saturday in the mud. Great tunes, great friends.

*Gallagher's fights at Boston Boxing. That kid can really wail. Good job, G- you have inspirational dedication, perseverance, and grit.

*Landing a freelance/contract job at Yellin McCarron

*Landing a full-time job at One to One Interactive

*Long weekend with the grandparents in Arizona. Despite the months of unemployment, this was a great getaway to get some much needed sun and chlorine. An abundance of melon, grapefruit and other fruits for breakfast every morning, and one dinner overlooking the desert sunset through the mountains. Gorgeous.

*Spring vacation in El Salvador. What a trip!! I ate so much Salvadorian food including ceviche, tons of papusas, and some 4am burritos!(which probably give me the 2-week stomach ache upon returning to the states). Tania, and her friends and I went to a beautiful black sand beach and a wild cow strolled right in front of us! We went to a lake in the inside of a massive crater/volcano! We even got tickets to the ES vs. USA World Cup qualifying match in San Salvador!!! I saw the poorest people I've ever seen by far in ES. The day I returned, I got laid off from work- wish they had told me before I left!

*Family reunion with the cousins. I hadn't seen some in about 10 years or more! It was great to see everyone again and meet all the new kids.

*Mt. Auburn cemetary with Bon. We couldn't have gone on a better autumn day. That place was absolutely beautiful and I was in awe the whole time. It honestly felt a bit out of this world. Graves start at $10K...

*Arnold Arboretum with Bon. That place is always fun to explore and we even found new spots! Doing a j in the 'redwood' looking section and getting lost in the surreal looking forest was a really fun adventure.

*Saturday night Adoration with Bon. A really amazing way to spend a Saturday night. I loved it.

*Groundwork/blueprints for chef/catering company begun! In my unemployment, I started really digging into how I might be able to monetize my passion for cooking without sitting in a restaurant's kitchen. Hopefully I can put more movement to the plan now that I have a full time job.

*MonsterJam with Sam for Valentine's Day. So loud and so much fun!!

*Soup Off vs. Becca. Her corn chowder vs. my exotic mushroom, tiger lily, and bamboo Hot and Sour soup?!? Please! How did I not win that?! The judges were bribed, I tell you.

*Men's Retreat and Men's Group. I've been looking for a great group of guys that I can both cut loose with and also talk about our faith with like Aaron, Chris, Mark, and Tom for a long time. So grateful for these guys, and these opportunities!

*Moved into Charlestown house. This place is dope and I am unbelievably lucky to live in such a house. Blows my mind every time I come 'home'.

*Dinner at Olives with Mom, Dad, Brett, Bon, Hank, and Rene. One of the best restaurants I've ever been to- probably in my Top 5 I think. Great atmosphere, company, service, and amazing food and drink. I forget what the occasion was, but I got a peek at the bill at the end of the night- wow.

*Bunker Hill Parade. Sitting right on my Charlestown steps, I got a great glimpse at Boston history and current people/events. It also reminded me how fun parades are.

*Montreal with Krissy, Jasmine, and Bon. It couldn't have been a better spring weekend to go! We made it up in record time and enjoyed the Botanical Gardens and Insectarium, Mass at the beautiful Notre Dame (with insane organ solo as everyone walked out), St. Joseph's Oratory, tons of crepes, and many parks/greenspaces in this lovely city. I can't wait to go back! Thank you Krissy!!

*Painting with and getting to know Tim K. It was really special getting to know Tim better and laugh at his hilarious sense of humor. He really cracks me up! Great guy, amazing and truly inspiring.

*Joining a summer lacrosse league! It was the first time I've played in 8 years!! I was pretty out of shape and underweight, but after a couple games, I started dogging some guys out there. It felt great to be playing again and I've been chomping at the bit for summer 2010 to come!