2007

This was -at the same time- the best and worst year of my life. But I would never trade it or relive it, because there were so many lessons.

#1: Love is out there and you are worthy of it. Yes, I know it sounds like some sort of self-help BS but for the first 2 months of the year I had the most fantastic boyfriend who doted on me in every way I have ever wanted to be doted upon. Of course, the third month, it went away... but it wasn't all his fault. I got stressed. And I started to figure out what I really wanted, and he (through no fault of his own, as he is a lovely person) turned out not to be it. But I have now learned that love is indeed out there, and that some day when the time is right and the planets all line up correctly with the stars, I will have it on my terms.

#2: You are stronger than you think you are. I am forever leaping out of my comfort zone and I think I do it just to push myself to failure... but you know what, whether I succeed or fail I always land on my feet. Attitude is everything.

In most cases, I choose the push - a new job, a new city (which I failed at the first time), a new shot at an old love. I conquered 2 of the 3, and that third one... well, Mr. Colorado had a helping hand in the failure of that situation. (Which, to be quite honest - SUCKED. But now I know for sure that he is not The Real Mr. Liz.)

In some cases your comfort zone just gets yanked from underneath you. Like in March when my dad died. I love my father and I respect everything he ever did for our family because I know that no matter how flawed his execution, the THEORY behind his actions was always that we (his family) would have a better life and be better people. But... maybe I'm in a new comfort zone without him. Because now when I think of my dad, it's along the lines of what a great life he set us up with, what a great place he left my mother in, and how nice it is to enjoy the Vermont House without worrying that he's pissed at us or just one misplaced snowboot away from being very pissed at us. And man was it nice to have Thanksgiving and Christmas with the WHOLE family and ALL thier significant others! Rockette's GF would never ever have been allowed to partake in our happy festivities... which would never have been as happy without her around. :)

#3: Something good is just around the corner. Call it hope, faith, optimism, hippie BS or whatever you like, but if you're going through hell it's just your turn on the Wheel of Life. There is something better coming along, if you just wait it out.

Surprises for me this year turned out to be:

* meeting Noodles
* working for Mr. T. and subsequently meeting the fantastic people who make up our company
* a random trip to Paris with the Oakley crew, and that fabulous bottle of Sauterne to crown one of the best meals of my life
* meeting P and Kitty
* discovering Coco Chanel Mademoiselle perfume (which could almost turn a gay guy straight...)
* meeting The Darlings up in Aspen - Mrs. Darling especially!
* Aspen and the surrounding area (did you see the pics of my fall hike to the bells?!?)
* my new (uh - new to me) car, I can't believe it is mine and I love it
* the Dynastars I was dying for going on sale!!
* seeing my friend Cowdaddy and his wife and their three kids, at home in the middle of nowhere, TX
* watching my sister's happiness unfold as she bought a house and began a life with The Canadian and her sons
* bike riding through the hill country of Texas to simultaneously fight cancer and catch up with old friends from all over the country who randomly had decided to do the same!
* finding out that the real reason I moved back to Colorado still holds true - I love it and I am just not as happy living anywhere else

I'm not gonna sugar coat it, a lot of stuff was not so lovely about 2007. But with that list above, how could I ever be sorry that I went through this past year?

Happy New Year, everyone. May your year ahead be full of THE BEST experiences in your life yet! :)