goodbye 36, hello 37!

I was planning on doing a retrospective on my 36th year, but Jill did it for me!

So, in condensed form, when I was 36, I:

• discovered I have plantar fasciitis and gave away almost all of my shoes!
  
• had knee surgery
• moved to Paris for the 3rd time
• welcomed my wonderful book club to Paris!
• moved back home
• had surgery on the other knee
• iced my knees every night for months
• enjoyed every minute of the last few weeks with Jessie
• said a tearful goodbye as my only sister moved far, far away
• was the recipient of so many acts of service
• killed many mice
• felt verklempt at seeing my oldest child start junior high
• loved having two sets of grandparents here for Lucas's baptism
• finally got our new carpet!!
• met some new blog friends
• got to enjoy Thanksgiving in Denver with my favorite people in the world (-Jessie and her family)
• completed some fun creative projects
• enjoyed a calmer Christmas season
• bemoaned the fact that our furnace (and our main circuit breakers) died two days before Christmas
• read a lot of good books
• learned how to do two kinds of bookbinding (Thanks, Amy!)
• held onto my word "free" -- I still need a lot of work in that department
  
• was the primary pianist
• took a lot of self-portraits
• had some nasty dental work done
• became a flosser
• missed Jessie every day for the past 7 1/2 months
• finally freed myself from the disastrous mess in my studio!!!
• enjoyed so many wonderful friendships

It's been a good year, despite the trials.

Jessie recently told me that 37 sounded really old. Katrina told me I've reached that age. When I asked what that age is, she delivered the bad news: it's the age when unwanted hair starts growing in all sorts of strange places. Huh. Well, despite the fact that I've apparently reached two not-so-pretty landmarks, I'm really looking forward to whatever 37 brings.