I can tell that we are gonna be friends.

There are cardboard boxes still folded over and stacked up in my living room, but I am unpacked. What a feeling.

It did not come without struggle, thanks to my nostalgic tendencies, but everything has its place (almost) and my new home is looking glorious. I absolutely love it. I feel serene, relaxed and comfy cozy in my new walls.

I love it so much that I find it hard wanting to leave my living room and the sound of my record player to go exploring. Well, that and I’m getting over the plague. But I peeled myself off the couch and have started to wander around the greater part of my new home.

It seemed like I waited days to receive my first piece of mail that wasn't junk as I was impatiently waiting to get my new library card. Since I don't have a Washington license, this is required in order for them to hand over the goods. Now I feel intellectually connected that I am the proud owner of a Seattle Public Library Card.

I've also found the nearest Target and have paid them two visits. Balance.

On my first night out with one of my girlfriends that lives up here, Sarah, we found ourselves in the funky streets of Fremont. I've visited this area before on previous trips, but it very much reminds me of the weirdness of Portland and I'm pretty sure I'll find my corner there as I had such a good time walking on its sidewalks last night and today. We went to The Dubliner, an Irish bar as the date of March 17th calls for us all to become Irish or a descendant of some famous leprechaun, then found ourselves food that wasn't Shepherd's pie and additional libations at Dad Watsons. The best part of this night for me was unknowingly finding a parking spot right by the troll underneath the Aurora Bridge. I know most wouldn't find such excitement in the presence of an unsightly troll (especially if your surname is Sheen), but it happens to star in one of my favorite movies and seeing that concrete face of disgust on St Patty's night, brought me great joy. On our ride home, the downtown city skyline was to our right, all lit up, and I couldn't believe it was my time to be apart of this city.

In another internal dispute this morning, I thought it would be a good idea to maybe get some work done on my upcoming term being that I have no material whatsoever prepared. To further convince myself to remove thy booty from thy cushion, I gave myself permission to do some not-so-window shopping before I found a cute cafe and got to work. Back in Fremont, I rummaged through 99 cent bins of Vinyl to find a few select gems I had been looking for and of course, walked away with ones I now could not live without. Some Simon with his boy Garfunkel, some Elton, Billy, and Tommy James & The Shondells ("Crimson & Clover" is one of my faves of all time). My record collection is really starting to fill out.

Afterward, I was innocently walking to my car to find this cafe, when the words "Wine Warehouse" invaded my line of vision. I stopped in. Just to look around, of course.

I met Michael, the owner of this mecca of wine. He told me about the special events, the free tastings they have on Fridays (did I mention it was Friday?) and I left the store happily with some vino and now as a member of this great establishment. I have already received an email of upcoming events that I can't wait to attend. Now I feel Oenologically connected.

Eventually, I found my cafe. What I didn't find in my bag that I packed so well, was my laptop. Oh well. I guess work will have to wait.

Moments: The Twenty-Ten Edition

My greatest fear is inevitable; the moment will pass and I will still be here, reveling in its magic.

2010 was filled with such moments. And THE moments of all moments.

I remember my first [well, one of] moment of 2010. I was in the back of a cab that was driving around in circles. No, this memory was not induced by a champagne toast; I have other witnesses to attest to this occurrence. He was literally driving in a circle.

My year was kind of like this. Having directions, the GPS was set, yet I wasn’t quite sure where I was going or what would happen. And I had my friends along for the ride, laughing at the hilarity of all situations. And there were many. Far too many to list in a blog and complicated with “insideness” that would probably just irritate you. Unless you are one of these people.

January.

[Egyptian Theater-Downtown Park City, Utah]

Park City. This trip will go down in the books as one of my favorites in this lifetime. And yes, I can confidently say lifetime…presuming that I’ll live an average-aged life to mid 80’s [or so, if I’m feeling really ambitious]. The atmosphere alone can make one fall in love with this locale. Jon Gosselin even tried to kill my Polygamy Porter buzz by stealing my cab, but the snow-packed streets had already warmed the heart of this one.

Memorable Moment(s): In a long weekend with one of my favorite girlfriends, Sarah, I saw 6 independent films, all awesome (how often do you get SIX for SIX!?), asked the adorable Joseph Gordon-Levitt a question about his dark film ‘Hesher’ in a Q&A after the film, and brushed elbows with a little known star I like to call Adrian Grenier. No literally, I turned to find the restroom and there were his curly locks, 7 inches above my stocking-capped head. And to think, the entire vision I had of what Sundance would be like came from his show…’Entourage.’

Full circle.

February.

[Pacific Ocean - Seal Rock, Oregon]

Newport. I’ve made a tradition of visiting this coastal town annually every February since I hit my 252nd month [that's 21 years for those of you measuring life in years] for their amazing Seafood & Wine Festival. It never disappoints. This year, my book club or better known as BRB, the Book Reading Babes, rented a house and made a weekend of it. We already have our place for February 2011 booked.

Yum to the Vin-O!

March.

[The Best French Toast in the universe- Cafe Nola, Bainbridge Island, Washington]

Seattle. The first of 4 trips I would take to our Northern neighbor in 2010 was to have a girl’s weekend. One of my great friends, Carey, flew out from New York to unite with us Pacific Northwesterners.

Memorable Moment: Café Nola. Located on Bainbridge Island just a ferry ride west of Seattle, this adorable eatery is the crafter of the best French Toast I’ve ever consumed. If you know me, you know I don’t speak lightly of “favorites” and I usually find it incredibly difficult to discern between numbers 1 and 7. There are no doubts here. We applauded after the meal.

Do yourself and your mouth a favor and make reservations.

April.

[Love Park - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]

Philly. My lovely friend Allison moved East to pursue her Doctorate in PT and I decided that spring time would make for a nice visit. My other adventurous pal, Megan, also happened to be residing on the East coast at that time in Boston and we decided that the city of brotherly love would make for a great rendezvous.

Memorable Moment: I’d been on the ground about 2 hours and had just dropped my bags off with Allison. I was looking for the set of Robert DeNiro and Bradley Cooper’s movie [obviously] and stumbled upon LOVE park. Funny. When you’re looking for other things, love just sneaks up on you.

Also, reenacting Rocky with Megan on the infamous steps of the Art Museum…without ever watching Rocky. Don’t judge. I know, it’s almost as bad as being a die-hard-poo-talking Oregon fan and never stepping foot on the Eugene campus. I digress, we’re talking about good things here…

June.

[Archery Summit Vineyard artwork - Dundee, Oregon]

Wine Country. Park City Sarah [For which she will be called the duration of this blog] and I have quite the affinity for grapes [preferably fermented] and try to experience as much of Oregon wine country as possible. So to celebrate my 26^th year she planned an extravagant tour of wine country.

Memorable Moment: Sitting on the patio of our first vineyard stop, Archery Summit, closing my eyes and just breathing that fresh Oregon air. What an invigorating feeling.

Oh, I also got a tattoo.

July.

[La Playa del Amor - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico]

Cabo. The best friend, her roommates and I planned a summer vacation to our Southern brethren. Well I guess Americans use the term, “brethren” conveniently. You know, when we want to enjoy its beautiful rays we say, “brethren”; when they want to enjoy the opportunity of our land and what’s left of employment we say, “illegal immigrants.” Flip-Flop.

We stayed in a marina-side resort in the heart of Cabo and filled our tummies with Mexican food, our skin with melanoma, and our livers with, well, with adult beverages.

Memorable Moment: I took a little glass bottomed-boat ride to Lover’s beach or “La Playa del Amor” if we are using the native tongue, and it rivaled some of the beaches I experienced in the Mediterranean. Uh May Zing.

Mama K’s Wedding. One of my great college gal pals, Mama K married her OSweetheart in the most luxurious affair of the year. I had the incredible honor of serving as one of her maids and giving a toast. For some reason, I can never hold it together when I’m discussing emotions and began crying in the first sentence. I think it went well.

[Waterfront - Downtown Portland, Oregon]

Memorable Moment: Right before Mama K took center stage, we were anxiously awaiting the phone call to summon us down to wedding headquarters. By “we” I mean the bridesmaids. Mama K was as calm as ever. The phone rang, she stood up looking ever-so glamorous, and we followed our girl in tow to marry her guy. What a wonderful day.

August.

[Fountains at the Bellagio - Las Vegas, Nevada]

Vegas. Park City Sarah and Allison [Philly] and I decided we needed a get-a-way to reunite. The three of us met serving as loyal tour guides of the great Oregon State University back in 2004. During that time, we took a beach trip to Lincoln City and cleverly dubbed it “BT ’06”-Beach Trip 06. We needed something to top such an adventure. [For those of you who aren't Oregonians, Lincoln City is about 2.5 hours away from where we lived. You now see why the adventure was necessary]

We named this one VT ’10. And my did it blow BT ’06 out of the water.

Memorable Moments: Vocally assaulting the Bellagio (by Bellagio, I mean whoever was in front of the Bellagio in earshot) for daring to play a Faith Hill song during the upscale fountain show that usually plays the likes of Andrea Bocelli and Elton John, meeting Italian friends and eating at the Brazilian Steakhouse, Samba.

The other moments are meant to stay in Vegas. And will. Until my aforementioned death in my mid 80’s.

Crater Lake.

[The Lookout - Crater Lake, Oregon]

I found myself troubled with my Oregon identity and being able to label myself as an Oregonian with never setting foot on arguably the most famous of Oregon soils. Crater Lake. So it was decided! I woke up one day, called my friends Chris and Lisa, and asked if they’d be down for a brief camping trip to the landmark of all Oregon landmarks.

Memorable Moment: The drive seemed to be taking forever. You know one of those ones where you’re so ridden with excitement that every time you see a sign mentioning the name of your destination you think you’re almost there and should see noticeable definitions of the place any minute now? The are-we-there-yet syndrome was kicking in at full notch and just when I thought I couldn’t stand it another moment, into clear view came Crater Lake. I nearly jumped out of the moving automobile that I was operating, to run to it.

All good things come to those who wait.

September.

School started and thus, ending my adventures. I did sneak in one last jaunt of summer freedom to Seattle :).

October.

[Waiting for the shuttle that would never come - Corvallis, Oregon]

Homecoming. I planned a little reunion trip to our college town with my college pals. Yes, I know, now that I teach and “spend” a lot of time there, what could I possibly need a reunion for? Basically, I arrive when class begins and depart when it ends. I don’t “spend” random time there. And it is a completely different experience being an instructor compared with being a student and not being surrounded with your closest network of friends.

Memorable Moment: Tailgating and revisiting our pedestrian roots that we grew so familiar with in our undergrad years.

November.

[The Cutest Baby Feet Ever]

Olivia. I’m not certain if the memory is still so vivid because of its recency or if I will be able to recall it with so much emotional clarity in years to come. I hope I will be able to. But what I will always keep with me is the knowledge of how incredibly much my world transformed and the growth of my heart on November 13^th 2010.

December.

[Mount Hood, Oregon]

[Deschutes Brewery - Bend, Oregon]

Bend. We took a quick trip to Central, OR with New York Carey, Shayna and her boyfriend Josh to Carey's parent's abode. It snowed immensely, we made snow angels, and visited Oregon's breweries. I've been to Sam Adam's in Boston which is arguably one of the more popular national breweries. I realize the popularity of their [mediocre] beer. But they have nothing on Deschutes.

And still…Olivia.

Memorable Moment: Watching that girl grow. My oh my.

The Rituals. Even with these amazing adventures, my year would be unfulfilled without ‘True Blood’ Sundays in the summer with Park City Sarah and Jenn, that transform into NBC Thursdays or Glee Tuesdays [accommodating to schedules] with S, my phone dates with my favorite East coasters, the daily and vital chats with the best friend, the monthly BRB meetings discussing our latest good read and the necessary Happy Hours with good friends.

The 'iDo's' & 'iWills.'

[Northern Lights Christmas Tree Farm - Pleasant Hill, Oregon]

And to the Farber's [see July], McBride's McDonald's and Starr's, I'm in adoration of your strong bonds with your now spouses, and your oh-so-different nuptial gatherings were blissful. Whether in the fanciness of downtown Portland, the beachside of Otter crest or in the midst of a farm on a clear and perfect Oregon summer's night, I wish you eternal joy.

To those three mighty special women who have been such prominent people not only in my 2010, but in my life [Nicole-20 years of friendship, Kristen-we are going on 17 years I believe and JGonz-we're working on 7], I am elated for your engagements. More so, I am glad your guys understand and appreciate the true unique beauty of not only the outside, but of your hearts and minds. Mazel Tov, my friends. He should've and did put a ring on it.

I revel in all these memories; the large and momentous to the routine and random that intervene the ordinary. That’s where the inside jokes are made. That’s where life resides.

There’s no telling what this next year will bring, but I will be sure to buckle up. After all, safety first. And no one wants a ticket.

Even if I am just driving around in circles.