Looking backward and forward and sideways

Cheers, cheers to 2011 which was over about 36 hours ago now!  The main thought as tomorrow looms over me in a menacing way is that I need to seriously detox from the holidays and maybe from the year?  Perhaps 2012 will be easier on my liver?  That would be a good goal, but I'll pause before I commit to that.
I often hesitate to do a "Top 10 List" of a week, a year, a month, but there is something nice about reflecting on a year and the experiences that defined that year.  When I think about 2011, now well in the past tense, it seems that the year flew by.  Time is no longer marching along but seems to whirl at a quick pace, faster and faster with each year.  Maybe that's what happens as you get older?  Michael and I spent large chunks of time visiting family and friends, here in CA and other places near and far (Colorado, Texas, Las Vegas, the East Coast...).  While I have 'family' fatigue at the moment, over the past 12 months we enjoyed connecting with different cousins, siblings, nieces and nephews and other blood relations.  Michael and I are also thankful on a regular basis for the awesome dogs with whom we share our lives.  It's cheesy but true!
As for great discoveries or major moments of the year, we did have a few highlights:

•  Exploring the Central Coast (Paso Robles and environs) with my parents and on our own.

• Trying new places to eat that quickly became favorites: La Cabanita in Montrose and Umami Burger in LA come to mind!

• Avery Beer.  Amazingly good.  Need I say more?

Source

• The Wildflower Triathlon was one of the most amazing experiences for me.  While I can't repeat the thrill of the first time experience, I am looking forward to another awesome experience this May.  

• For both of us, feeling stronger, more comfortable and more confident on the bike!  While I still don't *love* cycling, I think that I'm getting the hang of it.

• Almost losing Gus, our dog, dealing with the stress of that and now spending a fortune on his special dietary needs!  He's pretty much fully recovered for which we are very appreciative.  (Although I'm not loving the farts right now for which I'm pretty sure he is responsible.

(I know, both of "the boys" are in the photo, but they're so darn cute that I couldn't help including them.  Plus, Tweedle De and Tweedle Dum - I do think of them together.)

There are countless great moments, some momentous, others small and quiet - 5 years of a shared life, frequent walks and hikes, some great runs and races, drives to the coast just to see the water, sharing a bowl of spicy noodles, laughing at myself, hitting the 100,000 mile mark in the car right around Santa Fe, playing in the snow.  Yep, 2011 did not disappoint!

2012 holds plenty of promise this early in the year.  A leap year. And an election year, which is both good and bad as the over-information can overwhelm.  However, it is also an Olympic year, and I am already looking forward to the Opening Ceremony in London!  On a personal note, I will be turning one of those significant numbers that end in -0, and in order to make the big four zero an awesome year, I signed up for the Boulder 70.3 which will either be a triumphant moment or an agonizing 'defeat' (do other people remember the Wide World of Sports "Thrill of victory and the agony of defeat" clip?).  We'll see how that all goes!  Finally, major travel plans if all goes well (Chicago, Pacific Northwest, Nicaragua).  

There are plenty of unknowns that are thrown into the mix, but that's the exciting part as I look ahead, anticipating a great year.