The Daily Sabs

2011 is beginning much like 2010 ended: tasty eats, nerdiness, good pals, and warm drinks. today our gang started off with star wars pancakes, met up with jenny l for some oversized lunch, and ended it playing lasers with the pup.

but before we really get into this year, let's have a quick peek back at 2010.

2010 was a strange year. there was a lot of just hunkering down and figuring out life. plus a bunch of domestic travel. it started by being the year of doing (classes, volunteerism, etc.), had a brief time where fun got thrown out of wack, and ended with a whirlwind where did the time go. not everything was pleasant, but it was all life. here are the highs and lows as i remember them.

1 - grandma e.
i hate to start the list off with bad news, but she was a trooper of a woman who was never afraid to speak her mind. her funeral was also my first ever. i was sort of dumbfounded by how she looked, and have to admit that it was difficult to see her that way. visiting the midwest for the brief period of time was also surreal. family, to say the least, is a complicated organism.

2 - new york, ny.
although the trip was cut short, and started off with pretty tragic news, it was still an amazing visit. i hadn't been back since december 2001, and it was a definitely a trip that was way past due. so many good eats and good friends to see. to be honest, i'd move there in a heartbeat. the fever is definitely back.

3 - four eyes
i spent my whole childhood life wanting glasses. i ended up being one of two family members who didn't need them (and this is extended family we're talking about). i eventually decided i was glad not to have them, only to be told i do need them. go figure.

4 - say something funny
this year i finally took an improv class. it's something i'd been wanting to do for about 15 years and finally got around/got the guts to do it. you can even see part of our "graduation" show.

5 - stand back, i've got a badge
i put out a fire, triaged a disaster scene, learned how to turn off all the utilities, how to lift people out of a building, and how to get them out from under a building. i also learned which buildings were safe, how to tell if it was safe, and what to do if it's not. the sffd's free NERT program is amazing. i've got a badge to show off, and i'm ready for the emergency.

6 - i failed my first class ever
for some reason i have never gotten around to getting my motorcycle license. scottel told me to 13 years ago, but i finally decided to try this year. randall and i took a class that would have us skipping the driving test at dmv. only caveat was that you had to pass their test. i didn't, i crashed the bike instead.

7 - ordinary skeeple
laura, shin, and karen talked me into joining the brewskeeball league. we sort of sucked, but it was loads of fun. i don't know if i'll continue because it cuts into other things, but it was definitely awesome

8 - 26
i finally started volunteering at 826 valencia. i help out on wednesdays for the bayfarer newspaper. it's sort of fun to watch the kids' story ideas evolve into full blown articles, even if they are about justin bieber.

9 - victor yang's world premiere
chris's film premiered in la, and we all took a mini vacation to celebrate with him. complete with kyochan chicken.

10 - there's too much to take in
as i say every year, a year is hard to summarize in 10 neat bullet points. life is too messy and fun for that. some things that i am looking back on are: oysterfest, octoballs/dumpling food parties, ballet outing with le chuck, a singing telegram birthday, hanging with baby goats, the great macaron adventure, i finally figure out how to successfully play poker, kayaking in the bay, baby jamers graduating and heading to college, 4 years at sugar (hello to new coworkers, farewell to old friends), games team family, jelly belly factory tours, my favorite haircuts ever, a stupid roast chicken obsession, great america f yah, so many wee ones, a new not-so-mini minicar, epic shows (jonsi twice even), goodbye and hello to little b, layton outfits, ticker tape parade, so many nerd fridays, and of course this here trip to portland.

i don't have any expectations for 2011. we'll just have to see what we get. but here's hoping it's a good one for all of us.

happy new year pals!
xo,
-sabs.

ps. as a bonus, here's 2010's list of cities (places I spent at least one night). as you can tell we've been keeping it close this year. if i have my way 2011 is going to blow this year's out of the water.

San Francisco, CA
Beverly Hills, CA
New York, NY
Blue Earth, MN
Mather, CA
Portland, OR

and now for today's eye-candy.

As 2008 draws to a close, I figured I’d do what every other site is doing and make a list. So here, in a somewhat designated order, are my top ten most memorable moments of 2008.

1 – Randall and I finally got married.
It was amazing to see all of our family members -- some of whom traveled half way across the country and some who traveled half way across the world — and our oldest and dearest friends, as well as some newer faces all in one place. It was a long time coming (engaged for four years!) and wouldn’t have been the same without you all. The Part Two banquet was also a big highlight.

2 – I am no longer twenty-something.
This year I turned 30 and threw a big karaoke party. Also, I am no longer in the coveted 20-something target demographic, which means I can finally not be embarrassed by the fact that I do not know a bunch of things meant for the 20-something target demographic.

3 – I did a lot of nothing in Costa Rica.
We went there for our honeymoon. I wanted to stay forever. Doing nothing was grand, but so was ziplining, waterfall rappelling, and hanging out with monkeys too.

4 – I shot a gun.
I decided that turning 30 meant crossing off something I never wanted to do, so I went to a firing range. I am pretty terrified of guns, and decided that if I ever was in a situation where one was involved, I might as well know how to deal with it. In other news, I am a pretty accurate shot.

5 – I ate and drank so many delicious things at the Food and Wine Classic in Aspen.
A certain miss partysugar and I had a grand ol’ time in Aspen. It was a lot of work, but loads of fun. It was also the perfect way to say farewell to Yum. Speaking of which, that brings us to number six.

6 – I spent a summer in the Tiger Tank.
While 12-hour work days weren’t exactly a highlight of the year, the Tiger Tank time signified a big change in my life. It was here that I went from Yum to On, and where OnSugar finally came together. Spending several weeks in a room with 4 other co-workers, 2 fabulous interns, and Brian would leave a mark on your memory too.

7 – Sushi dog joins the family.
My sister and Chris got an adorable corgi/mini eskimo puppy and named her Sushi. Since this is the closest I have ever come to having my own dog, I think it deserves a place on the list.

8 – There were some amazing shows.
I can’t decide between an acoustic set in the dark by Murray from the Dears, or the short set by Liam Finn at Bottom of the Hill. The first was intimate and mesmerizing during a power outage, the second was electrical and mindblowing in a tiny venue. Oh and then there was Sigur Ros who freaking made it rain during the encore. It’s too tough to call, so they can all share number 8.

9 – I walked into a door and required stitches.
Again, not a highlight, but worth mentioning. My first bonafide accident injury/trip to the ER was a result of my own stupidity. I walked into the edge of a glass door (in my defense, I was trying to be a good samaritan and was distracted) and bled all over the mall. It’s a long convoluted story, but suffice to say, I ended up at the ER and never want to go back to Stonestown.

10 – I took a flight indoors.
I almost forgot, but the indoor skydiving adventure was definitely a neat one. It felt opposite of regular skydiving in that you’re floating instead of falling. Everyone should give it a try.

A year really is too difficult to sum up in 10 bullet points, so here are some honorable mentions:
Election night, a trip to Mexico, everybody’s weddings (we definitely weren’t the only ones with a 2008 date in mind), ike’s, hubert keller, the neph covered in cake, goats, a gocco machine, such pork, new friends, old friends, and all of you.

happy new year.
i hope 2009 rocks your socks.

xoxo,
-sabs.