2009

And so winds down the best year of my life. Seriously, it will be hard to top. 2009 is the year I became a college graduate, a homeowner, and a mother (and all within 2 months of each other). This is the year I proved how strong I am and how much I could give of myself for someone else. I could keep going, but I think you all get the point. This was an awesome year.

I don't know why, but for some reason Adam and I have more original (you know, not from our families of origin) traditions linked to New Year's than any other holiday. We may have missed a year or so on them, but for the most part we: have chinese food, drink sparkling cider at midnight, and I make a year in review book. I think I'm adding one this year: to watch Up. I watched it tonight with my parents and Jackson (Adam's at work for another hour) and I was so inspired with its message and it being New Year's Eve. One of the things I do in my year in review book is my favorite books and movies of the year. So without further ado,

Books- I gave 9 books (out of the 104 I read this year) 5 stars. These books are:

The Hunger Games (and its sequel Catching Fire) by Suzanne Collins
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
Why We Can't Wait by Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding by Ina May Gaskin
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Movies

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Up
The Hangover
I Love You, Man
The Proposal
Sunshine Cleaning

And I'm pretty sure these would have made the list had I gotten around to seeing them: Where the Wild Things Are, Sherlock Holmes, Whip It, Precious, and Star Trek.