Bonus! A Look Back at 2012

It's that time of year again to reflect back on the year and look forward into the unknown new year ahead.  WARNING! Lots of photo's and links cause I just had to end the year with a bang!

Here's a brief rundown of my year:

MMDG Bout in Jan

January started out pretty derby heavy as I started traveling to nearby leagues to help NSO.  It was a good learning experience and just what I needed to start feeling more confident in my knowledge and skills.

February put me on my very own skates and I got my but kicked at Derby! U. Not to mention I was horribly out of shape and still am!  It's pretty sad to add that I still don't know how to do cross-overs or stop effectively. Maybe I will try again this spring.

March brought an early spring and some new and exciting adventures! I registered for the WFTDA Officials Clinic in Toronto, was accepted to officiate Brewhaha in Milwaukee, and discovered a new local bar, Clubhouse BFD which became an instant favorite.  I also got to meet an idol of mine, Henry Rollins!

Officials Meeting before Brewhaha

April was apparently not as fun, based on Facebook status updates I spent most of April sick or tired. Must be allergy season! I did get to take in a Piston's Game with Ian and I believe they lost.

May was a countdown to Brewhaha and getting pumped for my high school's production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Oh and an impromptu trip downtown with my sister to see Mayer Hawthorne.

June. BREWHAHA FINALLY! My first trip out of state with people that I was not related to! So much fun was had, so many new friends made! This was also the conclusion of my first home season with the Detroit Derby Girls. Ian and I went to my new favorite venue, the Crofoot and saw Mickey Avalon and The Millionaires.

Backstage Crew of JCS

July had the privilege of hosting not only my engagement but my marriage to the bestest derby husband ever, an amazing Rollies where I won Staff Rookie of the Year, and the construction, performance, and conclusion of Jesus Christ Superstar.  As a present to my sister for her graduation, I took her downtown to see Fiona Apple.  There were also a lot of rocky days in July that prompted some new life changes. Can't take the good without the bad.

A Sam Adams at Cheers

August started out in Boston with my sister visiting my aunts. A trip to Toronto for the WFTDA Officiating Clinic was soon after and I finished out the month in Lincoln, Nebraska! I couldn't ask for a better month for self discovery!  And I also got my awesome first tattoo from Inky Gash!

September saw one last trip as I headed across Canada to Niagara Falls for the WFTDA North Central Regional Championships. And if that wasn't derby enough, it also started off DDG's 8th season with the Fresh Meat Faceoff!

NC Regional Champs

October brought my 30th year on this planet and big life changes. This was also a time of reflection as I worked my 2nd Mitten Kitten tournament and remembered how far I have come.

November the start of my new blog! and the start of the busy season; derby, friends, family and food!

December is still fresh in my mind. Well at least the memories not whipped out by alcohol!  There were shenanigans, and Mike and I's 16th Anniversary, and the Karaoke Kristmas.  Looking back on a great year and looking ahead to what I hope is an even better one! 

...And A Partridge in A Pear Tree

After a little break I am back.

It's been a busy holiday season that isn't quite over for me yet, but the brunt of it is done.

Each year Mike and I have multiple gatherings to attend, and by multiple I mean 5 family gatherings, a few work parties, and a Christmas Eve birthday party for a friend.  Not to mention the extras that we get invited to as well.  Our calendar usually ends up pretty full, and it usually causes Mike to whine a bit cause all he wants to do is go upstate and avoid it all.  Thankfully, he was laid off this December and he was able to work going up state in between most of our obligations.

Chewbacca?

I enjoy it all for the most part, and of course there are some get-togethers that I enjoy more than others.  This year I was able to attend a Karaoke Kristmas that was hosted by the DDG's Devils Night Dames. I had an absolute blast!  I think Mike's favorite so far was the neighbor's party, where he got to eat some awesome Polish food and try the venison neck roast he's been donating the past few years.  Though I would bet we would both put our friend's birthday party at the top of the list, especially since I kept winning at Shut the Box.  And who's going to forget the year I came home from my aunts with a wookie costume*?

We have one more family get-together in a few weeks, this time its a Merry Canadian Christmas. I was the only one who suggested smuggling the Maple Flavored Crown Royal back into that country as that stuff is downright awful but no one got the joke. I was trying to return it, get it?  But anyway, that will be the end of Christmas for us, well, except for the tree that's still up, and the lights outside.

I hope everyone reading had a delightful holiday season as well.  Feel free to share the number of events you had to attend in the comments, I would love to hear that I am not the only crazy one.  If I count every function, I am at a total of 11 just for me.

*Oh, hey there footnote! The costume is for the upcoming Detroit Derby Girls bout on February 2nd.  The 501st Legion will be attending and making it an official Star Wars event!  

Edit (01/01/13): I found out over the weekend that I won 2nd place in the Karaoke contest! I am still amazed! I love my DD Girls & Guys!

Starting & Finishing Projects

My mother's family has always been all about peace, love, and rock 'n' roll.  And it's no surprise that many, many years ago, my Aunt Ronnie made light up peace signs for a few of her siblings to hang on the house at Christmas.  My mother's was silver and blue and I always loved the way it looked hanging on our porch each year.  Unfortunately, in the divorce my father got all of the holiday decorations, and that peace sign made its way down to Tennessee in the back of his little Ford sedan. I always said I was going to make myself a new one.  And the idea would always come to me in the middle of December when the key item I needed was a hula hoop. Try finding a hula hoop in December. My youngest sister happened to pick me up a hoop earlier this year and when I was digging around in my own decorations, I came across some lighted garland that I wasn't using any more.  And the project actually came together!

Not only did I manage to get that done on Saturday, I also started and nearly completed my Christmas Shopping. I know right? 3rd of December and I am almost done!  I did most of my shopping on Amazon and picked up a few things on my other favorite site, ThinkGeek.  I have been receiving email after email that my packages have been shipped and I can't wait to start getting everything in the mail. Mike and I still need to go out and get our Christmas tree, but I did get some decorations up inside the house and the lights up outside.  I actually bought some additional lights this year and did more than my front porch.  Which means, come January 1st when I try to take them down it will be 40° below.  I even listened to a little Christmas music while I cooked and shopped online. Oh! I'll turn it on again now! I haven't really been in the Christmas mood much in past years so I might as well embrace this while I have it.

Those were two projects started, and nearly finished.  The one I have started and won't be done with for a long time, is much more involved.  Operation Get This Body Ready To Host My Clone will go into full effect January 1.  But I am getting a bit of an early start now to try and rid myself of some bad habits.  For one, I really need to stop drinking so much soda.  And I am trying to bring my lunches more often than not, which will not only be healthier, but it will also save some money.  And I need to be consistent in working out.  For this first Monday in December I am not doing too bad.  According to my Lose It! app I am under my calorie allowance for the day and I worked out on my Wii Fit for 40 minuets, then played around Wii Resort for another 45.  It's not much but those little round-headed people can really get your heart rate going.  So there's that.  I don't want to be skinny, it would be nice, my first concern is being healthy to grow a little person.  No, Mikey and I aren't trying right now, but in the future we will be.  I want to be able to give that little person the best welcome into this world I can. So any words of encouragement you can throw my direction are always welcome!

 Well, I feel I shared a bit there. Nice to get a little personal every now and again. Now back to the silliness.  

So yea, all of this and more has been on my brain lately and I am hoping this weekend gives me a little time off from all of the thinking.  Looking forward to a little partying and some derby. Hope to see you all there!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I have been meaning to write this post for the past few days, and even today I am a bit tired and a wee bit cranky, but I am going to see how it goes.

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for so many, wonderful things!  The four-day weekend started off with a nice surprise to get me in the Christmas spirit. On my way home from work I was checking my Facebook (like everyone does) while waiting at the terribly long light to exit I-75.  My friend Ann Atomic had received a free turkey from her work, but was not planning on cooking it and was looking for someone to take it off her hands.  My family has continued to grow over the past years, and yet we continue to cook the same size turkey.  I figured what they hey, I can get this one from Ann, and bring Mike's turkey cooker to my sisters and then we'll have enough, if not extra.  Well, I called up Ann and we figured out a way to meet and for me to pick up the turkey from her. During the conversation I mentioned that I was near a local nursery and she asked if I could take a look at the living trees and just let her know the costs and what types they had.  Ann and I have a mutual friend that works at the nursary, Alex.  Alex and I wandered around and I described each tree and the price and eventually Ann decided that she would wait on getting one.  Alex and I were feeling big-hearted, and decided to go in halfsies on a tree for Ann.  Alex must have been a bit more big-hearted than me because before I could pay for it, he had already taken care of it. So long story, short. I traded a living Christmas tree for a Thanksgiving turkey.  It just seemed so right for the season. 

I got home from Ann's just in time to say good-bye to Mike and Diesel as they headed upstate for Thanksgiving and hunting with his family.  I made up a shopping list, went to the store, and got all of the things I needed to make some treats and a side dish.  That night I went over to Jessie's house to visit with my Aunts from Boston.  It is always nice to see them.  I was lucky to have found a few days over the summer for my sister Jerrica and I to fly out and spend with them in Boston, visiting and sight-seeing. Traveling this past year is something I am hugely thankful for.  And that I really hope I get to continue doing this next year! 

And of course there was Thanksgiving day.  I packed up all of my goodies I had made the night before, and Mike's Mom and I headed on over to my sister's house. We ate, chatted, cooked, ate, ate some more, and ate a little bit more.  Later that evening my mother and all of her sisters gathered around the table and went through my late grandmothers photos.  There were hundreds of them. There were pictures of people we didn't know, and of some we hadn't seen in a long time.  Pictures of things we couldn't make out or of those less flattering.  But there were some absolute gems!  I posted a few to my Instagram account and to Facebook.  There are plenty more that I need to scan so a few of us can have copies.  Oh, and the stories!  So much laughter! 

I am so very thankful for my family.  Looking back at all of those photos, many of which were taken during this same holiday, with everyone gathered around my grandparents table at their farmhouse.  Spouses and significant others have come and go, and many of them have passed on, but we were a family and we will continue to be.  Sharing Thanksgiving dinner with each of these people year after year is an honor, and I hope that I can continue in this tradition with my only kids some day. 

A long time ago, when I had just turned 21, I was working for a company called Edcor.  Many of my co-workers and I would regularly hang out after work and one of our favorite places to do that was at Mill Street Bar & Grille.  And the best times at Mill Street was when Exit 69 was playing a show there.  Mill Street was owned by a former co-worker, Earl, and one of the members of Exit 69 was also a co-worker, Doug.  For a long time, Exit 69 had a monthly gig and I am pretty sure that I personally attended 90% of those gigs.  I promise this is going some where. Well, 10 years later and Mill Street is celebrating its 10th anniversary.  Earl invited Doug and Exit 69 to do a reunion show. Thankfully, all of the guys were up to the challenge and in just over a month were able to schedule some rehearsals and show up on Saturday ready to rock.  And rock they did!  Earl put on an amazing party with free appetizers, a chocolate fountain, and an ice luge.  The guys of Exit 69 rocked out all of the old classics.  And best of all, I got to see friends that I hadn't seen in years!

It was a fun-filled weekend with friends and family, stories and celebrations, old pictures and new.  And so much food!  Honest, I think I gained like 4 pounds! I will forever be grateful for all of the amazing people in my life, and I am only looking forward to the on-coming years.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone.