This past year one of my blessings has been my workout buddies. My typical weekly workout routine includes Curves, swimming, and now yoga, and each of these activities I do with a good friend. In addition to the motivation these friends provide to actually show up and not wuss out, it's also emotionally energizing to spend time each week with them.

Mom and I have been going to Curves for several years now. Although I started going mostly just to support her, I am considerably more toned than I was when I began. But more importantly, I love having a reason to see Mom 3 times a week. The workout is a bit like our relationship - routine and comfortable.

HFD is my swimming partner. Considering our shared love for the ocean and dolphins and such, this is an appropriate activity for us to do together. The way our schedules work out, we both end up getting to the pool about 15 minutes before it opens for lap swimming. So we sit in the locker room and chat. And then we chat some more while taking breaks between lap sets. The place we swim is sorta ghetto, so there's also plenty of opportunity for snarking, something else we love to do.

I've just recently been brought back to yoga by another friend. She is 25 years my elder and has been so many things to me through the years - a teacher, a colleague, and always a mentor. Occasionally we'll go somewhere afterwards for a real conversation, but usually we just talk as we walk to our cars. But somehow, just moving through the poses together seems like enough. She has always brought me reflection and clarity, and yoga is yet another way that I can receive that, indirectly, from her.

It's such a gift to have a moment each week to reconnect with a close friend, to swap silly stories, share frustrations, or just see a friendly face. And these moments provide a continuity that I believe deepens our friendship. With the support, of mind and body, from these women, it's no wonder I'm feeling stronger than ever.

At rescue squad duty last night, one of the guys asked me what I'd accomplished in 2008. The first thing that came to mind was EMT certification since it's definitely the thing that's taken the most effort and energy and also probably the thing of which I'm most proud. Since that conversation, I've been thinking about other accomplishments from the past year. Although mostly small things, I've made some improvements to myself and my life in 2008.

Volunteering - When I started the EMT class, I didn't know whether or not I'd volunteer for a rescue squad. I wasn't sure at the time if I could handle it. But I'd decided that I wanted to volunteer in some capacity, and eventually I determined that I could do the EMT thing. This has taken me out of my comfort zone, which is always a good thing but also never an easy thing. Beyond learning new skills, the social side of it was also a small challenge for me. I'm generally reluctant to meet new people and prefer to avoid social situations with strangers. It took some courage just to show up to a new place filled with people who already knew each other. But it's been really rewarding. The people have been welcoming and so awesome, and I'm glad to have found a way to contribute to my community.

Fitness - One of my goals for 2008 was to get back into swimming. HFD joined me in this endeavor, and for the entire year we've had a regular swimming schedule. I'm also still doing Curves with Mom, and I've recently gotten back into yoga after a 2-year hiatus. I never thought I'd be one of those people, but I actually look forward to working out. And I'm feeling stronger than ever.

Menu planning - For several years now I've made sure that Rob and I are eating healthfully. I pay attention to nutrition guidelines and while there are areas in which we could improve, I feel we do pretty well with what we eat. However, only this year have I gotten my shit together when it comes to menu planning for the week. In the past, I would sometimes have a plan one or two nights, but often we would just throw something together. It was healthy, but our nutrition for the week wasn't necessarily well-rounded. And also, making dinner wasn't exactly smiles times because when I'm hungry I tend to be a raging bitch. So we'd be standing in the kitchen grumping about what to make for dinner. Now, I plan the week in advance and every evening I know what we're making. And I have the ingredients. For many of you I'm sure this is standard operating procedure, but for me this is HUGE. And it only took me six years of marriage to get here.

Home improvement - For the first time, there isn't a room in my house that I'm embarrassed for people to see. The bathroom and kitchen have been renovated, and over the holiday break I repainted and decorated a room that was previously a "junk room." Now, I still need to sort through closets and the pantry needs a major reorganization and the basement looks like a disaster zone. So there's lots of behind-the-scenes organizing still to be done. But at least I'll no longer pull doors closed in embarrassment when guests come over.

Entertaining - Perhaps as a result of no longer being ashamed of hideous wallpaper, we've done a lot more entertaining this year. We've hosted several large parties and many casual dinners. I never thought I'd enjoy entertaining, but this year I've found the joy in it. Some of my favorite memories of the year are of evenings we opened our home to friends.

There are still lots of ways I suck. I don't floss regularly. I cannot remember to take a daily vitamin. I whine too much. I never switched my wardrobe from winter clothes to summer clothes (which, as it turns out, saves you time when winter rolls around again). And because things have been pretty good around here, I have some anxiety over what the next year will bring, what changes lie ahead in the future that I have no control over. Maybe it's that feeling that the bottom could drop out at any minute that keeps me focused on the present.

For now, my life feels well-balanced. And I'm looking forward to the good changes a new year can bring. I have renewed hope in our country. Rob and I have more travel planned. And I'm grateful for another year to cherish those I love and to celebrate the every days.

May the adventure begin.

been reading: Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris

This is a collection of stories by David Sedaris, including "SantaLand Diaries" which is one of my favorite holiday tales. Irreverent and hilarious, David Sedaris always makes me laugh, and his take on the holidays is no exception. After yet another family Christmas event, Rob and I will come home and read one of the stories together, which provides a much-needed antidote. Especially after the dinner a few days ago during which someone declared that it is up to Rob to have a son to carry on the family name. And, gosh, don't we feel the pressure? No, but thank you for asking. And Merry fucking Christmas.

Wishing you each a festive holiday, and an abundance of blessings in 2009!

been reading: Reading the OED by Ammon Shea

The book I've been reading is totally word nerdy. It's written by a guy who read the entire Oxford English Dictionary - every entry, all 20 volumes. In one year. My co-workers gave me weird looks when I told them about it, like I was some English major freak or something. Which I am. Also? They are rednecks.

In the book, there's a chapter devoted to each letter of the alphabet. At the beginning of each chapter, Shea shares some anecdotes related to reading the OED, and then for the rest of the chapter he lists the most interesting words for that letter.

I flagged every word that I loved. There were a lot.

I'll share some that I especially like or that seem of particular usefulness in every day life. (Definitions attributed to Shea.)

• accismus: an insincere refusal of a thing that is desired
• constult: to act stupidly together
• gound: the gunk that collects in the corners of the eyes
• jentacular: of or pertaining to breakfast
• maritality: excessive or undue affection on the part of a wife for her husband
• onomatomania: vexation at having difficulty in finding the right word
• pandiculation: the act of stretching and extending the limbs, in tiredness or waking
• ruffing: the stomping of feet as a form of applause
• velleity: a mere wish or desire for something without accompanying action or effort
• yepsen: the amount that can be held in two hands cupped together

I mean, who knew there was a specific word for eye gunk?! Or the annoying bleacher stomping at sporting events? Interestingly, there is a whole subset of delightful nature-related words that I never knew, but that I feel should be brought back into regular usage:

• advesperate: to approach evening
• apricity: the warmth of the sun in winter
• impluvious: wet with rain
• petrichor: the pleasant loamy smell of rain on the ground
• psithurism: the whispering of leaves moved by the wind

Keep in mind that most of these words were used long ago (and even then sometimes only rarely) and will garner only strange looks if you actually incorporate them into your conversations. But as Shea suggests, it's enough just to know they exist.