It’s the freaking end of the year! And, while the style of the day is big old retrospectives of what happened in 2009 (or in the Naughties as a whole, since while it is not technically the “end” of the decade, we’re changing two numbers and that’s a big enough deal for most people), I will not be doing this.

Instead, what I will do is briefly mention the most awesome things that happened in this particular annum: visiting, for the first time, Jamaica, Barbados, Tobago, Dominica, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, Grenada, Boston and the Albany/Utica region of New York; indulging in a meal at Fleur de Lys, a show by the Girls of Glitter Gulch and a rooftop pool in Vegas; taking (and passing!) the BarSmarts Wired course; cooking a hundred meals and making a million cocktails; spending the first of many summers in our awesome backyard; and every possible moment spent with my friends, my family, and the love of my life.

While 2010 may not feature quite as many firsts, I’m hoping to cover plenty of that ground again, and if I have a New Year’s resolution other than the usual one introduced to me by Jenni — “Have fun, be awesome, don’t die” — and my own commitment to get rid of a wee bit of my post-quitting-smoking tubbiness, it is to remember more frequently that I have this blog place, and keep my writing skills up herein.

And, with that, it’s time for me to work on tonight’s cocktail menu and look busy for the last time at work in 2009. Whilst I’m doing so, you should check out the year in photos, and I’ll see you on the other side. Happy New Year!