It was a very good year...

Is it possible that a decade has passed since we celebrated the Year 2000?

It doesn't seem possible...

With today's, this week's, this year's, and this decade's work behind me

(I'm sorry, couldn't resist)

we geared up this evening for a little celebration of the old and the new year.

2009 was a very good year for our family, on many fronts,

foremost of which is this new little munchkin, right here...

as well as new joys from this older munchkin,

the one with the Elmo straw.

This year, we saw my business triple in work and profit -

which means that the single most important accessory for 2010

will be the same Barnes & Noble Desk Diary

I used throughout 2009 to record my work, my life,

everything.

The calendar saw quite a lot of action in the past year.

For example, I might have missed Ariana's birth had I not penciled it in -

in between translation projects.

(Of course, I am kidding, we all know she decided to come a day earlier than scheduled,

throwing a wrench into all my carefully laid plans,

and sending me scrambling to meet deadlines during early labor. Fun!)

But let me get back to The Calendar -

Perhaps because I would never be able to keep track of all these projects without it,

perhaps because it allowed me to fulfill my obsessive need for organization and

because it helped me keep my one and only New Year's Resolution last year

(Invoice every week!)

I have fallen for this calendar. I don't think I can live without it anymore.

Its crisp, clean pages beckon me

its shiny gold edges

and soft leather binding (noticeably softer than the worn 2009)

call my fingers to caress its pages

Can't wait to write in it...

Happy 2010!

Let's hope it's a good one!