a rerun

Hi! I'm expecting some new traffic today (I'm guest posting at ohdeardrea), and I thought I'd run my 2011 end of the year round up again, so any new readers can get to know me and my family and my pursuits a little bit. Welcome! For any regular readers, today's post, "urban chicken coop", is right below this one. xoxo

(over)exposed

2011

I never meant for this to be the theme of the year 2011 for me. I never meant to have a theme period. But if there was one word that has been glaring at me for the last six months it is "exposed". I've been putting it all out there this year. I started this blog. Some of my projects got published online. And of course I spent the year studying burlesque. Deep inside there is a lot of improvement still to come, but this year has most definitely changed me. I still hate to wear a bathing suit in public, but showing my face with no makeup on this blog or prancing around a stage in my sparkly birthday suit have been exciting and freeing experiences.

Speaking of me, this has been THE year of me. I don't think I've done much this year that didn't include ME. I thought after the summer home with the kids, having the time of our lives, it would be the "winter of David", but it was still my year. I loved this year. I sacrificed some quality time with Oliver during the days I was costuming this fall, but I wouldn't trade the experiences I've had over the past year for anything. I'm not getting any younger, and I needed to carpe diem.

This exposure came naturally this year, so I'm not sure assigning a theme for next year will automatically make it come true. I'm looking at "real", "authentic" and "paradigm shift". That last one I'm sure will become a reality, and not just because it's 2012. The wheels are in motion over here. I'd also like to add some "charity" or "service" to the next year. I hope we can make that happen. Architecture is on the way back in, hopefully not at the expense of dancing (or blogging). We shall see.

This is a real rookie move, and if I had been blogging for the past twelve months there's no way I would've done this, but seven months was a manageable amount of time to look back at and reflect. And now, like any new blogger proud of her first attempts at writing, I give you "round up: 2012"! 

june

We had days out like this:

We had lots of days in like this (it was freezing!):

I had psyched myself up for this summer vacation, and it did not disappoint. There was a lot of idle time, which was so great for Stella's growing brainz. We took our first camping trip since Oliver was born, hit the flea market, and saw some great flamenco.

This "round up" is so fun to do. I LOVE looking back at our summer together. I'm selecting posts fairly randomly, there is too much to choose from!

july

We made some gorgeous pizzas (I had forgotten all about these!):

We toured a big factory and a small one, to see how things are made:

We kept up our swimming lessons and excursions to warm towns with good pools:

This is the month where I first realized how hard it is to prepare costumes and an act while everyone is home and needing attention. It got crazy, but resulted in this amazing costume, a vintage bathing suit alteration, and a great couple of acts, especially my flamenco one, which I still can't wait to perform again:

By mid-July I was already bemoaning the fact that summer vacation would be ending soon. We really were having a wonderful time. Honestly.

august

In August I started my "menu:" series, which is reserved for the meals where I go all out from soup-to-nuts. Hopefully they've been helpful to someone looking for a good brunch to pull together, or "what to bring to parents of newborns", as my search engine optimized title suggests:

I finally built a dollhouse for Stella, and it was featured at Apartment Therapy Ohdeedoh the same month:

I wrote honestly about my weight:

We had our last great days about the neighborhood before Stella started first grade:

We celebrated when Oliver turned two:

We went on quite a few local adventures, like this one to Glen Park Canyon. And summer vacation was over.

september

I wrote a few posts that were extremely meaningful to me in September. The first was a post on a trip to the Point Reyes National Seashore, and being turned on, by a sand sculpture of all things, to a destructive project that is being planned to bring crude oil from Canada into the United States. It is called the Keystone XL Pipeline, and you can sign a petition against it here. It's been called the "end game for the climate". It terrifies me.

Another post that was very meaningful to me was "doing the artist's way", about finding inspiration even when you think you've run out of ideas for good. I loved writing that post, even when I lost the whole thing and had to re-write it from scratch.

I started my "what i:" series, which seems to be very popular according to my analytics. Go figure. This is the most popular one. Again, go figure:

The hot weather landed in San Francisco finally. Oliver kept cool on 24th Street:

Poor David had some tummy troubles, which he cured with cabbage juice:

And of course, I had another show! A pajama party theme. So fun:

I also started "corners", which I haven't gone that far with, but was one of my original concepts when naming the blog "corner blog". There are so many little vignettes in all of our homes that are worth sharing, and I intended on using this feature to showcase them, but they all end up in here one way or another. I'd like to start "corners" posts again in the new year.

october

October was eaten up by two pretty great occasions, Stella's sixth birthday trip and (don't forget it was the year of "me") my preparing for my two acts in the totally fabulous art history themed burlesque show with Bombshell Betty and her Burlesqueteers. The trip to The Happiest Place On Earth was surprisingly very fun, and I loved the costuming, too:

My Frida Kahlo act was a huge hit, on the hottest night I've ever felt in San Francisco. I was lucky (luck had nothing to do with it, actually) that my sequined unibrow didn't fall off due to the perspiration:

I wrote about my grandparents' efforts to adopt their second child:

I also started two new features: "brilliant projects heretofore unpublished", so I could dredge up some of my (and my friends') old projects that deserve to see the light of day, and "cook the box", where I cook everything that comes in our CSA box before it rots. It's a challenge!

november

In November, Stella and I had a wonderful "ladies' date" downtown:

I finally finished a post about Stella's room renovation, and it was featured at Apartment Therapy Ohdeedoh, which was a super thrill:

I set up some new goals in a burlesque edict to myself:

Aaaand, I posted about blocks, breasts, banners and board games.

december

This month was pretty much all Christmas, all the time. I hate to recap a month we're still in. A few photos from the month to finish off this round up:

You didn't think I was going to end the year without a photo of me in my skivvies, did you?

Happy New Year, from the bottom of my heart, to all of my family, to all of the friends from the past that have resurfaced, to my San Francisco family of friends, new and old, and to all my new pals I've found out in the ether. Here is to a productive, inspired and wonderful 2012 for all of us! 

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