Jumping On The Bandwagon: My 2011 Wrap Up

I figured that the best way for me to end the year would be to follow the lead of so many others and post a wrap-up of the year here at Suburban Scrawl.

The year started off with a bang in January, when I got the life-changing news that my Chicago family travel guide would indeed be published. (Ahem, get it on Amazon by clicking here!) (And tell your friends!) (Thanks!) January was also the month in which I had a gut-busting twitter conversation with my friend Momofali that was too good to NOT make into a cartoon. The results were hilarious.

In February I reflected upon J’s seemingly natural talent in front of a classroom, and embarrassed myself by showing you just how obsessive I can get when I’m on a mission.

In March, D sold his first car in a move that he regrets to this day (in fact, he has asked the friend he sold it to for dibs, should he ever sell it), and I went to the Justin Bieber movie BY MYSELF. (What?) It provided for some great live-tweeting that I built into a post for your entertainment, because I’m a giver like that.

I got kissed by Burt Reynolds in April, and that was also the month when I moved Suburban Scrawl from Blogger, where it looked like this:

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to its new, self-hosted home here at WordPress! April was also an exciting month because Prince William and Kate Middleton (err, Princess Catherine) were married. I liveblogged the wedding and it was one of the most fun posts I’ve ever written, thanks to some great reader participation in the comments.

The month of May was a whirlwind for me because I was busy preparing for one of the biggest (and as it turned out, best) nights of my life, my book launch, which took place on a boat sailing down the Chicago River. I spent lots of time shooting and editing videos of various places in Chicagoland, all of which are on this page.

In June I became one of four Skydeck Chicago Ambassadors for the summer, which was a great honor. A fringe benefit of my new position was that it gave me the push I needed to conquer my fear of stepping out onto The Ledge, and now I’m an old pro.

I enjoyed a fantastic weekend visit from Momofali and her daughter in July, and I showed them a record number of Chicagoland attractions over the two-day visit. Just a couple of days later we experienced a 36-hour power outage that was completely annoying but at the same time refocused me on what’s really important. D and I also enjoyed a great week of bonding while Jim and J were on a Boy Scout trip.

August took me to San Diego for the BlogHer conference, where I accidentally invited two total strangers to have lunch. Luckily they weren’t killers and I went on to enjoy my favorite BlogHer yet, which included a workout with “The Biggest Loser’s” Bob Harper, dancing to DJ Skribble, and endless laughter with friends old and new. I shocked J with my ability to unlock his car with a wire hanger, and Roxie made me believe she was a cold-blooded killer.

I reflected on the changes going on in J’s life at the beginning of September, and we slowed the car down enough for D to hop out when we dropped him off at college for the start of sophomore year. I announced my new partnership and the creation of Social RevUp, and wrote about how dresses totally rock.

In October my sister and I met the Fonz, and–unrelated, of course–I got my hands on some Schweddy Balls. I rejoiced at the fact that J’s teenage angst seems to have left the building, and had some major angst of my own when I tried to drive off with a gas pump.

I conquered NaBloPoMo by writing here every single day in November, and brought you posts about how I died (onstage) and how we should be kinder to others, and I announced that I will be co-producing the “Listen To Your Mother” show in Chicago this coming May!

In December J showed me how much kids rely on technology these days and I shared an observation about priorities, but most importantly Jim and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary.

2011 was a fantastic year for me both professionally and personally. I can’t imagine how 2012 could top it, but I’m going to do everything in my power to make that happen! I hope that every single one of you (and your loved ones) are happy, healthy, and prosperous in the New Year. Big x’s and o’s to all of you!

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