10 Favorite Moments of 2011

I need to be upfront right at the beginning of this post:  I am stealing this idea from another favorite blog of mine.  I have mentioned Ransom Fellowship on this blog before, and Margie Haack, one of the founders of Ransom, has a blog called, Toads Drinks Coffee (toadsdrinkcoffee.blogspot.com). She recently posted her 10 favorite moments of 2011 on her blog, and I enjoyed reading her list so much that I decided to write my own.

Alicia’s 10 Favorite Moments of 2011—in no particular order

1.  Traveling to new (and familiar) places this year—Big Bend National Park, New York and New York City, the Grand Canyon, and Lake Tahoe for the new spots; visiting Nashville, going to the “cottage” in Michigan, visiting family in California, and visits to Indiana for the familiar spots.

2.  Making Ina Garten’s Chicken with Herbed Goat Cheese recipe several times and declaring it a new Brummeler favorite.

3.  Spending time with my husband in New York City.

4.  Having two sets of friends from our Chicago days visit our family in Waco this past spring.

5.  Going to Austin for an overnight one last time with my LOCS friends before moving—good food, good conversation, good shopping.

6.  Humbled and thankful by all the help of friends and colleagues in the days leading up to our move.  Cleaning your own dirt is one thing, but cleaning someone else’s dirt is a different matter.  Thank you to my cleaning and packing friends!

7.  Experiencing fall this year.

8.  Streaming Doc Martin (a British TV show, featuring a curmudgeonly doctor along with many colorful characters) on Netflix this past summer and watching it as a family.  We enjoyed many good laughs throughout the series and look forward to the new season.

9.  Enjoying Wednesday night dates with my husband this fall and figuring out where to eat.

10.  Being amazed, once again, by God’s perfect timing in opening new doors.