(In random order)

1. Fall Ball at Redeemer. Excellent combination of dance instruction, time on the dance floor, and chatting over coffee with friends.

2. Easter Weekend with Harris family. Grandy’s baked beans, beef jerky, Six Flags, a skeezy hotel, church at The Village, and tons of quality time with the fam.

3. One Sunday afternoon at the Eberleins’. Delicious burgers, back-porch conversation, and badminton in the yard. We had so much fun we stayed through dinner.

4. Self Improvement. Joined a book club (currently reading Anna Karenina over the summer), participated in a teacher book swap, and attended the Pompeii exhibit at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts.

5. TSO. Most rockin’ Boxing Day ever.

6. Long Weekend in Gruene. Celebrated Fall Break by going to a B & B compliments of Mom and Dad (thanks for not having time to use the gift certificate). Took a lazy tube ride down the Guadalupe River and ate yummy food all weekend.

7. Walking. Calorie-burning girl talk with Karen, and dog-walking evening strolls with Stephen.

8. Impact Driving. 1 gallon of gas: $3.89. Making friends at new church: priceless.

9. Game nights! (3-in-1) Always a favorite of our fun-loving life group. Also, Boggle is the tie that binds us at Watson get-togethers. AND…trying to play board games in the car with my fam on the way to Emory, and playing board games more successfully at the rent house once we got there.

10. End-of-the-Year Scrapbook. Priceless gift detailing the best moments of our school year. So sweet I forget all about the bleeding scabs, the incessant chatter, the needy storytelling, the parent conferences, and the recess dramas.

11. Long Weekend in Corpus Christi. Fun times on the beach with John and Karen. Can’t forget about the hot condo, the sand castle, the yummy seafood, the interesting trivia, and strolling the Riverwalk on the way home.

12. Being Presbyterian. Loved our pastor, new hymns, liturgy, Christian history in Sunday School, Wednesday nights, Stephen’s book study, and baby baptisms.

13. Thursday Night Television. Our weekly date night- watching The Office and LOST and hurriedly cooking dinner in the 30 minute gap between the two. Afterward, analyzing the latest mysterious revelations about The Island.

14. Summer Barbecue at the Andersons’. Chips and burgers in the shade of the nice new patio umbrella. Girl talk and the cool evening breeze on the driveway. Sitting around the chiminea roasting marshmallows for s’mores. My favorite kind of summer night.

15. Babies! Karen had one, Abbey’s turned one, Jill is incubating one, and Katie S. is having another one! Looking forward to all the joy on the way as the little guys keep coming!

16. Phoenix. Plane ride, rental car, top hat, wedding cake, relatives, new friends, the Cheesecake Factory, and a mad dash through the airport.

17. Partying with the co-workers. Good times for Stephen and I at the picnic at Cameron Park, the Christmas party, and the Auction/Gala. Business is always mixed with pleasure at these shindigs.

18. Partying with just the girl co-workers. Girls’ night outs at various local restaurants are great for bonding and chatting outside of the teacher lounge.

19. Derek Webb in Deep Ellum. We ran into my Uncle Leon and Aunt Mary at Chick-fil-A before we ever left Waxahachie. Believe it or not, the evening only got better from there. A fun double date with Josh and Abbey to hear our favorite philosopher.

20. Free Starbucks. Stephen doesn’t miss the early morning hours, but the free drinks and coffee beans were sure nice, and a good way to get in good with all the friends as well.

21. Living in Hewitt. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways! 1. Curbside recycling. 2. Fresh peanut butter at H-E-B. 3. Keva Juice 4. Fireplace 5. Good neighborhood to walk in 6. Close to I-35 7. Rosati’s.

22. Coffee with Steele and Megan until 2 AM on a school night. The combination of ambient lighting, coffee and homemade bread, and stimulating conversation impaired my best judgment about getting some sleep.

23. House-sitting in Woodway. Except when Molly tried to eat my dog, we had a great time playing house at the Moores’. We had tons of room, a big TV, cable, access to more books than we could read in a year, and two nice cars. Had so much fun, we agreed to house-sit for more established friends this year.

24. Pilates with Kay and Pat. Finally, some ladies who work out at my pace!

25. My birthday dinner yesterday! Delicious steaks. Strawberry Cake. Wii. Guitar Hero. Awesome, thoughtful presents. The 10:30 showing of Get Smart. All my wishes came true before we even lit the candles.