Happy 2013!!!
Two years ago I started an annual favorites post.
I thought I'd continue the tradition!
1. Favorite Book - Really, really tough call, but I'm going to go with The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty. I couldn't put this book down. I enjoyed the historical fiction, the twists and turns, and the discussion that month with my daytime book club, As the Page Turns. Surprising read.
Honorable Mentions -
Take a Bow,
The Gallagher Girls series,
Wild, Zippy, Insurgent, and
The Book Thief. You can find me on
goodreads.com.
2. Favorite Movie - This was also really hard - there have been some fantastic movies out this fall. But, I'm going to go with Pitch Perfect. I had a great time with my chick flick group seeing this movie, then again later with a friend who had missed it. Said friend then ordered me the CD and my mom and dad gave me the DVD for Christmas. Sweet! It was a fun movie, a real surprise.
Honorable Mentions - The Descendants, Hunger Games, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, The Amazing Spider Man, Bernie, Moonrise Kingdom, Celeste and Jesse Forever, Argo, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Argo, Lincoln, Les Miserables (yes, I see that's too many honorable mentions)
3. Favorite Trip - We were fortunate to go on two BIG trips in 2012. I really enjoyed our trip out west - the drive from San Francisco to Napa to Yosemite to Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon to Utah was incredible and I really enjoyed the time with the family.
BUT, I would have to say that my favorite trip of 2012 was certainly HAWAII!
Favorite TV Character - Wow. This is tough. I forgot about this category. I thought about Connie Britton's character on Nashville (she's just as fantastic as she was on Friday Night Lights), and Mindy Kaling from The Mindy Project who I absolutely relate to. We, of course, love everyone from The Big Bang Theory, and I rarely miss catching up on NCIS or Parks and Rec.
But, I am going to go with Sgt. Nicholas Brody from Homeland. David and I just started watching this show on DVD and I really like his character. So well written and portrayed by Damian Lewis.
I didn't realize he'd won the Emmy last year. I really liked him in Band of Brothers too, but he's unbelievably good in Homeland.
Favorite New Hobby - It was easier the last two years when I, in effect, took up one new hobby each year (piano and cooking). This year though - it's harder to define. So I'm going to go with "Learning".
In 2012 I learned a lot and took on new challenges that I absolutely love.
I learned a lot about whole foods cooking and I learned a lot through my health coach over 6 months.
I read a lot more non-fiction than I ever have, including books on health and wellness, Asperger's, happiness, parenting, travel, volcanoes, habits, classical music, being grateful, gripping memoirs, and organization.
I spent 3 months studying architects and architecture in our city - in preparation to become a tour guide through the visitor's center. Sooo much to learn, and so much left to learn. It is a fascinating new area for me though.
I even took up math late in the year. I finished one book on "basic math and pre-algebra" and I've jumped into "algebra" now. It's been a great review and I've actually really enjoyed it. And now I'll be able to keep up with the boys' homework!
Wishing
you a very happy 2013!
