if you look closely, it reads “fearless” along her neck. i love this new painting. original available here. matted prints are here.

so, i’m totally going to try gwen’s best of 2009 blog challenge – love this idea! you guys should totally do it – yes, yes you should!

the first topic is best trip. this is a hard one for me as i had so many great trips this year, including nyc in jan, utah in feb, port townsend in march, north carolina in may, hawaii in may, vancouver bc in june, san fran in july, lovebomb in august, two week road trip in sept, manzanita in oct, kansas in november. lord have mercy, that’s 11 trips in 11 months (with a trip to california coming up this weekend – that makes 12 trips in 12 months plus one out of state move). that’s a lot of traveling and movement. as i was writing/linking this just now, i marveled at how i got anything done this year! it was a good balance, though…some for pure fun, some work. but next year…it will be a different story. i’m reigning in the travel – as much a i love it, it’s exhausting, especially because my life is a bit crazy just before leaving and all the catch up when i get home is a lot of work. this part of working for yourself is a bit of a challenge – you’re never really on vacation even when you go on vacation 🙂

all of this is to say that i don’t think i can pick a favorite trip! i loved them all and for all sorts of reasons. nyc felt really adventurous and special with a funny restaurant conversation caught on video (more details on andrea’s blog – so sweet, love the giggles on our restaurant chat). teaching trips to utah and oregon were intimate and meaningful with amazing students. all my summer adventures were just that – summer fun and exploration with john and friends. kansas was eye opening and terrifying in all the best ways.

so yes, this year was full of adventure – much of it spontaneous. i just bought a last minute plane tix for a trip to san fran this weekend for a bit of fun with much missed friends. got a great deal, so i’m off for a bit of sunshine.

next up: best article, book, and night out in 2009. this is going to be fun. thanks for the inspiration, gwen!

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*abigail wins the print + notecards from artist louise gale.

*beth wins wins the candle and room spray from the blackberry briar.

*mindy wins the bracelet from gwynnie b designs.

winners, get in touch with me so we can get your goods out to you! sponsors, thanks so much for your generosity!