5 Years Blogging - A Retrospective: 2006

This month I celebrate my fifth blogging anniversary. <Cue wild applause from the crowd!>

I'm sometimes quick to berate myself when I don't stick to things (though it might just mean I've learned what I set out to learn - but that's a whole other blog post); this year I choose to give myself credit where credit is due.

I set out blogging January 25, 2006 and I'm still here. Huzzah!

To celebrate I decided to have a little fun - well, at least it's fun for me - and comb through my blog posts to come up with five favourites for each of the five years. There's no real rhyme or reason behind my choices, I just chose posts that spoke to me, brought back good memories, or maybe reflected an important development/experience/breakthrough of that year.

So if you will let me indulge in a little narcissism, the next few weeks will include, among other things, five retrospective posts and maybe a little celebratory something for you at the end for still being here!

Here goes...

2006: An Urban Living Experiment begins

After a failed reconciliation attempt with my then husband and partner for 13 years, I moved to a delicious little 1920s apartment in the city with slanted hardwood floors, a bright red kitchen and proximity to all the city could offer to a first time urbanite. I parallel parked for the first time (no dings!), discovered old movies and took pole dancing lessons. I started an 11-month sabbatical from work, learned how to rebuild a home, a social network and a sense of self. I even started letting down the walls I'd built around me and found a liking for a certain Mr. D.

slanted floors

I wrote 140 posts that year. Here are my top five:

Introducing - My very first post evah. I had no clue where this blogging thing would go.

The Pheonix: Ashes and Hope - Rebuilding a solo life had its ups, but it had some pretty severe downs too. Luckily hope rises from the ashes.

red kitchen, Mémère's apron

Me, My Car, My Travel Mug - A Trip Report - My first solo trip down east (home) in my little blue Civic. This was a HUGE thing given that just two years before I was terrified of driving in the city, had never put gas in a car and my husband drove me everywhere. I even managed to drive through Montreal. Yeah baby!

3 Circles of Friends, 3 Amazing Outings - When I lost my marriage I lost my social network. A big part of 2006 was building confidence in taking social risks and discovering that I could make friends on my own. Not bad for a woman in her thirties.

curlicued radiators

Comfort on a Cool October Night - Part of rediscovering my sense of self included discovering what brought me comfort. This post is tiny, but it still soothes me today.

girly lamp

Coming soon, 2007...