The year in review.

It's almost New Year's! I have never been one to dwell on the past, so I hate to recap my year, but I am *thrilled* when my favorite tv "news" programs do it for me. The Dish highlighted this year's best moments in pop culture on this weekend's ep, but if you missed it, it is airing all over Style Network for the next week and a half. The Soup (E!) debuted their first half of the top 40 clips of 2008 countdown, and paid homage to some very remarkable pieces of footage I had forgotten about (spaghetti cat, anyone?). Best Year Ever (now anchored by my favorite commentator, Paul F. Tompkins) aired their yearly summary last Friday. Taylor Swift will host the top 50 country music videos tonight on GAC, and that special will air about 156 more times, as well. On New Year's Eve, I'm sure there will be more fabulous countdowns all over cable.

2008 was a good year overall, with lots of memorable events -- 2 DLO reunions (one with the concert of a lifetime), a new nephew, a new (fabulous!) job, and a mom officially in remission. I think 2009 might be even better. I can't remember what I had for breakfast this morning, so I'm completely incapable of recapping my year months by month. Instead, here's a breakdown of the highlights I am looking forward to the first half of this year:

January -- Playoff time. Can't wait to buy my Dallas Clark and/or Bob Sanders SuperBowl jersey!

February -- New Dierks Bentley CD. Maybe his new tunes will motivate me to participate in the 26.2 with Donna half-marathon. Maybe I'll just cheer on the real athletes... (Massive SideNote: XBox is releasing a "Guitar Hero Goes Country", which will feature "Free and Easy", and undoubtedly about a thousand other fabulous country tunes. Will this be the game that breaks me and forces me to invest in a new gaming system?!)

March -- Britney in Tampa and the Legally Blond Broadway Cast in Orlando! I haven't acquired tickets to either of these events, but am looking forward to both of them.

April -- Nothing yet. No doubt lots of pre-wedding and DLO bachelorette adventures?

May -- Emily and Casey's wedding! I will spend the first third of the year looking forward to this event, and the last two thirds of the year looking at the pictures.

June -- Deane's family reunion in Gatlinburg, TN. Dollywood, here I come...!

July -- I turn 28 and officially look down the barrel of 30. I'm thinking excitement will wane as the day draws near.

It's too early to call the rest of '09. I'm sure on Thursday, I'll make a few resolutions. I've been reading that instead of picking huge, daunting goals (i.e. "I'm going to the gym every day!" or "No more Starbucks, EVER!"), you should focus on small goals that will be easy to accomplish, yet contribute to your overall resolution. On a personal level, I'd like to be more fashionable, so I am going to accessorize more and limit my ponytails to no more than 4 days a week. For my overall wellness, I do have a weight loss goal, but my resolutions are to limit food court breakfast treats to one per paycheck (that's only one trip to Panera every two weeks!) and pack my lunch at least twice a week. I also plan to walk Lilly at least once a week, instead of just turning her loose to run all her energy out in the backyard. As far as my knitting goes, I am thinking of picking a project to work on during this season's American Idol, so that in May, instead of focusing on the countless hours I wasted watching the show, I will have some fabulous knit garment to envy! I'm taking suggestions...

I'll probably revise my resolutions by January 1. I can't even remember what I wanted to do last year. I think it was "Get Lasik", which I clearly forgot about. Do you remember what you wanted to accomplish in '08? Did you do it? What do you resolve to do in '09?

"Baby, it's New Year's Eve

Time we can believe

In making wishes

Dreams come true

Just for me and you...

Kiss me at midnight

Dance into the morning light

Party into the new year...!"

Happy 2009!