2009.
Life sorta has a way of floating by without being noticed.
At first, looking back on the year, I didn’t think much had happened. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that a *lot* had happened in 2009.
- Thanks in part to the kindness of family/friends, I was given an opportunity to end my 9-month bout of unemployment. I guess you could say I got the job on my own, but if it were not for the initial door-opening, there would have been no job to get.
- My boyfriend of 3 years finally asked me to move in with him. After 2.5 years of long distance and half a year of dancing around the issue once I was back in NY, we made it official and got an apartment together. Correction… We made made it official and built a home together. Because it’s not just an apartment, it’s a home.
- I retaught myself a lot of the web skills I’d lost over the last 7 or so years. IMHO, I now have some mad skillz.
- The coolest new station in the number 1 radio market in the country called me and offered me a job! I don’t think I give this one enough appreciation. This one deserves a weekly “HOLY SHIT!”. I can’t believe I got so lucky!
- Somehow, over the last 6 months, I turned into a real, bone-fide stepmother! I pack lunches, I read bedtime stories, I give baths and I bake pies for 1st-grade holiday parties. FROM SCRATCH. I don’t know how it happened, but I am a mom!
- I worked nearly every day of every weekend through most of the spring, summer and fall and paid down my $7,000 credit card debt to $0. Of course, then my clutch died (among other things) and $3000 was promptly charged back on. But hey, I still did it.
- I made took some really solid steps forward towards advancing my voice-over career. I didn’t get as far as I’d hoped (mostly due to laziness and exhaustion), but hey, that’s what resolutions are for, right?
- I got a little of my knitting mojo back and started up a Riverdale Knitting Group! I should say I resurrected it, because Sylvia and I originally brought it to life shortly after I moved here, but it had laid dormant for nearly half a year! I’m so grateful for our Monday evenings! I look forward to them every week!
- I was able to spend a lot of time this year with Adam’s family. I’ve always really liked them, but now I {{heart}} them to pieces. I can’t tell you how much this Thanksgiving meant to us, bringing both of our families together for the first time and seeing how well everyone got along. There really are no words…
- LATE ADDITION!! A brand-new nephew joined us! BABY HAYES! I can’t believe I left him off this list initially! I was just reading Carrie’s blog and saw his smiley face and ran back here to add this! He’s the kinda of baby that makes women want babies! I’m so glad I have the privilege of knowing him…
Now, had I written this post when I meant to write it, that’s where this list would have ended. Except, at approximately 11:12pm on New Year’s Eve, when I was waiting on the couch for Adam to bring us some snacks from the kitchen, he showed up with this*:
It was just a quiet night at home. The boys were asleep and Adam and I were in our sweats, watching Lost on DVD, waiting for midnight. He had pulled a few Jim Halpert fake-outs in the past (bending down on one knee, looking like he was going to ask me something important and then just saying something like, “Will you… wait for me to tie my shoe?” They always make me laugh because hey, who doesn’t like an Office reference, right?), and due to some not-so-subtle moves on his part, I knew he’d been up to some stuff - but there we were, 11:08pm. We’d just finished watching one episode and it was time for a snack break.
“Honey,” he said, “You wait here, and I’ll go get the snacks.”
So I waited.
When he came back, he didn’t have any snacks. He started to do a fake-out, getting down on one knee and saying, “Oh, and just one more thing…” Except it wasn’t a fake-out. Instead of hummus and cheese, in his hand he held a little black box with a sparkly little ring.
“I love you very much. Will you marry me?”
In case you’re wondering, I said yes 
Not a bad way to ring in a new decade.
Happy New Year, my loves. May many more blessings find us all in 2010.
* Due to the scrappy nature of our appearance on the night in question, Adam refuses to let me post our actual post-engagement pictures. Therefore, I give you this picture, which was taken the day before at an Italian restaurant with my momma. They went together to pick out my ring and in the process formed a sweet little friendship…
** For the girlie-girls in us all, I give you a close-up of the sparkly:
The diamond was from my Grandmother’s engagement ring, generously given to us by my momma. The setting was picked out by my fiancé(!!), who I think has impeccable taste
January 1st, 2010 at 10:52 pm
Hooray!!!!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
January 1st, 2010 at 10:58 pm
OMG! Congratulations girlie! I am so happy for the two of you, you don’t even know how happy…
The ring is gorgeous, he has impeccable taste (and even went with your momma to get it - he’s good) in both jewelry and women - as you are wonderful. Happy New Year!! I hope that 2010 is as awesome as 2009 ended for y’all. Love you!
January 1st, 2010 at 11:00 pm
Nice!! Congratulations =)
January 1st, 2010 at 11:16 pm
OMG! Yay! Congrats! Finally!
January 1st, 2010 at 11:21 pm
Congratulations and all the best!!!
January 1st, 2010 at 11:52 pm
OMG OMG OMG!!!! YAY!!! congratulations, girlie. that is wonderful. i’m so happy for you!!!
January 2nd, 2010 at 1:01 am
wow, what a year!!! congratulations to you both! i’m so excited for you
the ring is absolutely gorgeous!
January 2nd, 2010 at 1:25 am
Oh yay! Congratulations!!! What a great ring too!
January 2nd, 2010 at 8:47 am
That’s awesome news, Lara and Adam! I had an inkling something was up when I saw AnneMarie post that she was going to be a best man. =) Happy New Year, indeed!
January 2nd, 2010 at 12:47 pm
YAY!!! That ring is beeyoootiful! Congratulations to you both!
January 2nd, 2010 at 1:27 pm
Seriously, I’ve been waiting for this! Yay! So happy for you both!
January 2nd, 2010 at 1:46 pm
OH MY GOD!!!! Congratulations! Mazel Tov! I’m so freaking happy for you guys I’m sitting here crying at the Y pool watching M swim. Couldn’t happen to a better couple. YAY!!!!!!
January 2nd, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Um. YAY!!!
Srsly, sooooooo YAYYYYY!!!
Xoxoxo
January 2nd, 2010 at 2:58 pm
So happy for you guys-enjoy every moment–Love Sharon And Dylan too
January 2nd, 2010 at 3:55 pm
GORGEOUS!! Congratulations! I’m so happy for you!!!!
January 2nd, 2010 at 5:03 pm
CONGRATS!!! So happy for you both!
January 2nd, 2010 at 6:34 pm
Congrats Lara!
Yay for being at home bumming in sweats. what a great way to ring in the new year!
January 2nd, 2010 at 6:39 pm
oh yes how awesome is it to call him your fiance?!?! j calls me his Fiance EH to exaggerate the other E for the female. it cracks me up.
so so excited for you! pop me an email if you ever want to discuss stuff. i’m RIGHT there with ya
January 2nd, 2010 at 8:37 pm
YEAH>>>>>>MY LIL SIS IS ENGAGED. MY SISTER HAS A GORGEOUS RING THANKS TO ADAM & MOMMA!!!
January 3rd, 2010 at 3:21 am
yayayayayayayayayayay! happy new year, indeed. I am so so happy for you guys! much love to you, Adam and the boys!
January 3rd, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Yay! Congratulations and best wishes to you both!
January 3rd, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Oh very sweet! Congratulations!
January 3rd, 2010 at 11:53 pm
great stuff–I’m SO excited for you!!
January 4th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
Yay!!!! What a gorgeous ring. Congratulations!!
January 4th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
Wow! Congratulations! I can’t wait to see it in person!!! And, you know, I’m really glad our little knitting group made the list. Thank you SO MUCH for the resurrection!
January 4th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
I knew when I saw the 2009 recap it would include an engagement….I just knew it. Yaaaaay!
Everything else deserves a big ol’ “yay” too…but you know, that last one was a biggie
January 5th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
WOOHOO!! Congratulations, lady! It sounds like it was a pretty fabulous way to end the year!
January 6th, 2010 at 12:11 am
Best Wishes! No one deserves such happiness more than you!
January 6th, 2010 at 9:13 pm
Lara! congratulations! this is fantastic news and it sounds like 2009 was a hell of a year for you, my friend. May 2010 be even better!
January 7th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
Oh my goodness, what wonderful news! Y’all make such a sweet couple and family, it’s just official now. *Gorgeous ring.* YAY!
January 9th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
Oooooh! Gorgeous ring! Congratulations and happy new year!!
January 12th, 2010 at 12:55 am
Wow, see what happens when I don’t catch up on my blog reader in forever?!? CONGRATS! That’s amazing news - all the best to you both! (Well, you four.
)
January 17th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
Congratulations! I’ve been reading your blog for years and this is such a happy new beginning.
January 23rd, 2010 at 10:25 pm
Oh MAN, I can’t believe I am THIS FAR behind!!! Wonderful, wonderful congratulations!!!!!!
January 25th, 2010 at 9:02 am
Congratulations - that is definitely a great way to ring in the new year.
January 25th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
How wonderful!!!! Family, work, knitting… you rawk!
January 25th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
Congratulations my darling girl!!! Well to you both really, many happy years together.
February 1st, 2010 at 5:35 pm
Lara, that is great news! I wish you both a lifetime of happiness.