happy christmas!

this will be the last post before the new year. i just wanted to give a shout out saying how much i'm going to miss you all this christmas and how i want transatlantic hugs from everyone. many thanks to all my friends and family for the vast amounts of support that you've given me throughout the last year and five months especially. you've been amazing and i thank you for allowing and helping me to make this big leap across the pond.

now, this is what janine did on her blog as a round up so i'm going to do the same.

:: What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before?- moved across the ocean

:: Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?- didn't make any last year, but this year Sam and I are going to start running everyday after work except for

:: Did anyone close to you give birth? / die?- yes and yes

:: What countries did you visit? - england and scotland

:: What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?- this will be cheesy, but some romantic love would be nice

:: What dates from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
March 30 - Brian was born
June 27 - i left montreal
July 1 - 11 - the week i spent at the cottage
July 21 - moved to the UK
August 14 - Jamie was born
August 30 - went to see Arcade Fire at Liverpool Academy
October 21 - Uncle Bill died

:: What was your biggest achievement of the year?- moving to a different country, establishing myself and finally making *choices*

:: What was your biggest failure?- letting myself get caught up in something

:: Did you suffer illness or injury?- that *nasty* illness at the beginning of january

:: What was the best thing you bought?- my cardigan from club monaco for $10

:: Whose behaviour merited celebration?- my parents; who were wonderful enough to love me like crazy, give me enough freedom to let me move across the ocean and be proud of me for doing it

:: Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?- one friend who i caught in too many lies

:: Where did most of your money go?- my big move!

:: What did you get really, really, really excited about?- uh, moving, canadian gigs in liverpool, my niece and nephew...

:: What song will always remind you of 2005?- your ex-lover is dead by the stars, lack of colour by death cab for cutie, wake up by arcade fire, factory by martha wainwright

:: Compared to this time last year, are you:
//happier or sadder? happier
// thinner or fatter? maybe a little rounder, its all that guinness ;)
// richer or poorer? moneterily poorer, but richer for it

:: What do you wish you'd done more of?- hugging

:: What do you wish you'd done less of?- complaining

:: How will you be spending Christmas?- with my new found family of sam, kelly and dipak

:: What was your favourite TV program?- Little Britain!

:: Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?- i don't like the word hate

:: What was the best book you read?- oryx and crake by margaret atwood, midnight's children by salman rushdie

:: What was your greatest musical discovery? death cab for cutie amongst MANY others

:: What did you want and get?- digital camera and secretly my mobile phone

:: What did you want and not get?- the dream job

:: What was your favourite film of this year? crash

:: What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?- 24, went out for an awesome dinner with two of my favorite ladies, elaine and dolly

:: What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?- i don't know...

:: How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?- urban hippie

:: What kept you sane? red wine

:: Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? jude law, as usual

:: What political issue stirred you the most?Make Poverty History

:: Who did you miss? at present, the list is too long!

:: Who was the best new person you met? without a shadow of doubt, sam

:: Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005: you never know unless you try

:: Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: "the saddest part of a broken heart, isn't the ending so much as the start" (pre July) and "this is fact not fiction for the first time in years" (post July)

...on an end note, i'm really happy. probably genuinely happier than i've been in at least a year if not a bit longer. as i was saying to david the other night, lauren's core has been restored.

i can't wait to see you all in june. happy christmas and new year. and if you do want to call to wish me a happy new year, you'll have to call my mobile, but i will be home on christmas day.

loads of transatlantic hugs and kisses.