My father passed away late at night on March 19th, 2012, due to complications from his quadriplegia. It’s still pretty surreal, writing this post, as I figured he had much more time after his accident two years ago than he had.

. . . . .

I remember the last six months before his accident, the first six months I spent back in New England after moving from Indiana, as some of the best months with him I can remember. I drove out to western MA for cookouts with the family, went whitewater rafting for the first time and spent so much time laughing, and spent New Year’s Eve with my family going to the movies and eating finger foods as the ball dropped.

My dad was positive, worked hard, and loved his job. He instilled in me a passion to find a job I love and to enjoy my life every day. He never minded taking phone calls on vacation, or helping people when he was off work. He made friends wherever he went, and he helped me get my first full time job as a web developer by striking up a conversation on the golf course with my eventual boss.

He loved golf more than he loved his job. He spent all his free time either at the course or perfecting his swing at home. He subscribed to multiple golfing magazines and watched golf on television as much as he could. He constantly bought and sold his clubs on Ebay, wanting to try the next big thing.

My father lived a life full of passion and hard work. He moved up in his career from a bagger at a grocery store to a district director in the same chain. (He was actually MY district director for a little bit of time when I worked at the grocery store in high school and college!) He understood the value of hard work, determination, and being personable. I always felt proud to tell him about my jobs and the people I met there.

Dad loved the Cape. He’d take us boogie boarding on the Atlantic side of the island and we’d take walks to the bridge with our dog, Chewy. He loved going to the flea market and seeing movies at the drive-in. He loved the time he spent with us.

. . . . .

He would have liked his funeral. My brother stood up and said a few words and shared a few stories about my father in a ceremony remembering and celebrating his life. We played a few songs by some of his favorite artists; a song by Chicago, “I’ll Remember” by Madonna, “Shower the People” by James Taylor, and, the ultimate tearjerker, “Cat’s in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin. (That song makes me cry when I’m NOT at a funeral.) So many people came to the ceremony and so many tears were shed. My family and I were touched by all the people choosing to celebrate his life with us.

I’ll miss my father. I still can’t believe he’s gone.

Yesterday, Ted and I joined the ranks of many, many other beer geeks throughout the greater New England area and stood in line to get a taste of Kate the Great, the Portsmouth Brewery‘s famed Russian Imperial Stout. I stood in line last year, as seen from the link above, but this was Ted’s first year experiencing the fun, crazy madness that is Kate day.

We woke up bright and early and arrived in line by 8:45am. I knew already we were in for a long wait; I was MUCH farther up in line last year and arrived 45 minutes later! I figured we wouldn’t be in the first group of 250 or so that’d be let in at 11. So close, yet so far away…

You can probably tell from the picture that it wasn’t exactly warm standing out there for a few hours. No, it was downright FREEZING. I had brought knitting in hopes I’d be able to get some of a dishcloth done, but no. I kept my hands in mittens the entire time and my toes kept on going numb. That’s what happens when you stand outside in 25 degree weather…

As predicted, we did NOT make the initial cutoff of people being let in at 11. However, we did not anticipate having to stand outside for another TWO hours being so tantalizingly close to the Brewery entrance! I started feeling pretty miserable at this point.

Our awesome friend and beer blogger Brian of the Seacoast Beverage Lab posted a live blog and streamed a live webcam of the line waiting to get inside the Brewery. As we inched closer to the front, we appeared on the website! We may or may not have posed for the webcam for a few minutes while we took screenshots on our phone. (I’m right behind the guy in the bright blue jacket, by the way. Pink hat, white coat. So close!)

FINALLY, a few minutes after looking at the webcam, we got in! We were seated upstairs at the topmost floor of the Brewery, allowing us a full view of the chaos below. We loved it.

We only had to wait for a few minutes before our waitress brought us our sweet, sweet glasses of Kate. The Brewery ordered special snifters for the day, which were smaller than last year’s glasses. With a beer as strong as Kate, though, I didn’t mind the smaller pours (8oz) this year.

I’m also thoroughly entertained by the Kate logo on the glasses. Yes.

I thoroughly enjoyed my Kate, even with a red face, messy hair, and all over coldness.

My first impression of the 2012 Kate batch? Good, but I loved the sweetness and chocolate flavors of the 2011 batch. This batch seemed a touch more bitter, which may be attributed to the fact that the beer’s pretty fresh. We’ll let our bottles age a bit, and we’ll taste the difference when we open one up next.

Was it worth standing outside THAT long for it? Yes, but 4 hours is definitely my stand-outside-in-cold-weather limit. I fear it will be even crazier next year, so hopefully the weather will be warmer. That’s the hope, at least.

And now, we wait for Kate Day 2013…

Right. I’m only just a week late in posting it.

But! I knit, and knit, and knit, and weaved in WAY TOO MANY loose ends, and here it is. Done.

Done!

To say I love how these look is grossly underestimating how I feel about these mitts so far. I loved my first pair, but I LOVE this pair so much more. They fit better, the stitches stand out more with the color I used this time… I could go on and on. I just can’t wait to be done with the second so I can proudly wear my awesome pink mitts outside in the… uhh, warmish weather we’re having up in New England.

Anyway.

What’s a knitting post without a cute picture of a cat? Oh boy, I’m falling into the stereotype of being a knitter who posts pictures of her cats on her blog. I won’t do it often, I promise.

This guy was very interested in my camera strap while taking pictures of my mitts. Of course, I had to take a picture of HIM, too. He didn’t seem too pleased with that.

Until I finish the next mitt…

I’m knitting a pair of Snapdragon flip-top mitts by Ysolda Teague to replace the ones I knit a few years ago. Yeah, I didn’t knit them that long ago, but tragedy struck last March when I moved, and I LOST one of the mitts I knit. I spent an entire year looking for the lost mitt, but I must have dropped it somewhere that isn’t in the apartment. Cue sadness.

This time around, I’m knitting them in a lighter, pinker, funner yarn. I’m still using madelinetosh tosh dk, but in a punchy bright pink that makes winter almost tolerable! I’m in love with them, I think. (Don’t worry, I won’t tell Ted.)

So far, I’ve made just one minor modification to the pattern; I’m using size 4 needles instead of the size 6 the pattern calls for. I knit my originals with my trusty size 6 needles, but always felt they were a little loose, especially around my wrist. The size 4s make them fit so much better.

Another noteworthy item pertaining to these mitts; I’m FLYING through them. I’m most likely the slowest knitter on the planet and I still made this much progress on the mittens in just one day. Yeah, I can’t believe it either. I really, really want to get these done so I can focus on other knitting, especially that Arisaig cardigan I’m wanting to FINALLY finish. I’m confident I can do it.

What have YOU been making recently?

Anyway. What have I been up to this past month?

Knitting. Lots of it.

A few years back and many blog posts ago, I cast on Arisaig, a sweater I’d wanted to knit for ages and ages. I started it sometime in 2007, but didn’t keep track of needle sizes or alterations I made to the pattern. So, after it languishing in my yarn bins when I moved out to New Hampshire, I frogged it, vowing to try again in a couple years when I felt more inclined to do it.

Enter my 2012 goal of knitting a sweater that actually fits. I looked around at a few other patterns, but I always came back to this one. I need to finish it, I need it hanging in my closet, I need it to wear both to work and at home! I need to make this sweater.

So, I cast on for it again on the 7th of January, and I’m making actual progress!

A few changes this time around: This time, I’m tracking my needle sizes. I’m using a size 1.5 for the ribbing and 2.5 for the body of the sweater. Last time, I believe I messed up the sizes and didn’t keep track of what I used where, so the sleeves came out HUGE while the body was so tiny. Not this time.

Also, I used a plain ol’ long tail cast on instead of a not so stretchy tubular ribbed cast on. Actually, I don’t remember if it was tubular I used all those years ago; either way, the cast on edge did NOT stretch, which I knew would cause problems in the long run. Yes, I was right.

I’m having fun with this pattern so far. I’m really hoping that I finish this time.

Edit: Did you see the nifty Ravelry icon next to the Arisaig link? Well, thanks to this post right here, I can denote links like this as Ravelry links. I knew how to do this already, but I’m happy to have gotten the awesome icon from the user on the thread!

Ted proposed to me during our trip to California! We are engaged and it is STILL strange to refer to him as my fiance.

I can’t believe all the planning that went into his proposal. When he told me all he had done, I was floored.

He proposed to me in front of the beautiful outdoor gardens of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California, at around noon on Wednesday, December 28th.

The weather was perfect, the gardens were perfect, his proposal was perfect, and, of course, the ring was perfect.

But wait, there’s more!

After he proposed to me, he revealed two surprises; he had hired a photographer to take pictures of us both before and after the proposal! I’m very happy to have pictures of our awesome engagement and of our even more awesome day at the Getty.

It gets better!

“Oh, and also, we’re spending two nights on Catalina,” Ted said to me offhandedly as the photographer made her appearance. Jaw drop.

Engagement honeymoon on an island 22 miles off the coast of LA in a super fancy inn at the top of a mountain? Sign me up! Love, love, love! Free drinks at the hotel, fancy veggie sushi and sake at a restaurant in Avalon, and a deck off our room overlooking the harbor? Yes. So much fun.

Needless to say, our California trip rocked. I am so happy.

I can’t say I’m sad to see this year end. In all honesty, it hasn’t been a horrible year, but it hasn’t been what I hoped it would be, either. I spent my year holding on and not branching out to new experiences. Sure, I started a new job last January, and I moved to a new apartment, but I still felt like I could be doing more new things.

My goals for 2012 tie into doing new things. I want to be passionate about things again and I hope having set goals will help. Goals, not resolutions.

Figure out this blog.
Honestly, I struggle with blog topics every time I sit down to write. Do I want to write about knitting? Crafts? Vegetarian cooking? (This one makes me sound like a hippie. Rest assured, I am not.) Code? I have many passions, but I want to narrow my focus and write what I’m REALLY passionate about.

Learn how to take better pictures.
Want to know why I don’t write more in my blog? I’m embarrassed about the quality of pictures I take and post. I only own a little point and shoot and don’t really want to invest my money in a DSLR yet, so this year, I want to work with what I have and learn the basics of photography so I love my pictures more. I think I can do this, if I end up writing more often!

Write, write, write!
This is the thing; practice makes perfect with everything in life. If I want to be a better writer, I need to write more often. Not just in my blog, but in my paper journal and other outlets as well. I want to write more blog comments, write reviews on Goodreads, post on Ravelry. Maybe I’ll even give NaNoWriMo a try again in 2012! I may not be the best writer in the world, but I do enjoy it.

Run a 5k.
Look, a goal that doesn’t have to do with my blog! I’ve been talking about running for nearly a year now, and I still haven’t done anything about it. I really have no excuse. I ran a total of one time last year, and I loved how I felt after I finished. I don’t know why I didn’t do it more. This year, however, no more excuses. I will sign up for a 5k in the spring so I have no choice but to train. And I WILL do great.

Attend 5 conferences.
I attended many conferences in 2009 and 2010, but this dropped off in 2011. So far in 2012 I want to attend Drupalcamp Western MA and any other conferences in New England, and I want to go to another Wordcamp as well. I’ll keep my eyes open for other conferences in the area too; I love getting together with like-minded people! (Oh yes. Knitting ‘conferences’, such as Rhinebeck, count here, because I say so.)

Read 25 books.
Here is something many of you might not have known about me; I won a trophy in both 2nd and 3rd grade for reading the most books for the MS Readathon than anyone else in my entire school. I used to LOVE to read and would read anything I got my hands on. I used to read my babysitter’s kids’ Nintendo Power magazines to give them help on how to beat a certain game. I read children’s books and manuals and cookbooks. I read everything.

Then, when I hit middle school, I stopped reading for fun. I didn’t like being taught how to read a certain way in high school, though I know now it taught me critical thinking skills I did not have. Still, I stopped reading as an adult.

This will change this year. For one, Ted has a million books on the bookshelves, so I can possibly complete this without even going to a library or buying a new novel. So for this one, I REALLY have no excuse either! I want to get back into this because I love reading before I go to sleep.

Knit a sweater that fits!
This summer will mark 10 years since I first learned to knit, and I still haven’t mastered the art of knitting myself a sweater that actually fits me and that I’d actually wear out in public. Maybe I will pick up Arisaig again and focus on making it fit correctly this time, so I’m NOT frogging the entire thing all over again. I can do it.

Organize the office… and use it.
We moved into our apartment last March, and one of our rooms is still packed to the brim with stuff we haven’t unpacked. The room contains my crafty things, our books, and our desks, so the room is crammed to begin with. However, we can’t even be in the office together right now because there isn’t room for two people in it. It’s awful and I miss having space to sew or write. I work best at a desk and I hate not even having a computer chair right now. We will change this at the start of the year, doing these basic things:

1. Buy a new bookcase. My awesome IKEA bookcase fell apart while moving it last year, so my books have no place to live in the apartment right now. My books currently cover my desk and some of the floor, which makes the floor an absolute obstacle course. Once I get a replacement, my books will be off the floor, making more space in the room!
2. Buy a computer chair. I got rid of my old, uncomfortable computer chair when I moved in with Ted about a year ago, and haven’t found another I like. I want to find one soon, as I want to be able to, you know, sit down at my desk when the room is finally organized. I’m looking forward to this.
3. Get rid of old computer books. I have a few antiquated computer books I’d like to get rid of to free up space on my new bookshelf. I really don’t need books I’ll never use again, so out with the old and in with the new!

Visit my family more often.
It’s funny; I think I visited my family a grand total of 3 times in 2011, despite them all living only 2 and a half hours away. I need to out there and see them on a more regular basis, especially my cute little niece. I’ll be seeing them in January when I attend Drupalcamp Western MA, and hopefully we will make a few more trips throughout the year.

Save money and keep a budget.
In 2012, I want to make a budget and actually stick with it. I want to save money this year to build up a comfortable amount of savings. This one is pretty straightforward.

Happy 2012, everyone!

Finishing my Christmas cards!

Handmade Christmas cards from… 2006? Yes.

I realized today that I haven’t sent out Christmas cards since a year or two before I moved to New Hampshire. So, Christmas 2007, I believe. (I just cracked myself up by typing Christmas 007. That would be interesting, wouldn’t it?) I can’t believe it’s been so long! I used to make my own Christmas cards. Hopefully next year I’ll have the time to do that again.

Holiday parties!
In addition to my final yesterday, I also attended two holiday parties; one with my work team, and one for the Portsmouth Brewery‘s Imperial Pint Club members. Ted and I hurried on over to the Brewery after our final and while we JUST missed getting ourselves some Kate the Great, we did enjoy a couple other awesome brews. I drank a glass of the Holidaze Porter, which I surprisingly enjoyed. I may need to drink another before Christmas!

My awesome boyfriend.

(Yeah, he might have told me to put this in. Of course, I would have put him in anyway, because he IS an awesome boyfriend. I’m kind of lucky to have him, you know.)

Almost done with my shawl!
I have TEN more rows left to knit before I’m finished with the Ginkgo shawl. I might get this bad boy done just in time! I’m hoping to knock it out this weekend and have some time to block it before the holidays. I can’t believe I’m actually doing this well with gifts this year. Actually, that’s another awesome thing; I’m about done with my shopping / crafting for the holidays. Hooray!

What was awesome about YOUR day?

Yes, knitting and school. My final exam is tomorrow and I’m hoping the studying I did yesterday and today will suffice! I’m excited to be done with this class.

I’m also excited to have done more work on the Gingko Shawl. I FINALLY reached the lacy edging, and I’m about halfway through it! I’m really, really hoping I don’t run out of yarn. If I do, I’ll get creative. I really want to get this done before Christmas! I’ll need to really start cranking this out if I want to make that deadline. Oh, Christmas knitting.

Hopefully after I finish my final tomorrow, I’ll be writing here more often again.

Winter seems to slow me down, every year. Once Daylight Saving Time ends in November, it takes me awhile to adjust to the sun setting at 4:15. I always forget how much I miss sunlight this time of year. The sun’s setting now as I type this post. Do light therapy boxes really work in the winter? A few people I know bought them this year and it’s helped them, so that’s definitely a thought. Adjusting to winter’s always hard, even more so this year because of the warmer temperatures we’ve had so far. Seems like winter is coming for real now, though.

Maybe one year, I’ll be ready for it.