Happy New Year and new decade!

Raclette for New Years

Inspired by Andromeda's post, I began thinking about all the things that have changed since 2000.

First, I think 2009 was a transition year for me: I finished my Masters, did my internship, solidified friendships and our lives in Toulouse, got my French drivers license, and prepared for my career. I didn't get to see my family or American friends, but like I said, it was a transition to bigger and better things.

A decade ago, these are a few of the things that happened in 2000:

I celebrated New Years with my family at the First Night at the Embarcadero in San Diego and it rained the whole evening; my dad was also rather grumpy as I remember
I came to France on a school trip for the first time since I was 4 years old; I visited the Basque region, Bilbao and St Sébastien in Spain, Paris, St Michel, and Bayeux. It was a magical if hectic 2 weeks
I got my drivers license on Halloween
In the fall I became first chair flute for the concert band (intermediate band at my high school)
For my 16th birthday we went to a miniature golf/go-cart place
I participated in the three debate tournaments of my life (I did Lincoln-Douglas)
I'm pretty sure I went to my first David Gray concert, but I'm not sure (and now I'm worried I might have lost my ticket)
My brother had a psychotic break, stabbed a friend, and was hospitalized in a psychiatric clinic for several months where he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and depression

And here are a few images from our fun New Years weekend. We celebrated with friends by drinking cocktails, eating raclette, playing Uno and several other party games, playing Boom Blox on the Wii on the 1st, and enjoying the fire in the chalet where we spent the weekend.

The view from the second floor of our friend's vacation house
Clouds whizzing by (long shutter speed)

The table prepared for our "little" New Years eve meal

I don't have any pictures for it, but the evening also included a tall friend breaking a glass lamp shade on the light fixture above the dining table, and then an hour later shattering a glass with Get 27 in it and thus getting the green alcohol on the table cloth. The light fixture is from about 1960, so we're not sure if it'll be possible to replace it (though that makes a good excuse to change it out!). We had initially planned to go skiing Friday or Saturday, but we didn't get up early enough on the 1st and my left lymph node decided to swell up and get hard, so Saturday I didn't feel like spending the day out in the cold. We watched The Hangover, and decided that though the movie had some funny parts, it wasn't that great.

Hope everyone had a nice start to the new year, and happy 2010!