Here are a few of the highlights:

January

The year got off on the right foot with training for the Napa Valley Marathon (due to injury, my 2008 entry was deferred). Physically and emotionally, I put myself out there and learned some valuable lessons.

February

I continued training for Napa as best as I could and, when able, tried to pamper my lonely heartbroken self. Cautiously, I got back “out there“…a wee bit at a time. I was given the opportunity to help another by sharing the ways that others helped me after I lost my husband.

March

Returning to the place of my 1st marathon, and the marathon where my husband and I shared so much, I experienced Napa in a whole new way. I was a growing experience but it was far from F-U-N. But that was nothing when compared to my fight with the treadmill: I LOST. Then I was found.

April

As word of my treadmill acrobatics spread far and wide, I began getting quite a lot of attention. Roses were being left on my doorstep and, at the same time, I was earning a reputation as a bona-fide toe killer. Even with my new reputation as klutz and toe killer, I somehow managed to get showered with all sorts of wonderfulness (which I would later learn was too much and not enough at the same time). After my 1 month period of no running, swimming, biking, or doing anything post-concussion phase ended, I slowly returned to running. Oh, and my company was acquired.

May

I struggled with the scars (physically and mentally) left behind from my fall in March. Still, me and a few of my friends managed to run from Calistoga to Santa Cruz in just 3 days. The time spent with friends was just enough to allow me to forgive the little annoyances I’d identified in my new relationship, appreciate the undivided attention I was receiving, and dream of a future. I woke with a start to call from the islands reporting there was trouble in paradise.

June

YaYa and I traveled south when BoBo returned to the mainland for a visit. I began rebuilding one relationship while stepping back from another. As the month progressed from Father’s Day to Tom’s Birthday, I wrapped myself in the bits & pieces and memories of him.  I met Runner Susan and 21st Century Mom in Napa for a day of cycling and all things fun, went camping for the first time in forever, and began planning for another marathon. If that wasn’t enough, I filled the rest of my time with a running-themed quilting round robin.

July

I started off the month by ending the relationship which had been kept on hold status for over a month. There weren’t anymore excuses; he just wasn’t the one. I learned that my old dog’s days are limited and, as employees in my company began packing it up, I began wondering if my days were limited too. As a fun distraction, I ran a half marathon.

August

Admittedly, I was a bit stressed what with the job moving 30 minutes further away from home. I was less than neutral when Big Sis tried to fix the fluffiness I didn’t know existed. Then, after months of no contact at all, I was faced with Mr I. Don’t-want-a-relationship again and, once more, couldn’t get him out of my mind. I know; I suck!  I escaped my work and relationship woes with a trip to Southern California, ran with a guy I met on the Internet, bought myself a car, and celebrated YaYa’s 11th Birthday.

September

My job moved me into unfriendly territory. Unwanted friends came for a visit and stayed way too long. To add insult to injury, disagreement regarding BoBo’s Academy graduation arrived via email from the islands. Thankfully, I still had my running.  Pretending I was still on vacation proved helpful too.

October

For the first time every, I had a job which I HATED…completely. And things started breaking around my house. Miracles happen though.  My favorite brother fixed me up. Then, men arrived at my home by the truckload.  Of course, I did have to pay them.

November

I celebrated my anniversary with a long run, practiced the art of negotiation, crashed & burned then, with my BQ on the line, had to negotiate some more.

December

I kicked off my new job with a beachfront business trip, ran a marathon with Ms Claus, and soon after began planning the next marathon. I’m crazy like that. I bid farewell to the family dog, celebrated Christmas TWICE…and spent my Birthday in the “happiest place on earth.”

Now, here we are in the final day of the year — already.

While BoBo is visiting from Hawaii, I am slowing down to savor each moment before it passes. Soon, he’ll be flying back to the island for a semester of community college followed by entry into the US Air Force.  I’m so proud of him.

I’m proud of YaYa too.  He’s been the young-man of the house, in addition to his roles as son, student, child, etc.

Here’s to 2010!   May it be even better than the last.

Well, MY block arrived on my doorstep completely transformed. I am now left to figure out the best way to finish off this project: my inspiration towards my Boston Qualification goal. I’m leaning towards a wall hanging.

Special thanks go to:

• Brit for setting this RRR up and of course her wonderful contribution really swell swirls (at the bottom).
• Mia for adding the awesome arrows.
• Lady J for grounding my goal in Go Green. Green IS my favorite color you know and I think it sort of symbolic. Go Julie. The light is green. Go Julie Go!

This round robin was a little stressful and a lot of fun. Thanks ladies for letting me work on your quilts. I am truly honored.

Each month the mailman would deliver another package that I would open up with both excitement and fear — because there is no telling what sort of masterpiece will arrive. I would then have one month to hopefully add to the blocks specialness and mail it off at the end of the month.

I struggled with Brit’s block because I know and love her and really didn’t want to ruin her creation. Keeping in mind that whatever I added would be buried deep beneath everyone else’s addition, I decided to keep it simple. In retrospect, it was TOO simple. All I could think of was that I didn’t ruin it.

Then Lady J’s quilt arrived. Other than Brit mentioning her a few times in her blog, I know nothing about Lady J. I stared at here quilt nearly all month trying to figure out what to do with it. Brit had embroidered flowers that were running in the top right corner and I wanted to finish off the square by embroidering something in the bottom left. But I could NOT figure out what to embroider. No sooner than when I got an idea, would I shoot it down with reasons why I that idea would not work. I thought of doing a finish line theme…but didn’t know if Lady J actually raced. Over and over this occurred until it was nearly the end of July. That was when I realized that I didn’t even have enough of the purple fabric to finish off the bottom in the same fashion as Brit had done the top. Finally, I came up with this.

The grand finale was Mia’s block. I’d seen pictures of it posted here and there but you really have to hold this quilt in your hands to appreciate it’s creativity. The story that accompanied the quilt brought it all together all the more. The evolution of this particular block as it moved through the round robin was remarkable.

More than anything, I wanted my addition to bring the focus back to the original piece because Mia put so much of her story into this block that I felt it was important to highlight just that. I cut the fabric samples that Mia started with (the ones that symbolize her journey) into squares and created a simple log cabin design to run along the outside border. There was only one problem: the accent fabric was running low. If I kept to my original design, I would run out before adding to each square. Even after I settled on strips half the size of my original intention I realized that I would not have enough to finish out all of the squares. I also would have to use less squares.

Well, the less-squares idea did NOT come together nicely.  It didn’t come together at all.  As it turned out, I needed ALL the squares to finish off it off properly. Unless I found a way, this would be likened to running 13 miles but not the final 0.1 mile.  I was not about to earn a DNF on this project.

I grabbed the remaining scraps of fabric and carefully sewed the pieces together.  There was a lot of breath holding going on.  Prayers too.

By some miracle, it actually came together.

I’m now just waiting for my block to finish its rounds too.  I cannot wait to see how it faired on this creative journey.

Each participant creates their own block which then gets pass on to the next person at the end of each month (or so as the case may be). The next person then adds to the block they receive and, at the end of that month, passes it on once again.

I spent the majority of May in search of an idea for my block. I wanted something that would talk to my quest for Boston — which ultimately has served as a symbol for persevering against the many challenges that life hands you. Of course, given my limited sewing prowess, it had to be simple.

After much thought, I set my sights on creating a block with a simple race bib as the center point. I think I will add pins to the corners when it is finally done. As for the number I chose, #261 is simply the number which Katherine Switzer wore in 1967 when she paved the way for women in marathoning. Katherine’s refusal to drop from the race showed the world that women are not fragile. Seriously, doesn’t childbirth alone show how strong we are. Nonetheless, #261 is symbolic of not only my determination to achieve Boston qualification but also the determination and strength which I have discovered following my husband’s death.

Mia had my block in June. I love what she’s done to it. It now looks like this.

As for Brit’s block, which I received mid-month thanks to her spaz of a postwoman. Once more, I spent nearly all of the month in search of some magnificent plan for it. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, magnificent is not me. Simplistic is me. Given my limited sewing ability, it was good that the only idea entering my head was to extend her creation by adding fabric to highlight the change from sky, to trail, to nature.

This is how it came out. Although, my initial feeling was that I had to add something fancier to it, I am now glad that it didn’t. Mia, who will receive it next, has grande plans for it which she shared with me via email. I cannot wait to see how it turns out because if does sound perfectly “Brit.”

Soon, I will be receiving another block. This one, the creation of a perfect stranger who, I must say had no idea who she is trusting her quilt with. Like in June, I am sure that I will pull out a whole lot more hair trying to come up with a way to add to it, while not ruining it.