windy, originally uploaded by mintyfresh.

This year brought with it WAY less travel than I was used to, which was a welcome change (though I must confess, I’ve been craving Amsterdam for months now!). But we managed to get around a little bit. My top ten of the places we’ve seen in the last twelve months, in order of occurrence:

• Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

  Growing up in Nova Scotia, I’m no stranger to oceans, or bridges, but this was the first time I’ve set foot (well, toe), into the pacific ocean. You always hear about the Golden Gate and how fabulous it is, but all I could think when I boarded our tour boat was ‘come on – a bridge? It can’t be that big of a deal’. I was humbled. Also, all bridges should be bright red.

• 111 Minna

  One of San Fran’s cutest galleries, Minna quickly became my ‘ooh! I love it!’ spot during a launch party I planned in January. The exhibit of the day was fascinating. My boss thought I would be horrified by the wall to wall naked ladies in their favourite shoes, but I loved it! The colours were stunning, the food was delightful, and the bar staff (save a mildly disorganized event planner) saved my sanity. And they make a mean martini, too.

• Macworld 2008

  This was my first introduction to the Apple techno-cult, keynote-lineups-around-the-block, new Apple gadgets dangling from convention centre rafters mayhem that is Macworld. There on business, I got to go behind the scenes and see the giant blacked out Apple tent (the black drapes around the booth go down ONLY when the keynote is over), stand less than 50 steps from Steve Jobs, and meet Apple-lovers old and young. Not sure I would do it again (crazy! missed sleeping!) but it was definitely an experience…

• Gatineau Park, January 2008

  One of our favourite things to do once the snow hits is to grab a nalgene full of wine, some cheese, bread and chocolate and head on up with our skis into the hills across the river. A short 6Km ski into the woods and we are ready to step inside a chalet to join 30 strangers for music, firelight and deliciousness. Follow this up with a 6K downhill ski back to the car and you’ve got a perfect night.

• CBC Studios, Ottawa Morning Show

  In February I was lucky enough to appear (if voice on-air can count as ‘appearing’ anywhere) on the CBC Radio Morning Show in Ottawa to talk about the launch of Cheap Eats Ottawa and my favourite eat-on-the-cheap places, including one of my still-favourites, Dick’s Drive In And Dairy Dip. While I love the name, I really love them for their homemade veggie burgers and perfect rootbeer floats.

• Vancouver

  Desperately needing to get away from work, and hoping Vancouver could potentially be our “we can’t live in Ottawa FOR-ever” place, we headed to Vancouver for the May long weekend to wrap our heads around things. There I met up with Internet friends, climbed up on snowy mountains in hardly any clothes at all (ballet flats! tank tops!) and figured out just how much I love (a) car sharing and (b) the Mini Cooper S. Why does Vrtucar have no cool cars? Just lame ones. boo.

• Our New House

  After seeing about 5000 crappy apartments, one beautiful apartment that was just WAY too small for us (serious, Lyon @ McLeod. BEAUTIFUL.), we stumbled on a house we were sure we would hate but fell in love with instead. Its giant studio, 100 year old basement, gas stove, and backyard *just* big enough for a ping pong table are among many of the features we loved. What we don’t love? The owners might be coming back in July. *sob*

• J-Squared

  Two friends of ours bought a farm this year, and while I was there to help them move in, it didn’t really feel ‘wow – this place is amazing’ until my second visit (the time where I didn’t have to lift heavy boxes!). This lush piece of property out in the vicinity of carp/dunrobin/arnprior is quickly becoming one of my favourite places to be put to work (stripping cedar posts, cutting barnboards, patting horses), to play fetch with puppies (Hi Raleigh!) and get the heck out of the city.

• Backstage, Southam Hall

  You have no idea just how big the stage at Southam Hall is until you walk behind the lights, baffles, props, risers, music stands and GIANT organs. Let me just say, it is very big. And to sit on the edge of the stage staring out at more than 2000 empty lush red seats is not only humbling, it’s downright stage fright inducing. I don’t know how performers do that every night. I would be shaking in my shoes.

• Mom & Dad’s New House, Nova Scotia

  When my parents bought a lot in rural Nova Scotia, it didn’t seem all that real. When they moved away from my sister and I, and moved in with family in Halifax, it just seemed like an extended vacation. But now that I am here, lying on the spare room bed in their new house, it seems real. And it seems very very much like a place we’ll all be able to call our home away from home (the 8-burner gas stove and soapstone island help a lot). Now that it’s real, I can’t imagine it being any different than how it is.

16.365 Honour, originally uploaded by mintyfresh.

2008 was a year of acquiring things and of good things happening. LOTS of good things came into my life in the last 365 days. Here are my top ten favourites:

• Macworld 2008 Best In Show Award

  A long time ago (or at least what feels like a long time ago now), I worked for a company that made extremely cool software. We set a lofty goal for ourselves in the summer of 2007: Go to Macworld and bring back the most important award you can get. Amid much nail-biting, many late night WTF?! sessions, and a crazy trip to San Francisco, we did it. I’m not sure I’ve ever been more surprised, or more proud of the people I got to call colleagues.

• KitchenAid Red Stand Mixer

  A present for quitting a job that mostly made me want to gouge out my eyes (not the same as the award-winning job above!), this KitchenAid Stand Mixer came home with me in October and has seen plenty of action since. Churning out cookies, cupcakes, pie dough and even freshly churned butter, it’s all show-offy and is my favourite new counter piece. Santa brought me the pasta rolling attachment for Christmas, so look for more KitchenAid miracles on this site soon!

• Blik FLY Wall Decals

  My new studio needed something fun on the walls, and these wall decals from Blik were it. Every day, I can’t help but smile as I walk by the flying doves on my walls. They are just so happy looking!

• NAC Employee ID Card

  To some, this might be insignificant, but I’ve been coveting a job at the NAC for months – quite possibly, years. Every day at my new job is a challenge, but an exciting one. This handy ID card gets me access to my daily grind, access to the coffee shop, and an in when I want to hang out on the stage of Southam Hall. It’s one of my very favourite things from 2008.

• Canon 10-22 Lens

  A super surprise present from Brett, this new lens of mine is quickly reaching favourite status with it’s beautiful wide-angle views and manual adjusting f stop. Expect to see a lot from this lens in the months to come.

• Yellow Fluevogs I Covet From Afar

  This has been the year of shopping, for shoes, clothes, coats and most importantly, colourful tights. After four years at a job where it probably would have been 100% ok to wear my pajamas to work, I had to start dressing like a grown up again (which I love. Pajamas get boring.) But the one thing I have refused to let myself buy are these lovely yellow shoes from Fluevog. Everybody’s got to want something!

• My Print Gocco

  Having a giant crafty room to myself in our new house comes with some perks (aside from just having a giant room – a novelty to apartment dwellers, I know) – and one is room for my fancy print gocco machine that Brett gave me as a gift LAST year. While it’s been a busy enough year that I haven’t been able to use it that much, but when I can, it’s screenprinting and screenmaking madness. I’m in love! Now if only I could find a giant work table for my office already so I’d have somewhere to put it on!

• Spoonflower Fabric Printing

  I discovered this service earlier this year and nearly immediately sent off two designs that have been kicking around in my digital files for some time now, and back they came as big giant pieces of fabric! This site is perfect for the wannabe fabric designer, the person who loves to add just that one special touch to special projects, or the craft maven with an encyclopedia of fabric designs floating around in her head.

• Our Giant New Bed

  We bought a grown-up king size bed this year with all the trimmings….new bed frame, new sheets, new giant pillows. And there’s nothing better than crawling into bed, stretching out, and not being able to reach the other side.

• The iTunes Music Store

  For keeping me amused during the wee hours of the night, for saving me from trek to CD stores, and for letting us rent movies and not have to worry about returning them on time, for once.

Longtime readers know that I’m a huge listmaker, so it seems only fitting that I end 2008 with a series of lists – my favourite things, moments, places, meals, recipes, and music of 2008. On January 1st, I’ll end it off with a list of things I want to accomplish in 2009.

This is mostly a placeholder posts – look for the lists to start rolling out shortly – I’ll like to them all here as they go up, so this can be a reference point.

Hope you’re enjoying the last few days of 2008 and looking forward to a wonderful sunshiney 2009!

• Top Ten Things (conveniently my 1000th post)
• Top Ten Places
• Top Ten Most Popular Photos
• Top Ten Favourite Photos (of mine)
• Top Ten Recipes