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Though only a few minutes into 2009, I decided to follow suit after Rebecca and share some of my most memorable moments of 2008 in Flickr form. Being that I have close to 90 pages of photos from the last year, doing so was no easy task. While Rebecca chose just one or two photos from each month, I found doing the same to be nearly impossible. Being as minimalist as possible, I present to you January through December, 2008…

The horrendous windstorms of January on Vancouver Island forced our family to have many of our majestic trees cut down, providing a new playground for Charley.

Photo: Retrocactus on Flickr

The first birthday of the year belonged to none other than Rebecca herself. We all celebrated in true Mexican margarita style at Poncho’s on Denman Street.

Birthday No. 2 belonged to Amy, and a group of us treated her (and her gorgeous new ‘do) to beer, wings and bowling. I believe this was the same night we all discovered the magical Granville Street arcade.

Rebecca and I kicked off February with a girls-only trip and found ourselves waist-deep in powder on Mount Washington in the Comox Valley.

Not long after, we headed to BC Place for the Green Living Show, representing happyfrog.

In March Amy, Rebecca and myself enjoyed a ladies’ night with Barbra Streisand’s The Way We Were. Rebecca ended up helping herself to a little too much Peanut.

Free bubbly at Boneta.

It didn’t take Amy and I long to discover the best cookies on Earth at Farfalla in Gastown.

A group of local bloggers teamed up and tied up (their bowling laces) to raise money for Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver at Xcalibur Lanes in Surrey.

2008 saw Easter’s arrival in March instead of April, so I packed up my two favourite monkeys, my snowboard and headed to Vancouver Island in anticipation of my brother’s surprise visit.

I think it goes without saying that, by the end of the weekend, the boys were fast friends with Charley.

With April came an evening at 8 Rinks in Burnaby with Amy. While everyone chowed down on nachos and beer, I enjoyed a delightful combination of herbal tea and vegetables. Living on the edge, I know.

Nothing says “Happy Birthday, Duane!” like a festive and bright Christmas tree.

With summer sun around the corner, my first purchase of May was my retro, one-piece from Jantzen. I saw it in Vogue and was instantly consumed with lust.

Nothing says “West Coast girl” more than braving the rainy elements for an early morning walk on the seawall with Jenny. The starfish we found were unbelievable.

I wore my leg-warmers over my jeans with heels. It’s hip to be square.

Somehow I managed to slice open my knuckle and lock Jenny and I in the apartment all in one night. Frustrated and sad at the time, character-building in retrospect.

I felt the first rays of Summer’s sun at the Woodland Gardens craft fair on the May Long Weekend. Charley and my mom came along too.

A little pink from the sun, I (almost) enjoyed a dinner with my mom and aunt at Crown Isle’s Timber Room. Never. Again.

It was a night for “mommy and me” at Boneta in Gastown for Rebecca, myself and our respective mother-dears.

In June, Benji enjoyed the lush grass on one of our many trips to Crab Park…

…and I was lucky enough to snap the greatest photo of Casey ever taken (in my humble opinion).

Ribs for breakfast with Duane; he ordered them, not me.

Kortney and I hit up the Freakin’ Coffee Shop on one of my countless trips to the Island.

I managed to soak up some delicious rays from the blue, blue sky by the blue, blue water in my blue, blue bikini at Comox’s Goose Spit Park.

I closed off June with a trip to Victoria to visit Antonio and hit up Lucky Bar while I was there. Memories, sweet (and sour) memories.

Normally we’d expect sunshine and hot, hot heat in July, but that’s not the way it started. The rain didn’t keep us all from having a total blast at Playland!

When I was a teenager, I’d distract myself from my fear of the Enterprise by singing Stone Temple Pilots’ “Interstate Love Song” to myself at the top of my lungs. Now, not so much. I’m a brave girl.

Who can resist spending an sunshine-filled afternoon with these three munchkins?

It’s truly once in a blue moon that Ashley, Emily and I have the opportunity to spend time together, but we were all fortunate enough to have one fabulous July evening to put on the ritz!

We had sunshine at some points this Summer – I promise! It just never happened during the first weekend of August when Jenny and I found ourselves in Tofino for surf lessons and adventures in camping.

Sometimes the best photos are the ones you never intend to capture…

What’s the one thing better than the Comox Valley’s annual Filberg Festival? The Filberg Festival plus Amy plus Moose Tracks ice cream!

Filberg Park is a unique spot where special things will happen…

September was unreal. Rebecca invited me to be her official photographer and partner in crime for an interview with Hanson and attendance at their Commodore Ballroom show.

Not long after, I gathered the troops to walk for the SPCA. I raised over $7,500 for our local Vancouver shelter – Benji, Casey, Pete and Bella were over the moon!

Things got a lot hotter in October when Marc Jacobs decided to join the party in my closet – thanks again so much, Jack!

Granville Island holds special treasures every single time I visit, and I managed to discover some new hidden gems when John, Becky and myself found ourselves there on one rainy Fall afternoon.

I could not have asked for a more rad way to end October. Jenny and I headed south on the I-5 – our destination? Seattle.

Apparently we’re Swedish twins? A lot of Americans seemed to think so. Plus, it was sunny! Fancy that.

Our reason for going was singular and lovely – emphasis on the lovely. Jenny Lewis, the girl with the voice the could make angels rage with jealousy, played to a sold-out crowd at the Showbox Theatre at Pike Place Market. It was one hour of pure bliss for this girl.

What better way to invoke the true spirit of Halloween than to exploit the cuteness that is Benji and Casey?

For some reason, the excitement that November held was seemingly non-existent. That is, of course, except for the fact that I found out that I’ll be an auntie in the Spring, and saw the first ultrasound photos of my future niece!

A life does not have to be human to be great. Becky and I were shown that this is true when we attended a screening of Saving Luna in early December.

The first annual Best of 604 awards were a huge success, and I had a blast attending the awards reception at the Cellar on December 11 with some awesome ladies.

Lindsay and I got in the Christmas spirit a little early after one or three vodka cocktails. I’m pretty sure she had a sketchy Red Bull too.

Good deed for the day? Jenny and I pooled our cash together and bought a huge haul of treats, toys and food for the various animals in need of daily care at the Vancouver branch of the SPCA.

It was rather appropriate to kick off my Christmas holidays with a merry and bright shopping adventure with my mom.

So many grumbled about the endless snow over the holiday season. None of these grumblings, however, came from Charley. She loved every last delicate flake and couldn’t get enough!

With all its ups and downs, 2008 proved to be – at the very least – better for me than 2007. I’m not one to care much for the clock striking 12 and have never been much of a celebratory lady when it comes to New Year’s Eve. I never make resolutions and consider it like any other day. As I recently read, however, there is something inspiring about rolling over the clock, hanging up a new calendar and getting rid of what’s old to make room for what is to come.

My many wishes and hopes to you all for blessings, love, joy and life in 2009 and each and every year beyond it.