with all the ups and downs that 2009 has landed on my plate,,, this past year was a tad bit bitter sweet,,, thank God for my blog,,, as i took a glimpse back at the year, that, sadly, i dont have the fondest memories of,,, its nice to know that, well, it really *wasnt that bad*,,,, but i am embracing twenty ten like nobodies business,,, im ready, willing and beyond eager,,,, i almost didnt do one of these types of posts,, wanted 2009 to gracefully pass,,, without looking back,,, but, i gotta admit, im glad i did. again, it wasnt that bad. i guess.

funny to think,, before 2009,. i never have the courage to try out for a design team. glad i went for it. being on a design team was and is so much fun. so much fun that we went ahead and started our very own,,, twice. some of the design team experiences were better then others, some came and went, and some i still remain on. i likes. its perfect just the way it is right now. im content.

looking back,,, my favorite blog moments of two thousand and nine,,,,, sorry, there are more than i had expected,,,,

6 january,,,

20 january,,,,

25 january,,,

26 january,,,,

29 january,,,

1 february,,,,

26 february,,,,

18 february,,,,

2 march,,,,

5 march,,,,, that was short lived,,,, :-(

9 march,,,,

17 march,,,

24 march,,,

29 march,,,,

30 march,,,,

8 april,,,,

10 april,,,,

19 april,,,

7 may,,, {mainly i just love that picture},,,,

25 may,,,

27 may,,,,

17 june,,,,

14 july,,,

9 august,,,

16 august,,, {i know it was my birthday,,, but i looooooove blog comments ~ thank you},,,

19 august,,,,

21 august,,,

25 august,,,,

13 september,,,,

23 september,,,

24 september,,,

2 october,,,

5 october,,,,

12 october,,,

1 november,,,,

17 november,,,,

2 december,,,

9 december,,,

26 december,,,

27 december,,,

anddddd the grand finale,,, 30 december,,, & 30 december,,,

here are some of my favorite layouts of 2009,,,,,

its fun to see the progress in my scrapbooking,,, i love doing 8 1/2 X 11 now,,, love. this past year, i gotta admit, i grew the most in my scrapping,,, im hoping to reach another rad goal this year. i will. i know it.

i liked doing this,,,, even thought my hand is killing me from moving this and that,,, typing,,, copy, paste,,, blah, blah,,,, thank you for reading my blog today,, and whenever you pop in,, every day, once a week,, here and there,,, it doesnt matter, i appreciate you,,, i hope you have an amazing new year,,,

love you, love allyson joy,,,,,

go figure, the layout i despise {maybe the very most}, was on top of my blog for who knows how many days,,, but I'm not gonna dwell on it. i can't. i won't. hi. im here, and YES, i am alive. thank you to those of you that looked for me, and even sent emails wondering if i was okay. i really, REALLY appreciate it. thank YOU. i know i never said it out loud, but i did tell myself i would blog everyday for a whole year. and secretly, you counted on it too. well, crap, i got so close. can i have a little credit for the 261 days i made it?? i missed a few days, and i gotta be honest, it felt alright. so now, yeah, im still gonna blog like crazy, totally not going anywhere, i need you too desperately. but now, since i suck and didn't make my own personal cut, ill be blogging as i feel. sometimes, i just didnt feel like blogging, but i did, because i promised i would. well, promises will be broken, bridges will burn and life will go on. im pretty sure you are already over it and ready to move on with me,,, so let's get on with it,,, my life about six weeks ago changed like crazy, crazy,,, i would come, go, stay, leave, play, relax, dream, create,,, anything. whatevers me and my kiddos felt like doing that day. then, it started,,, soccer, tap, ballet, soccer *team* mom, room mama, oh yeah, and lets not forget the most important - school!!!

ive learned -

*moments like this are hard to explain, they feel so good.

*mousie mousie is even more important to me than i thought {and i thought that she was really important to begin with}.

*im having a hard time being a crutch for others, as im struggling with standing on my own two feet at the moment as it is,,,

*watching your four year old dude score a goal at his soccer game might be the greatest feeling in the whole wide world {i cried}

*that my friends are rocks. and now i get it, because they are there when you hit them, rock bottom. they are like little pieces of padding waiting to soften your blow, to make it more cozy.

*i live ever so close to americas finest city, and i have taken it for granted. big time.

*that a simple day trip with an amazing girlfriend can help you feel so happy and cozy on the inside

*that i, too, am guilty of being wrapped up in random, really not so important *things* like the internet,, well, make that *a thing*

*and yes, when all else fails, i do recommend you to listen to lady gaga ~ *just dance*

wanna hear something else?? this hot chick and i are picking our design team tonight!!! were so excited!!! cant wait!!
thank you, for being my friend.

love you, love ally*son joy

i learned,,,

*moments like this cost nothing but are worth so much.
*my friends are so much *radder* than your friend. reason one. reason two. reason three. *scrapping at starbucks is wicked fun.

*slumber parties still rock!!! {love you}

i saw,,,

*a man get hit by a car,,, stand there for a brief moment,, dust himself off and hobble away {true story}.

*some rad friends of mine that i missed like crazy :-D

i bought,,,

*new clothes for vegas {next weekend}!!!!!

*a painting {errrr,,, maybe three of them},,,,

*these onsies for some friends of ours that are expecting. from here.

*a ton of black tea lemonades {my new starbucks drink of choice by a mile}

i scrapped,,,
*this

with her. photo shoot by carrie too!!!
*four dr seuss layouts for my youer than you collection

*another effer dares layout

*other goodies that i cant think of right now,,,,

this feels good,,,,,

~loves~