Prompt 28 – Five Things: Take today to jot down five memories that you would like to never forget about 2011. Try to write about five things you haven’t shared yet, but if you need to repeat, that’s OK!

This is tough. I know I’m not remembering every important moment, but here are the ones that stand out the most to me now. Perhaps I’ll start keeping a memory jar that I can refer to next December. Here it goes:

Memory 1:

My niece, Clare (16 months), running back and forth between my sister and I, who were each feeding her some of my birthday cake. With each bite, she kept going “MMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!” at the top of her lungs, and then excitedly sprinting over to the other aunt for more. Oh Wegmans, you gained a new fan for life that day. Then, completely hopped up on sugar, Clare gets naked and proceeds to run around my apartment bouncing from hysterically laughing family member to the next. Complete with naked somersaults and a cheek-spread, we were beyond hysterical. It was something I will never forget as long as I live, and something that made me realize just how funny she is. This child has a gift for making people laugh, and she made my birthday one of the most memorable I’ve had.

Memory 2: 

Erasmus Universiteit Fall Semester 2001, 10 year reunion in Rotterdam, Holland. Everything about it.

Memory 3: 

Being in St. Lucia and starting to plot out the creative, innovative, fast-paced, everything-is-a-possibility life that I embarked upon one month later.

Memory 4: 

The feeling of utter freedom and exhilaration when I quit my full-time job, knowing the possibilities were endless and that what was next was all up to me.

Memory 5: 

Falling in love with Dan. And knowing–for the first time–that I have a partner for life.