Los Angelista's Most Momentous Moments of 2009

2009 is almost at an end! Mere hours remain till the residents of Los Angelistastan throw on our party hats and crack open some bottles of sparkling cider! This means that I have to finally decide what goes on Los Angelista's Most Momentous Moments of 2009 list.

Whether I think of triumphs or tragedies, this year has been definitely been full of memorable events. I culled this list from all the things I've blogged about over the past few months and the quotes are from the original posts --links included in case you want to read the entirety of the original! Ready for a bit of reflection on the past year? Let's travel back to January 2009...

1) January 2009- Barack Obama's Inauguration: I cried a LOT of good tears on this day and watched the entire day's inauguration proceedings with my kids.
"Indeed, all through the luncheon and during the parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, I kept thinking about how, in a few short hours, a black man was going to walk in the front door of the White House as the President. I kept picturing him crossing over a threshold which was laid by slaves. I got chills thinking about how a black woman was going to be living in that house, not as a maid or servant, but as the First Lady."
Wow, Obama's inauguration was an amazing moment in American history!

2) February 2009 -
I Met Orlando Bloom! Back in February I went to be an extra in the concert scene for his upcoming film Sympathy for Delicious.
"When filming was finished, I decided to try and see if I could say hello to him and he was SO nice and friendly. He shook my hand, thanked me for coming out and told me I'm gorgeous! Yes he did! Whoo hoo! When I'm an old, shriveled up granny, I hope I can still remember this day!"
Meeting Orlando was on my "Things I Want To Do In My Life" list - and how amazing it was to have it happen this year! Good grief, he is HAWT!

3) March 2009 - Trip to San Francisco! I hadn't been to San Francisco in over five years and my kids had never been so we had a great time. An added bonus was that my dearest friend Leili Towfigh who I hadn't seen in over seven years was visiting her family - and goodness, it was marvelous to see her after so long. The downside? We had a little encounter with racist cabbies.

4) April 2009 - Seeing Depeche Mode at Jimmy Kimmel: 2009 was the year of Depeche Mode for me! It started off with me winning VIP wristbands to a free pre-tour warm-up performance they did for the Jimmy Kimmel show. Pre-show I spotted Martin Gore warming up and I started screaming!
"Maybe my hollering attracted some attention because I got interviewed by a KFWB reporter. The look he gave me when he asked, "How long have you been a fan?" and I replied, "Since I was 11," was priceless, not because he was trying to figure out how old I am, but because I think he was wondering, "Who are these obsessed people?"
Since then, every time I drive by the intersection of Hollywood and Argyle, I remember what I an amazing time I had that night.

5) May - I Ran The Los Angeles Marathon: After months and months of training, I ran my first-ever marathon. What an accomplishment!
"The look on my son's faces when they saw me between mile 19 and 20 is one I'll never forget. They were in awe! Oh, and my five year-old tried to jack my pretzels that I had pinned to my running belt. He actually started running alongside me, trying to snatch them. Post race, they kept hugging me and telling me how proud they were of me. I feel like such a good role model for them!"
Yeah, that's me only a couple hours post-race with my medal! I can't wait to get another one!

6) June -
The Death of Michael Jackson. A whole lot happened in June. Some of it was great - I presented at the Mixed Roots Festival. But I also wondered when justice would come for Iranian Baha'is, and the death of Michael Jackson felt like a knife in my gut.
"I never had a Michael Jackson button on my jean jacket. Never had a lunchbox with his face on it. Never had a Thriller poster up in my bedroom, and I never wished I could marry him or be his girlfriend. But our hearts know musical genius when they see it. And our hearts know when we've lost it. It truly feels like the end of an era... an end I knew would always come, but I never thought it would come so soon."
7) July - Racial Unity In My Family: I went home to the Midwest and managed to co-engineer a little family gathering - and it turned out to have more significance than I could've ever dreamed. My Irish-American uncle apologized to my interracially married parents for the family's racist treatment of them.
"It made me reflect on how incredibly important it is to apologize for the wrongs that have been committed because of racism. It's also so important to forgive. If you can't apologize or forgive, you can't move forward."
8) August - I Saw Depeche Mode THREE Times! - In August I went to the Magic Castle for the third time this year (after years of wanting to get in there) and snapped pictures of myself in the restroom! But by far, the most amazing thing to happen in August was that I saw Depeche Mode twice, here in Los Angeles and once in Santa Barbara.

I invented my #MartinGoreIsTheBombdizzle hashtag, and after the night two concert, I got to spy on the band hanging out at the post-show after party. I saw Martin Gore chillin' and all dressed in white. I took a photo of him, about which I wrote:
"You'll notice my picture of Martin is slightly blurrier and it's 100% because by that point I was actually shaking! Yes, SHAKING! I have never met any member of Depeche Mode in person. Never. And I am not exactly sure what I'd do if introduced to them. I've always pictured myself forgetting how to talk. Or babbling something totally ridiculous and embarrassing like, "Omigod, I've loved you since I was nine!!!"
9) September - I Was Published In The October Issue of Good Housekeeping! One of my goals for 2009 was to get published in a print magazine, and it happened! It was for my piece "Explaining Michael Jackson" and the first time I saw the issue in the store:
"I didn't know whether to cry or jump up in down in the store when I opened it up and saw it there on the page! I ended up doing both. I didn't even care that the security guard was totally giving me, "Is she stealing something over there?" look!"
10) October - The Women's Conference. I live blogged the Women's Conference for the Los Angeles Moms Blog and got to hear Maria Shriver's emotional take on both her mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver's passing as well as her uncle, Senator Edward Kennedy's passing.
"Shriver said of her motivation for having the conversation despite how emotionally difficult it is, "It is our hope that this conversation will give anyone out there dealing with a broken heart or a shattered soul a sense that you are not alone."
11) November - No More Sammy Sosa Magnet. November was great because my family went to Disneyland and had an amazing time, but one of my biggest WTF moments of 2009 remains Sammy Sosa morphing into a white man. I had to take down the Sosa magnet that I, a die hard Chicago Cubs fan, have had on my refrigerator for over 15 years.
"I wouldn't continue to slather on a moisturizing cream if I discovered it inadvertently lightened my skin. If the moisturizer didn't explicitly say on the box that it has a skin lightening effect, I'd hire a lawyer to draw up a suit against the manufacturer. The only reason to not sue is if I bought the cream intending to purposely lighten my skin. And if I was Sammy, why would I purposely lighten my skin? Because I'm acting out my own internalized racism."
12) December - I Got An Awesome Job!: I haven't started it yet but wowzer, I'm so excited!
"Seriously, Education + Writing = Dream Job. Yes, it's jumping back into the full time thing but I really like the magazine, I like the people, I like the ideas and values they stand for, and no one said, uh, you're gonna have to straighten your hair to work here because your fro does not look professional. Did I already mention "dream job"?"
*****
Yes, 2009 has had its personal challenges, it's tests and difficulties, many of which I do not detail on this blog. But so much good has happened in my life. There have been so many worthwhile moments, so many once in a lifetime events. I'm grateful for this year. I really am. Thank you for coming and visiting my site, for commenting, for being a part of my life this year.

What will 2010 bring? Well, hopefully people actually pronouncing the year "twenty ten" instead of "two thousand and ten". I'm also working on a vision board for what I want to accomplish in 2010. This year has taught me that you attract what you put out into the universe, so I'm working on visualizing my dreams even more!

In the meantime, be safe tonight and I'll see you in 2010!

Comments

MarieDenee said…
It was sooo awesome meeting you at the California Women's Conference! I am o happy that you were tre cool and fab as we chatted it up a bit! You had an amazing year, and I am so proud of your fantabulous achievements! Blessings and the best is yet to come in 2010!
Leili said…
I love re-reading about all of these but especially #3 (SF and seeing me!), #7 (unity in your family) and #12 (new job!) stand out the most for me.

Here's to a great, fulfilling 2010! Love you!
Sarah Auerswald said…
Liz, what a great year you've had! I'm thrilled to have witnessed it through this blog -- and sometimes in person -- and so excited to see what 2010 brings you, especially in your new j-o-b! Happy New Year!
Call Family said…
You lead a charmed life my friend.Happy to have you in my life, and look forward to reading more of your adventures in 2010!
nick said…
That looks like a fabulous year. I hope 2010 is even better. Happy New Year to you and Mr D and the boys!
April said…
Congrats on all your successes in 2009! Wishing you lots of luck with the new job in 2010.
Lisa Johnson said…
Happy New Year! Congratulations on the new job and all the best to you and your family in 2010! ; )
Liz Dwyer said…
MarieDenee,
It was SO nice to meet you, too! You're so friendly and easy to talk to - I think talking to you was the first really enjoyable conversation I'd had there! :) I hope you have a great year, too! In fact, I'm sure you will!

Leili,
Honey, getting to see you after a gazillion years was so wonderful. It was hard to believe that T had never met Auntie Leili - and as soon as it gets warm, I'm going to try to hatch a plan to come visit you for a weekend in your hometown! :)

Sarah,
It was a good year, as long as I looked on the bright side of things. It's too easy to focus on what didn't happen or on the hardships, but a lot of good things happened. I'm glad to know you and I hope I see you even more in 2010!

Call Fam,
So glad to have you in my life, too! May the stars align and have us end up in the same city this year! And I promise to keep providing adventures in 2010!

Nick,
It was - and I think that even though 2010 won't be challenge/trouble-free, there will still be lots of exciting and good things happening. Happy New Year to you and yours, too!

April,
Thank you and wishing you all the best in 2010! I hope things only get better for all of us!

Anali,
Happy New Year to you, too and thanks for the congrats! I'm ready to make good things happen and contribute something productive to the world in 2010! :)
Mocha said…
You know what? You really deserved that amazing year you just had and I am over the moon happy for you and cannot believe that I didn't, like, molest you or something when I finally met you and you are just the SWEETEST person ever. Your disposition is fantastic and you are kind and your heart is good and PLEASE, CAN I HAVE YOUR HAIR?

That was a run on sentence because I'm just that stoked for you and so very glad that we got to meet up in Chicago.

The best to you, my dear. The very best.

xoxo
Liz Dwyer said…
Mocha,
Aww, when I decide to shave my head, I'll make a wig of my hair just for you! I'm glad we met, too and I am definitely wishing you and yours the best in 2010! xoxo's back at you!

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