on to 2012

New year's eve 2012 will go down in history as the night I made the best lasagna I have ever made. For serious.

While Mike does most of the cooking around here (he is much more talented in the kitchen than I am), I still like to get into the kitchen once in a while to whip up one of my favorite recipes -- snickerdoodles, Bonny's banana mango nut muffins, and New Year's lasagna.

Somebody once told me that it was "good luck" to ring in the new year with lasagna... and since that time, not a year has gone by that I have omitted the ooey-gooey deliciousness from my new year's menu. The first year I made a new year's lasagna was to ring in 2006 -- my first new year with cancer.

I was bald. I had just finished chemotherapy. I had one boob and one "foob". All the more reason to bid "good riddance" to 2005 in style. I had so much fun that evening that I forgot all about the lasagna, cooking away in the oven. It baked for 3 hours -- but not even a semi-burned lasagna could dampen the spirits of those present that night.

I learned early on that "who you are with" is much more important than "where you are" on New Year's Eve.   I spent some time digging up some old NYE photos -- and I am so thankful for those memories!  It seems as if every year, I was exactly where I was supposed to be... or more importantly, I was with exactly whom I was supposed to be with!  One look at the smiles on our faces and you know that is true.  (I've tried to assemble a NYE timeline below --- but a few years are missing!  If you have a memory, please share it!)

Even in the tougher years, NYE has always offered a reason to smile.  It's the dawn of a fresh, new year... ready to be explored... ready for adventure and laughter (and yes, probably some tears).  The beauty is, it is a blank page.  A story ready to be written.  And I can't wait to see what surprises await us this new year.  On to 2012!

2012:  Casills, Scotts, Coynes at our house

2011:  Casills, Scotts, Bells at our house

2007-2010:  I need to dig up these memories!  I can't find any pictures, but I am fairly certain that we rang in the new year with friends at our place in Westampton  (with the exception of the year that I was sick and we had to postpone our party to the following weekend!)... anybody with firm memories for these years, please share them!!!

2006:  Nancy, Hillary/Bob, Jim/Cindy, B Lo, Rowley, Mellen/J, Susan at my townhouse in Westampton

2005:  "Last minute party" at Nancy's house

2004:  Skippy's house in Philadelphia (we were still driving around looking for parking when the clock chimed midnight!!)

2003:  Night out in NYC with Nancy & friends (Off the Wagon?)

2002: I *think* Nancy & I rang in the new year at Harvest Moon in New Brunswick with Walt & MJ?  That was either 2002 or 2001?

2001:  Southern NYE at Ziggy's in St Simons, GA with Sarah & Jennifer

2000:  Kozmo.com party in NYC