Best of 2010

This is going to be a little harder than writing my Best of 2009 post. My 2009 was documented. Possibly over documented right here on this blog. I did very little blogging in 2010. I'll have to make this list by memory (Oh dear God) or by looking back at pictures. Just like last year, I'm sure I'll leave something or someone out. If you's like to add something to the list, comment below. And now..onto my list

January:
1) Had a dance party with Allison and Ben to Neil Sedaka - Waking Up Is Hard to Do
2) Water pipe burst. Not a best moment, but very memorable. 1/10/10
3) Watching the NY Jets playoff run. It stopped in Indy, but it was a great unexpected thrill.
Favorite post: Almost 4 Months Old

February:
1) Ben's photoshoot with Victoria Shade. www.victoriashade.com
2) Watching the Winter Olympics
3) Opening a Garden City office with a stomach bug during a snow storm.
Favorite post: (only post of February) A Really Long Time

March:
1) Trip to NY for Danny & Bridgette's Wedding.
2) Taking Ben to see his first Mets game. In true Mets fashion, they lost to the Braves in extra innings.
3) Lunch at Hooters with my old CA crew.
4) I wont tickets to In The Heights - Broadway Across America.
Favorite Post: It's a Nightmare

April:
1) Ben started crawling (I think)
2) Great American Pie Festival - Yes! It's as awesome as it sounds. We were even on the CBS Early Show. 1:40 mark
3) Ran a 12K (7.46 miles)
4) Personal best 5K - 4/24/10 - 27:45
Favorite Post: I'm a Bad Dad

May:
1) Ben started cruising (I think)
2) Ben took Survival Swimming
3) Family trip to Cocoa Beach and I got a new hat at Ron Jon.
Favorite Post: Poop, Poop, Poop

June:
1) Disney Vacation!
2) My 34th Bday
3) I got World cup Fever
4) My 1st fathers day and the 1st annual Father's Day eve poker game.
Favorite Post: Disney Vacation Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 A, Day 3 B

July:
1) July 4th vacation on Miami Beach
2) Allison got a new car (new to her. It's a 2008 Honda Pilot)
3) Ben had ice cream for the first time.
Favorite Post: Dad vs Parent

August:
1) Went to NY for work and got to go to my niece's 5th birthday party
2) I got to see Citi-Field for the first time (only the outside)
3) Started writing for a Dearwomen.com
Favorite Post: (only post of August) Bi-Weekly Update

September:
1) Ben's 1st Birthday
2) Ben took his first steps - at the babysitter's house!
3) Ben's 1st Birthday party - we had
4) Allison's birthday. I made her an AWESOME BBQ King Crab dinner
5) Ben's first haircut
Favorite Post: Happy 1st Birthday Benjamin

October:
1) Ben started walking full-time
2) Trick or Treating with Ben and his friends
3) Weekend beach getaway with my wife's family from NY
Favorite Post: Today Was a Good Day

November:
1) Thanksgiving in NY visiting with friends and family
2) Playing Bingo for the first time at Foxwoods Casino
3) Taking Ben to the Yo Gabba Gabba show.
Favorite Post: Fun in the Sandbox

December:
1) Watching Ben open gifts for Hanukkah and Christmas
2) Going to see Jay's Lights with Ben, family and friends.
3) Hearing that Ben got his first kiss.
Favorite Post: NONE

OK. Onto my favorite things of 2010
Favorite moment of 2010: Ben's birthday. We were supposed to have 94 people at the party. Due to sickness and Disney on Ice, we ended up with 76 people! It's a wonder feeling that that many people wanted to celebrate Ben's birthday with us.
Favorite song: Don't Stop Believin' - Glee (shut up! don't judge me LOL)
Favorite CD: Eminem - Recovery
Favorite movie - Drama: Extraordinary Measures
Favorite movie - Comedy: Date Night or Little Fockers or She's Out of my League
Favorite move - Action: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt1
Favorite new show: Raising Hope
Favorite gadget: iphone 3GS
Favorite App: Angry Birds Seasons
Favorite Website: Facebook & Twitter
Favorite Radio Station: XL106.7
Favorite LOL Moment: Taking Ben out of the bathtub and holding him over the toilet because I saw him trying to poop.

Review of 2010 Goals

On New Year's Eve 2009 I wrote down my list of goals for 2010. Some I met. Some I didn't even come close to meeting and some are just laughable now that I know what life with a kid is like. I have a well behaved, joy of a child, but still my personal time is very limited. So while goals 2, 3, 9, 10, 11 and 12 would be awesome, they just didn't make the realistic cut.

But 2011 is a new year! So we'll try it again. I'll post 2011's goals in the next day or 2. Here's how I did in 2010. Goals I met are green. Goals I didn't achieve are red.

Goals for 2010

1. Spend less time on Facebook and Twitter and more time with Ben and Allison - I did a good job of this. I don't get on Facebook or Twitter until after Ben is in bed and Allison and I are both usually on Facebook while we watch TV together.
   
2. Spend the first hour after Ben goes to sleep writing. I find this hilarious. Ben goes to bed between 8-8:15. I then finish cleaning up after dinner and doing whatever chores need to get done. It's usually 8:30 - 9:00 before I can say we are "done." Add an hour of writing onto that and it's bed time. I'd never spend anytime with Allison. I'll need to address this in 2011.
   
3. Finish writing my book. See above.
   
4. Make money off of my writing. This I did. I wrote for http://www.fireflyworldwide.com/ and also for http://www.dearwomen.com/. I didn't make enough money to retire, but I did make enough money to ensure that at least something went into savings every month.
   
5. Run a 5K under 30 minutes - I achieved this goal 3 times. My best time was 27:45 on April 24th. I also recorded 27:47 on June 15th.
6. Run a 10K in an hour - I didn't run a 10K this year, but I did run a 12K in April. What's a mix of red and green? I want partial credit.
   
7. Run a 15K - just finish, without stopping - See above
   
8. Run a half marathon - just finish without stopping - I didn't register (or train) for a 1/2 marathon. I am however partnered up with my wife's cousin to run Disney 1/2 marathon Jan 2012.
   
9. Learn how to juggle - I tried to juggle a number of times, but just like William Hung, I have no professional training in juggling.
   
10. Learn how to play Super Mario Bros theme on my keyboard - I can play the first 6 notes, but that was not the goal. A friend sent me the sheet music, so I'm that much closer. Check back with me mid/late 2011.
    
11. Learn how to play Clocks by Coldplay on my keyboard - I can play Ode to Joy, but I didn't even try this one.
    
12. Learn how to play NY State of Mind by Billy Joel on my keyboard - I can play when the Saint's go Marching In, but I didn't even try this one.
    
13. Remain a size 34 for another year - I won't lie, there were days when my pants were not buttoned because I couldn't button them, but right now, on 12/29/10 my size 34s are buttoned! Another year? that's gonna be a tough one, but let's try it!
    
14. Create a new blog and post a picture on it everyday in 2010 - I had fun doing this, but I ran out of time. I got too busy to post. I'll try it again. I really did enjoy it and I learned some tricks to post faster. I posted 236/365.
    
15. Teach Ben to say "Daddy" & "Awesome"- Ben can say Dada, but it sounds like Na-Na. He cannot say awesome, but he can fist pump. That's a win if you ask me.
    
16. Do not curse in front of Ben - I have curbed a lot of my swearing by saying "son of a nut cracker, jerk-face and ah CRACKERS!," but I still drop the occasional swear word here and there. Luckily, he's not talking yet, so no copycat swearing.