My happiest 2006 memory is made up of a whole bunch of memories spanning a weekend.

In July, I flew for the first time in many years. I had agoraphobia from 2001-2004 and was still struggling with phobias and panic attacks. I was terrified of going to a busy airport, terrified of standing in lines, terrified of being trapped on a plane, but I did all those things. When I got off the plane in Chicago after facing so many of my fears, I felt so free. I felt like I had slayed a dragon.

The weekend ended up being very liberating for me. I faced and conquered so many fears. The reason for my trip: My friend and I had an opportunity to do a live interview with Marty Casey, the lead singer of my favourite band, Lovehammers. We had already done two phone interviews with him and I wasn't nervous, but thinking about doing it in person was a bit nerve-wracking. Once we got to the site of the interview and were waiting for him to arrive, I was surprisingly calm. I was excited about meeting him, but not nervous. I was actually trying to calm the nerves of my friend. She was freaking a bit. It ended up going very, very well. We did a two-hour recorded interview with him in a restaurant, went to see a Candlebox show with him and then went to an after-party. I faced a whole of lot of fears that night (first time I had been in a crowded club since before I got agoraphobia). I had so much fun!

Two days later, I met up with a group of friends in Milwaukee to see the Lovehammers play at Summerfest. It was an extremely busy place -- jam-packed with people as far as the eye could see. I was still phobic about large crowds before that trip and I was amazed that I was fine while I was there. I actually had a blast -- in the front row seeing my favourite band play live for the first time. Agoraphobia was a distant memory. It was such a fun weekend. I felt like my old self again and put some big fears and phobias behind me.

On the way home, bad weather delayed one of my flights and I ended up stranded in an airport overnight. You wouldn't think that would be a good thing, but it was. It forced me to face another fear -- being alone in a big, unfamiliar place, unable to get home to my safe place -- and I was fine. It was another confidence-boosting experience. That weekend did more for me than a year of therapy.