2009 Recap

It’s that time of year again, so I’ll review 2009 with the following quiz that I posted last year…

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? Ronnie and I raised money and rode the motorcycle together in Bikers for Babies. It was awesome and probably one of my most memorable and favorite parts of 2009. I can’t wait to do it again next year!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I had two and they were “get back in shape” and “read more books.” I got back in shape the first half of the year but then did a 180 for the second half. However, I DID read more books. I think I read nearly ten books this year, just for fun!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes, lots of babies again, and next year is looking like the same story!

4. Did anyone close to you die? Not really. However, I followed closely the heartbreaking and inspiring story of Pierce Phillips, my friend’s second cousin. While I wasn’t personally close to him, his story affected me deeply.

5. What countries did you visit? None outside the USA, but I did visit Missouri wine country in September (Hermann).

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? Motivation to stay healthy and active YEAR ROUND. And a new car.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? None that I can think of, really. But the whole Mommy Madness thing where I got to drive the Chevy Traverse for the months of May and June, that was pretty dang cool. I still love that car, and if I could afford one, I’d buy it!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Not much of an achievement, but I survived the two-year period that my teenage bro-in-law lived with us. I almost went insane during that time. And I’m pretty proud of the $1,300 that Ronnie and I raised for March of Dimes for Bikers for Babies. We want to do at least twice that this year.

9. What was your biggest failure? Losing ten pounds and then putting it right back on…but also the whole teenage bro-in-law thing – I can’t really blame myself but the whole reason he lived with us was to make a change in his life in hopes he would graduate high school. He didn’t. So that whole two years feels like a waste of time and energy, and ultimately, it feels like we failed. But thank goodness that chapter in our lives is over.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Thankfully, no!

11. What was the best thing you bought? The sliding glass door in the kitchen has kept our carpet much cleaner and brightened up the room a lot. Also, Skyler’s new bedroom set is really cute and she’s enjoying it. Plus, the big bedroom has so much more room, we can fit all her toys in there, so life is much more organized.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Ronnie is awesome and I don’t say it enough. He has done so much for us this year! From coming home on his breaks to clean the house to planning a great surprise 30th birthday for me, he has behaved very well!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Same as last year and as the failure question above, my brother-in-law. I don’t need to say much more, but it’s just a behavior I cannot understand.

14. Where did most of your money go? I have no freakin’ idea!?!? We’ve made more $ this year than ever but seems like we have less. I looked at our expenses a couple months ago to investigate, and I saw over $400 that month went to restaurants. If we had eaten four $100 gourmet meals that month, it might have been worth it. But the most of what I saw was Jimmy John’s, McDonald’s, Chipotle….it was SHAMEFUL!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Sad to say, I went to NKOTB a second time in March. Hee hee. We also went to Vegas and saw UFC 100, for which I was very excited, and Bikers for Babies I looked forward to very much as well. And the girls’ trip to Hermann to visit the wineries. I had never done that and always heard about it. And surprisingly, Christmas! At Skyler’s age, there was so much more excitement for Christmas this year!

16. What song will always remind you of 2009? Geez, I don’t know. Probably anything by Lady Gaga.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier
b) thinner or fatter? same or fatter
c) richer or poorer? poorer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? I think we’ve covered this already, but I wish I would have exercised more. I also wish Ronnie and I could’ve spent more good quality time together. Those short evenings when he works late get old, and they typically aren’t of much quality. We need to do better with our time together as a family, even if it’s limited during the week!

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? I don’t regret much of what I’ve done. I can’t think of anything from last year…

20. How did you spend Christmas? With family.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008? Skyler’s voice and her cheeks and her curls…I fall in love with her all the time!

22. What was your favorite TV program? I don’t love TV. But the programs I watched regularly in 2009 were: Damages, 24, Nip Tuck, Real Housewives of NY and OC, Tabatha’s Salon Takeover is a new favorite now…

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No, I’m still not very hateful.

24. What was the best book you read? I started reading the Time Traveler’s Wife, but didn’t finish it before it was due back at the library. I really like the story and the way it was written, but I need to finish it. Otherwise, I read the entire Sookie Stackhouse series through the year and really enjoyed those.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Pretty uneventful year musically, but it’s been fun watching Skyler discover music. She LOVES it, and all kinds!

26. What did you want and get? New boots, a camera lens, sliding glass door

27. What did you want and not get? A new car. Hopefully it’s coming soon in early 2010. I’ve only been talking about getting one for a year now…

28. What was your favorite film of this year? I don’t know if it came out in 2009, but I watched August Rush and loved it. I may need to buy it. Overall fantastic movie.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? It was the big 30. And it was one of my best birthday weeks ever.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? A new car. Have I mentioned how much I hate the Jetta? It’s a daily annoyance of mine. I don’t need anything fancy, just bigger and comfortable. For all the around town driving I do with Skyler, I can’t wait for that to be a more pleasant experience!

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Same as last year: Always casual but attempting to dress things up a bit more than normal. Though I did cave and bought a pair of leggings and skinny jeans to wear with cute boots.

32. What kept you sane? Prayer and reading. Also maybe some wine…

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I’m just not into celebrities/famous people. I don’t even really have a favorite or celebrity crush.

34. What political issue stirred you the most? Lots this year for the first time ever. I disagree with a lot of what’s going on in Washington. So much of it seems so slimy and I think many of the politicians in power have no concept of real life and how what they do affects society.

35. Who did you miss? I always miss my friends that live out of town. I wish they lived here so we could get together regularly or on a whim.

36. Who was the best new person you met? I’ve got some fantastic coworkers, many whom I met just this year.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. I’ve been studying conflict resolution for a project at work, and it’s something I’m trying to apply more in life. I used to fear conflict and avoid it as much as possible. Now I’m learning that conflict isn’t bad, and there are ways to turn it into a good thing that promotes growth and understanding.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. I’m stumped.

Happy New Year!