Monday, January 04, 2010

Wrapping up 2009

2009 Survey for the New Year


1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
I spoke as part of a panel of homeschool moms at a day retreat.


2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
No, and no.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth or get pregnant?
Yes!! My beloved Strawberry Angie gave birth to her beautiful twin daughters in December. We have been praying for their arrival for years--and surprise! They were doubly blessed.

4. Did anyone close to you get married?
I don't think so.

5. Did anyone close to you die?
My childhood friend, Katie, lost her newborn daughter in August.

6. Travel?
We had the First Annual Strawberry Reunion in May. To this day I can't think about that weekend without getting a big ol' smile on my face.


7. Did you move anywhere?
No, same state, same city, same home, same church.


8. What was the best month?
July. The kids and I went to the pool just about every afternoon. It was carefree and relaxing--just like summer vacation should be.


9. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
Dare I say this for all the world wide web to read?? Discipline. Order. Blonde highlights.


10. What date(s) from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
mid-March. Katie came up to me and whispered, "Mommy, I prayed that prayer you've been talking about."
May 21-24. the previously mentioned Strawberry Reunion.
October 30-31. Will's overnight hospital stay with pneumonia


11. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I lost 10 pounds.


12. What was your biggest failure?
I gained 12 pounds.


13. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I had a lovely little brush with kidney stones. Well, not so much a little brush as a bone-jarring collision.


14. What was the best thing you bought?
our homeschool curriculum, from My Father's World.


15. Whose behavior merited celebration?
well, my children were pretty well behaved...I guess... ;)

16. Whose behavior made you appalled and/or depressed?
Tiger Woods, various politicians


17. Where did most of your money go?
The bulk of my well-spent money went to books. My frittered-away money went to drive-through lunches en route to various activities.


18. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
A scrapbooking weekend in the mountains with a group of girls from church.


19. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Beyonce's "All The Single Ladies"


20. Compared to this time last year, are you: i. happier or sadder? ii. richer or poorer?
i. I am happier. My circumstances are essentially the same as they were a year ago, and to be honest, I find some of those circumstances challenging. I feel better equipped to face those circumstances in the coming year, though, so it's a net positive.

ii. If this is in reference to one's mindset, I am definitely richer going into 2010. I am excited about the second half of our school year, excited about our family's plans. I feel optimistic, healthy and blessed in general. It's probably more likely in reference to one's finances, but--as I am not the type of person to have a spreadsheet handy with this information--I like my first answer better.


21. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I wish I had written more. I wish I had laughed more. I wish I had baked more. I wish I had prayed more. I wish I had read more. I wish I had worked out more.


22. What do you wish you'd done less of?
I wish I had procrastinated less. I wish I had argued less. I wish I had spent less. I wish I had worried less. I wish I had cried less. I wish I had driven across town (repeatedly) less.


23. What was an unexpected surprise?
Scott gave me a pair of earrings for my birthday that completely surprised and thrilled me.


24. Did you fall in love in 2009?
No, but I stayed in love--and sometimes I think that's just as noteworthy!


25. What was the best concert you've been to this year?
The only concert we went to was Miley Cyrus, so technically it was the best, by virtue of having no competition. If, however, we had seen, say, the Reunion Tour of the cast from HeeHaw, that probably would have topped Miley.


26. What was your favorite TV program?
OK, if I tell you this, you have to promise not to tell anyone. We watched "Wipeout" religiously. Scott and Will had that whole male-bonding reaction to this show and it was a riot to watch it with them.


27. Do you dislike anyone now that you didn't dislike this time last year?
No, I don't think I've added anyone new--just the same old people I disliked in 2009. (Some of these questions are making me laugh.)


28. What was the best book you read?
Unfortunately, I didn't spend a lot of time reading this past year. The only books I actually finished were beach-reads which definitely don't deserve a spot on a "Best Book of 2009" list. I currently have a stockpile of promising books, just not the energy or brain-power to devote to them.


29. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I don't think I branched out much, unless buying every Chipmunk song on iTunes counts.


30. What did you want and get?
A new computer--a Mac--which I am still figuring out.


31. What did you want and not get?
This is not something I actually wanted, but it's a funny story, so I'm sharing it here. A week or so before Christmas, I told Will, "I think Daddy is getting me a kitten for Christmas." "No," he assured me, "He's getting you one of those computers with an apple on it."


32. What was your favorite film of this year?
It's a tie between Julie and Julia and The Blind Side.


33. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 39 this year. My sweet family took me out for dinner, "Anywhere you want to go." My first and second choices got vetoed, but Katie told our server that it was my birthday and she wanted them to sing to me. Hard not to love that!


34. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More time with friends.


35. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
What's clean? What's comfortable? Tim Gunn would have a stroke in my closet.


36. What kept you sane?
Oh my, the jury is still out on that one, isn't it?? The inherent insanity/absurdity of my daily life is what keeps me sane. My children have an uncanny ability to more than make up for any annoying qualities with cute and/or hilarious antics so I laugh much more than I grit my teeth.


37. What political issue stirred you the most?
The stimulus plan, but health care is a very close second.


38. Who did you miss?
I missed my sister, Charlynn, Angie, Kara, Maria, Melinda, Wendy, Ann, Michelle--all my peeps!


39. Random Memories from 2009?
  • Katie talking in her sleep as she was dreaming that she was in the sitcom Reba.
  • Taking out a sailboat from Quantico and the wind completely dying just as we got out of the marina. (And the kids not even caring, as they had just as much fun rowing the sailboat and eating the food we brought aboard.)
  • The blizzard of 2009 that gave us a white Christmas.
  • Scott mistakenly thinking my delicious chicken tortilla soup was chicken noodle soup.
  • Will's over-the-top enthusiasm for football.
  • Katie wandering through the kitchen as Scott slaved over Beef Bourgoinion and asking, "Mmmm! Do I smell corndogs?"
  • reading bedtime stories and realizing just how fleeting this time is.
  • Katie telling Scott that "the po-po" had visited the neighbors' house.
  • Will using big words appropriately--"so, we've established the fact that...." and then getting a little embarrassed when I laugh and saying, "What? I'm trying to be precise!"

I borrowed this survey from from A Ten O'Clock Scholar

1 comment:

Char said...

Miss you too my friend! See you in about 7 months!