New Year’s Survey: AK

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? This year was a whirlwind of good and bad.  Things I’ve never done:  Learned that our baby loves to sleep to white noise!  SUCCESS!  I telecommuted for my job and mommy’d at the same time.  I became unemployed.  I started a business with my husband.  I started this blog with my friends!  I learned to go with the flow more.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I didn’t make any last year, probably due to the fact that I was in a daze from no sleep because I had a 3 month old at the time.  I am making resolutions this year!  I want to go into this new year, new decade with a plan and hope and faith!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes, one of my good friends gave birth to a bouncing baby girl in October!

4. Did anyone close to you die? No.

5. What countries did you visit? None, no trips this year…boooooo! Oh how I miss you Mexico!

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? A vacation!

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? October 2:  My baby’s first birthday!!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I would definitely say starting a business with my husband.  I think its been a long time dream of ours but I guess sometimes it takes a push to move in that direction.  I would also say getting all my tipsy girls together and starting this blog–its been a blast!

9. What was your biggest failure? This is probably a really bad question to ask me because I could dwell on this for days.  I mean hindsight is 20/20 right?  But you make the decisions you make based on the information you have at the time…  So I guess having said all that I’ll just say my biggest failure and probably my biggest failure in years past and most likely in years to come is just worrying too much.  Worry and Stress can just stop you in your tracks.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I guess I was sick more this year than I’ve been in a while.  I’d attribute it to stress.

11. What was the best thing you bought? For Father’s Day I had a chef come to our house and teach my husband how to cook an authentic French meal.  He was completely surprised, thrilled and blown away.  Totally worth it!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My son’s!  When we went somewhere in public expecting a complete meltdown he came through with the best behavior ever!  He constantly surprised us this year!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? No comment.

14. Where did most of your money go? Thankfully our savings account, I mean beside the typical bills and fun purchases.

15. What did you get really excited about? When I ask my bouncing baby boy if I could have a kiss and him giving me one.  You can’t believe how much I love that!!

16. What song will always remind you of 2009? Usually I can remember a year by a song that was played over and over and over again…like 1993 What’s Up by 4 Non Blondes. hahaha  Anyway, I’d say this year  is probably Just Dance or Poker Face by Lady Gaga….I mean who on this Earth didn’t hear either of those songs this year??  I also agree with Sarah on Love Story by Taylor Swift.  OH WAIT, how could I possibly forget PARTY IN THE USA by Miley Cyrus!  So damnation, I don’t know–all of those remind me of 2009.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a)happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c)richer or poorer? a) happier b) thinner for sure (I was preggers in 2008) c) Is this a financial question?  or a personal growth question?  I need some clarification 🙂

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Worked out more.  Don’t get me wrong, I regularly worked out but I would love to get into a routine of working out at least 4 days a week.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Worry/Stress

20. How did you spend Christmas? Christmas Eve Eve was Mexican food with my husband’s dad.  Christmas Eve was Paella with my husband’s mom.  Christmas Day was with my family.  We always have a Sausage Egg Casserole and Apricot Bread for breakfast and Turkey dinner for dinner.  We played washers this year and I got my butt served on a platter…I think we should bring back lasso golf next year.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009? I guess this is pretty cliche but I fell more and more in love with my little family.  Watching our baby boy grow this year has been amazing!  And watching my husband as a dad has been sweeter than I ever thought.

22. What was your favorite TV program? I would say hands down this was the best season of Lost since Season 1 but Glee came in a close second.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? nope

24. What was the best book you read? Lots of “get baby to sleep” books were read at the beginning of 2009 but I did finally start Twilight at the end of 2009 and though I’m not done with it yet, I’d say its pretty durn good.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? It’s probably a tie between Lee Ann Womack’s Call Me Crazy or Miranda Lambert’s Revolution–both fantastic albums.

26. What did you want and get? A baby that sleeps through the night!

27. What did you want and not get? a Skybar Wine System hahahaha yeah right like I’d get that…I haven’t a clue where I’d put that in my house.  It is pretty amazing though. Just the idea of it…

28. What was your favorite film of this year? I know I said in a previous post that I didn’t get to as many movies as I normally do, but I would say I have a 3-way tie for favorite film this year:  The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Gran Torino, Slumdog Millionaire

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? This year I turned 34.  That seems so so super old.  I feel sorta like jonniker about 34…I wanna stay 32–that seems a good number.  But I did have a super fun time on my birthday which as of the last few years has been a dual birthday celebration with Court, my other tipsy girl.  In 2009 we partied it up with some Benihana and Karoake.  Dude, SO. MUCH. FUN.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? You know…no regrets, what ifs, no woulda shoulda couldas.  I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason so I think the year was exactly as it should have been.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? cardigans BABY!

32. What kept you sane? My wonderful hubby who is so good at listening to me rant and rave and whine and tell the same story over and over and over again or start a story and never finish it and everything else and still loves me just the same.  My friends run a close 2nd..specifically girl’s night 🙂

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Fancy?  I’ll just say Ellen DeGeneres made my kid dance a lot this year which made me smile a ton and she made me laugh a lot midday when I was about to go insane from said kid who was teetering on pre-naptime hysteria.

34. What political issue stirred you the most? I’m with Sarah in that I don’t really like to talk politics.  I’ll stay out of this one.

35. Who did you miss? I guess I’d just say my friends…I didn’t see everybody as much as I would have liked this year.  Oh parenthood….

36. Who was the best new person you met? I would definitely say our nanny/babysitter.  She has saved our sanity many times this year.  Thank you!! You are the bomb!!

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. God never gives you more than you can handle.  I learned this about 6 years ago but I guess He thought I needed reminding.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. I could post this whole song but this section gives you the gist:

And today you know that’s good enough for me

Breathing in and out’s a blessing, can’t you see?

Today is the first day of the rest of my life

And I’m alive and well, God, I’m alive and well

–I’m Alive/Willie Nelson