I'll do my achievements against training goals for 2009 in a bit, but for now, I saw this on Funnymoods and thought it was a good format to get me thinking about the year in general.
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? Traveled across the ocean to Scotland. It was a short trip, but it was so amazing. I can't wait to get to do it again and take my family on a new adventure.
2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Not really. I set training goals and plans, but in terms of real resolutions, I don't really do that.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Not in my inner circle, although my BFF of 20+ years is expecting, so that's exciting and will be fun to have a vicarious baby!
4. Did anyone close to you die? Yes, my mother-in-law very unexpectedly passed away this summer.
5. What places did you visit? Started out the year in Aspen, Colorado, kept working in Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs. Went to Austin, San Antonio, McAllen, Harlingen with the family. Went to Glasgow, Scotland and Orlando for work. Went to McKinney, Plano, Frisco and Louisiana for hockey.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? Stability - we have weathered a lot of uncertainty this year, and a lot things that ended up being out of our control. I really would love to come to terms with that.
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? July 9 - that was the day my mother-in-law died and all of our lives were changed in ways that we are still working through
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Re-establishing our priorities and focusing on our family.
9. What was your biggest failure? Failure is such a negative concept. I prefer to think that there are things that I could have handled better. There were a lot of things like that. Most notable is my inability to complete a marathon in less than five hours.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nope, but my son's mono and broken collarbone affected me a lot because the after-effects were felt by all of us in the family
11. What was the best thing you bought? I don't remember buying anything significant this year. Maybe my new flat running shoes? lame, I know.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My Benjamin - in a year of turmoil beyond his control and comprehension (not really - that kid is worlds more in tune than we think) he has been amazing, flexibile, compliant and a real trooper.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? I'm saddened by the continuation of some people in my life who don't appreciate what they have and instead make up their minds to be angry and bitter. That makes me very frustrated.
14. Where did most of your money go? Hockey and gymnastics. As it should be.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Celebrating my birthday with my best friends.
16. What song will always remind you of 2009? I Got a Feeling by the Black-Eyed Peas.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Ugh. I hate to say that I'm sadder, because I'm really not. But we thought the year had taken a nasty turn in the fall and we really expected that we'd have an upswing early in 2009. That didn't happen. But the things we've been through have made our family stronger and more focused, so I can't really be sad about that. But am I happier? I can't really say that yet.
b) thinner or fatter? Thinner. I took care of some lingering issues that have helped, but I also am more focused on eating right. Not having to eat out four days a week on the road has helped, too.
c) richer or poorer? Financially, our income was cut in half due to some conscious choices that we made and circumstances that followed. But going back to what I said above, we have grown in ways we never imagined because of it.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? More trips to the park with the boy. More bicycle rides with the older one. More swimming, for fun and for fitness. More triathlon. I'm not going to get better at swimming unless I actually, oh, I don't know... get in the pool!
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Commuting by plane. Nagging.
20. How did you spend Christmas in 2009? At the Gaylord in Grapevine with my boys and my husband's side of the family. It was what we needed to do this year. I miss my side of the family, though, especially since we'd wanted to go skiing with the snow cousins again.
21. Did you fall in love in 2009? I rediscovered the people in my life that I love by spending more time with them.
22. What was your favorite TV program? Top Chef, Big Bang Theory, Biggest Loser, Dexter
23. What did you do for your birthday in 2009? To celebrate the occasion, I went to a resort/spa in the Hill Country with my three best girlfriends. It was an awesomely relaxing and rejuvenating experience, and we cannot wait to go again. On my actual birthday, I took my two boys to dinner and the movies.
24. What was the best book you read? Angela's Ashes. I didn't read as much as I'd like once I got off the road, though. It's a trade-off that I'll take, though.
25. What did you want and get? A healthy, mostly happy family
26. What did you want and not get? A new house. But my home is good enough for us, and I need to remember that more.
27. What was your favorite film of this year? Where the Wild Things Are - there is so much in that movie about boys and raising boys.
28. Did you make some new friends this year? Yes! New hockey peeps, new blogging/FB friends, and more work friends.
29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Not having to go through the life changes we faced.
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Comfortably fashionable. I actually shopped for clothes more than I have in the past and tried to break out of my yoga pant/hoodie mode more. You can decide whether I was successful at that or not...
31. What kept you sane? My family.
32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? George Clooney. Just in general. :)
33. What political issue stirred you the most? Health care reform
34. Who did you miss? My mother-in-law. I realize how integral a part of our lives she was, and I am glad I had the chance to tell her that before she was gone.
35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. Treasure what you have in front of you, because your whole life can change in ways you never expected when you least anticipate it.
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