1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Gave birth, bought a house, bought a car. I wasn't messing around this year.
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
From last year's list, I said, "I do promise to lose the weight in 2009 once and for all." Well. That didn't happen. I have some serious goals for 2010: run a half-marathon, don't allow guilt to motivate me, play with Kyle as often as I can, travel some, be nice to Mike, work on stressing out less. All of these are important (see sidebar list for more) but I also want to keep my goals flexible and see what the year brings. I think it's going to be a good one.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I gave birth! We also have a new niece and some of my best blogging friends had babies, too.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thankfully.
5. What countries did you visit?
Just the U.S.: Portland, Las Vegas, New York City, Northern California
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you didn't have in 2009?
True perspective
7. What dates from 2009 will be etched upon your memory, and why?
February 5, 2009. I gave birth to Kyle, and that's just not something you forget for a multitude of reasons, am I right? Also, June 5, 2009, when we decided to give Kyle a new house for his four-month birthday.
8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?
I lived to tell the tale of those first couple months of motherhood. Hell, I can even talk about those months with a wide-eyed grin, and I truly miss that little-bitty baby of mine. I imagine those months are like running a marathon: painful and enough to make you wonder, Why the hell am I doing this again? But afterward, oh man, you are blissfully high that your life includes the experience. (Did I just equate my baby to long-distance running? Apparently so.)
I'm also really, ridiculously, super proud of Style Lush and the women I've gotten to know better through working on it.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Letting stress take hold of my behavior and mood so often. Also, not taking better control of my fitness and health.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Although I feel fortunate for the aftermath of my birth -- it wasn't nearly as awful as it could have been, I know -- I still gave birth and that included a catheter, an epidural and being stitched up down there.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Kyle's. He's such a sweet and (mostly) happy boy, and that's definitely worth celebrating, especially this specific behavior: Sleeping Through The Night.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I always struggle with this question because those adjectives are pretty strong, you know? Do you really want me to say, THIS PERSON, NOW LET US ALL CRINGE AT MY HONESTY!
14. Where did most your money go?
Aside from bills because how obvious is that answer, you know?, I'd say day care.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
About five minutes into the pushing portion of labor (hi, male readers!), I thought, I AM ABOUT TO MEET MY SON! HE'S ABOUT TO BE HERE! ON THE OUTSIDE! Then I puked (literally), then he was here and then I fell in love.
Also, my California vacation with Kristie and the Blathering meet-up, Vegas with husband and friends and NYC for work.
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
"I Will Walk 500 Miles" by The Proclaimers. It was the song that played on our way to the hospital to have Kyle. Also, "Give You Hell" by All-American Rejects. One day on my maternity leave, Kyle was screaming his sweet little colicky head off, and I started to sing it to him (why that song, I don't know), and he stopped and smiled at me. Although it's not remotely sweet, it's a song I'll always equate with happiness.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
Happier, much.Thinner, but just barely.
Slightly richer.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Exercised, saved money, slept
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Inhaling chocolate at 3 am to comfort myself for having to be up at 3 am with a squawking baby. Also, freaking out. I did a lot of that. 2010 is totally going to be the year I act like an adult in stressful situations, i.e. don't scream/cry/stomp my feet/comfort eat or yell profanities when things don't go my way. Hey, at nearly 28, it's probably high time I learned to cope with life, am I right?
20. How did you spend Christmas?
Christmas Eve it snowed and snowed and snowed, but we still managed to get out and look at lights. Christmas Day, we had a low-key morning at home, just us three. I made homemade cinnamon buns (better in theory than in taste) and then cleaned like a mad woman in prep for our breakfast-for-dinner family dinner we hosted the day after Christmas. Lovely holiday.
21. Did you fall in love with 2009?
Oh, hell yes. Have you met this guy? If so, I bet you've fallen in love, too.
22. What was your favorite TV program?
Top Chef, again, but also Friday Night Lights.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
These questions suck. No, seriously, stop asking them QUIZ.
24. What was the best book you read?
I read Love or Something Like It and that would seem to be the only book I actually finished (still working on American Wife and Julie & Julia, although those are both not-so bad).
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
The Avett Brothers, who sing "I and Love and You."
26. What did you want and get?
A healthy baby, but the question should really be what did you want and what exceeded your expectations nine million times when you got it? because that's what this kid has done. He's so much cooler than I'll ever be. Also, and in much more shallow news, an iPhone, whoo!
27. What did you want and not get?
A European vacation. One of these days...
28. What was your favorite film of 2009?
Away We Go or Whip It or The Hangover. OR, FINE, NEW MOON. I'm getting ridiculous in my old age.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 27 in 2009, and I was 87 months pregnant, so I think we went to the movies and then I took an 8-hour nap or something similarly wild. Although, funny story, Mike made me a dozen or so cupcakes. I ate one but then later that day the plate was empty, so I just assumed Mike had put them up but later, upon finding the floor all sticky, I realized Molly got on the counter and ate them. When I told Mike he said, "Oh, I didn't want to ask because I thought you may have eaten them all." HE THOUGHT I ATE A DOZEN CUPCAKES! IN ONE DAY! That's not exactly the kind of sexy complex you hope to get in a marriage, am I right?
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I think winning the lottery is always the answer to this question. No matter how good your year happened to be, wouldn't it have been just that much more satisfying with a 10 million dollar payout? If you say no, we won't believe you, you should know.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2009?
"I'll get rid of this when I get skinny and then I'll buy fun clothes!" So, yeah, totally the kind of fashion concept that would encourage one to launch a style site! I'm going to prove I know what I'm doing in 2010, mark my words. (Although, don't, since declaring that always comes back to bite me in the ass.)
32. What kept you sane?
Writing, it's always my anchor.
33. What political issue stirred you the most?
You know, I'd have to say our country's general outlook on maternity leave and benefits. It's not one political party, either, it's the entire complacent country that wonders why families continue to fracture as we fail them with inadequate paternity leave and a pathetic unpaid six weeks for new moms. I am comfortable and at peace with my breastfeeding decisions, but many women aren't because they have to be back at work with no place to pump. It's tragic, and it's just wrong, too.
34. Who did you miss?
My nephew, Noah. I didn't get to see him at all in 2009 and that rips my heart into a billion pieces. I miss you, Bug.
35. Who was the best new person you met?
The entire Blathering group (holla!), our new niece Ella and Heather, a work friend of Mike's, who has been so lovely and supportive of my family and this website.
36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Man, I learned only a kajillion, but I think the biggest (most important) lesson I learned was this: no matter what you do in life, someone will think it's wrong or think they could do it better or they'll use your life as gossip fodder, so accept you can't control a single thing another person thinks of you or your choices. Live for yourself and for your partners and your children. Choose to surround yourself with supportive and encouraging friends and family, and if you can't avoid people who aren't either of those things, kill them with kindness and don't give them an ounce of thought past what you must.
37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Life is short but sweet for certain -- DMB