A New Year Meme

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
Attended a PTO meeting. Went to a class reunion.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I prefer not to call them “resolutions”, but rather goals and commitments. I kept some, fell off the wagon with others, and will be sitting down to meditate over a new set this weekend.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
A former housemate that we haven’t seen in a long time let us know that she was having a baby about a week before he was born.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully no.

5. What countries did you visit?
Does Alabama count?

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
A bit more peace in myself. Does that make sense?

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Our ED’s first day of kindergarten. My 20th Class Reunion.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Surviving our ED’s first day of kindergarten.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Overall, I feel like I have let my life spin out of my own control, and that leaves me picking up the debris from a hurricane-like storm.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Blessedly, no.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
A new set of storage devices for our daughter’s craft area.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Our daughters. They are truly wonderful, thoughtful and loving children.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
My own, at times.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Bills.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The tree limb that fell in our backyard. It fell off our enormous silver maple tree, and was the size of a small-to-medium sized tree itself. I couldn’t raise my jaw from my chest for a full five minutes.

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?
”The Hoppity Song” by Five for Fighting

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
Sadder, fatter and poorer. Not a great combination and certainly not the way to start the new year.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Spending quality time with our girls.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Eating.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
With my family in New Hampshire.

21. Did you fall in love in 2007?
With my husband and our daughters, over and over again.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
I love The Big Bang Theory. Those of you who went to high school with me will understand why.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I honestly don’t hate anyone. It is the one thing that I am proudest of myself. My ability to forgive and avoid that particular emotion.

24. What was the best book you read?
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, hands down. It may not be the most skillfully written book I have ever read, but the combination of the “thumping good” plot and my own anticipation made it a wonderful thing. And my dad and I were able to go to a midnight release party together. That was special.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Kate Rusby

26. What did you want and get?
An under-cabinet CD player/Radio for the kitchen.

27. What did you want and not get?
World peace. Damnit!

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
North and South (the BBC production, not the Civil War mini-series). Richard Armitage deserves a mention on Kizz’s list of hot people.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 38 and had dinner with my framily.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
To accomplish more of my professional goals for 2007.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
Jeans, jeans, jeans. But this time, with shirts that actually fit, instead of the dregs of my maternity/breastfeeding wardrobe.

32. What kept you sane?
My husband and children (who, in some bizarre twist of fate, are sometimes responsible for the insanity)

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Richard Armitage

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
Environmentalism (and no, I haven’t seen Al’s movie yet)

35. Who did you miss?
I missed my dear friend, Auntie Fran. Still do. (Did anyone else notice that this should be “Whom did you miss?”)

36. Who was the best new person you met?
We have two new employees in our office, who both happen to be from NH, and who also happen to have gone to the same summer camp that I did (albeit 10 years later). They are lovely and a pleasure to work with.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
Hiding your head under a basket doesn’t make the chaos go away (nor does it balance the checkbook).

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
”Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes…”