In Review: 2009

Linda at All & Sundry posted her traditional end-of-the-year quiz/meme and encouraged others to do so too. As I certainly have not created any New Years blogging traditions of my own, I figured I could play too.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Raised a baby and, became swallowed by the recession and real estate market crash. WOOT!

Apparently, 2009 is the year I became an adult.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Last year at this time, I had just given birth so I don’t think I had time to make any resolutions, at least none that I blogged about.

For 2010 my resolutions are:

• to start over fresh
• to not let things bother me as much
• to be happy
• to take better care of my body
• to nurture my family

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, my sister-in-law had another beautiful and healthy baby girl about three months after Boo. I can’t wait to watch these two grow up and be tight.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
We went to Canada once. To go to Ikea. So I could just as well say I visited Sweden, right?

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
Sanity. Between learning how to take care of a baby and losing my faith in our financial and professional security, I’d like for a much more sane 2010.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Frankly, all of 2009 was a big blur. Michael Jackson dying was pretty shocking, I guess.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Breastfeeding. Making our stay at home with the baby/working part-time balancing act work. Not getting divorced.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Having our house go into foreclosure. (Or at least potential foreclosure.)

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No. (Thank god.)

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Probably something baby related. My top favorites right now are the baby gate and the high chair. (Perhaps I should add “get out of the house more” to my new years resolutions.)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My husband did a pretty good job of keeping a level head this year considering he was dealing with a mostly delirious, emotional and hormonal wife most of the year.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The Gosselins. I just cannot believe they let all that money and publicity go to their head and destroy their family WHILST THE CAMERAS WERE RECORDING.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Food. Rent. Lawyer fees. Hospital bills. Baby gear.

15. What did you get really excited about?
Cliché, I know, but all of my excitement this year has been focused around watching my baby grow. She’s so amazing!

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
I’m not even sure it came out this year, but “Boom, Boom, Pow” by the Black Eyed Peas sticks out. The first time I heard it was on Howard Stern and he was doing his thing — playing the song whilst singing over top of it and pausing intermittently — and at one point he mentioned that he thought that it was going to be the theme song of the summer. It was funny and for some reason stuck in my mind.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

– happier or sadder? Both. Happier because of the family we have created but sadder because of all that we have lost.
– thinner or fatter? Thinner. As I should be, since this time I was about 2 weeks postpartum.
– richer or poorer? Poorer financially, but richer emotionally. (*PUKE*)

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Enjoyed the moment.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Freaking out about things I can’t control.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Traveled half-way across the state to be with family. Worth every. single. moment.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Yes, with my baby.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
I don’t know that it was my favorite television show but for most of the year I had TLC on non-stop with a constant rotation of Jon & Kate + 8, Little People Big World, 18 Kids and Counting, What Not to Wear, etc. Then last month, Comcast stopped airing QAM channels and I have been in total withdrawal.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No.

24. What was the best book you read?
What’s a book? Between the baby and keeping up my blog, the only time I had to read was for the mail.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Again, I didn’t have much time for to “discover” music this year but during those few months that we had free cable MTV and VH1 introduced me to Taylor Swift (You Belong With Me), Miley Cyrus (Party in the USA) and Lady Gaga (Paparazi). (*Hangs head in shame*)

26. What did you want and get?
To watch my baby enjoy the holidays with family.

27. What did you want and not get?
A Canon XTi. A new laptop. An end to this foreclosure shenanigan.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
I didn’t watch any new movies this year.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Hmm. My birthday? I turned 31 but I don’t remember . . .

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not having to deal with our house going into foreclosure.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Anything that allowed quick access to my boobs.

32. What kept you sane?
I was not sane (read #6)

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Fuck celebrities.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
I’m not a big fan of any political issue — middle class seems to be out of the target demographic for everything.

35. Who did you miss?
My grandfather.

36. Who was the best new person you met?
It’s totally cheesy but the best new person I met this year was Boo. Yeah, yeah she was born in 2008 but she was just kind of a blob then — this year we watched as she blossomed into a real person.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009?
Life truly does suck.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year?
“Welcome my son, welcome to the machine.”