NEW YEARS Questions

I am going to have difficulty finding these next years... I am going to forget I did it late and be looking in December wondering where they all are... oh well.

I have done these three "surveys" for the last several years so I want to keep it up, even if I am late.

Exercise #1

1. What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before? I am really struggling with the very first question! Nothing much pops out. I learned what coolant was in a car? I parented a toddler? I got it! I hosted a PLAYDATE. ROLLERBLADED A MARATHON (now I am on a roll...) haha

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I will write another post about this. I didn't really do a very good job with my resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes! Welcome Belle to the world! And a cousin, welcome Jackson! both in December too... squeaking in under the wire...

4. Did anyone close to you die? My Grandma

5. What countries did you spend time in this year? Just America.

6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013? More of a plan for the future? I don't know, to be happy with what we have!

7. What dates from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?  I am not really a "date" person I guess. The new big anniversary is my SIL's wedding!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Finding a new job that works better for me.

9. What was your biggest failure? Bad diet, and bad diet for Benjamin

10. Did you suffer any serious injury or illness? No (lets have it stay that way...)

11. What was the best thing you bought? A car that DH likes!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? DH for being an great husband/father.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and/or depressed? the media and politicians

14. Where did most of your money go? Daycare, mortgage, eating

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? The release of "Catching Fire" movie, our big trip to Arizona and seeing the Grand Canyon, Benjamin's first Christmas that he was aware of what was going on. 

16. What song will always remind you of 2013? Royals (its prolific)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier
b) thinner or fatter? about the same I think
c) richer or poorer? richer

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? organizing

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? miscommunicating

20. How did you spend Christmas? In Wichita w/the ILs

21. Did you fall in love in 2013? Stayed in love!

22. What are the main websites you used? Zetaboards, Facebook, Pinterest

23. Did you write anything worth reading this year? no. I don't think I wrote anything at all actually....

24. What was your favorite TV program? How I Met Your Mother (on Netflix)

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I try not to hate people in general.

26. What was the best book you read? Looking at Good Reads, I read a lot of  4 star books! I guess my favorite two were Fault In Our Stars and Casual Vacancy

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? nothing new

28. What did you want and get? A new job, and other things

29. What did you want and not get? lottery win

30. What was your favorite film of this year? Catching Fire

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 29. On my actual birthday we did a low-key night out at Noodles&Co with my mom. There was a bigger family party the weekend before it.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Winning the lottery.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013? Started out as "dress slightly nicer then everyone else in the office"... ended up as "I hate most my clothes and don't care what I wear".

34. What kept you sane? The help and support of my family and friends.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? No one pops to mind... I enjoyed all of the coverage that Jennifer Lawrence got.

36. What political issue stirred you the most? The Government shutdown was pretty ridiculous. I was pleased with the gains made for equal rights.

37. Who did you miss? My Graduate School Friends, my ILs

38. Who was the best new person you met? a couple of work people (from both my old job and new job actually)

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013? You never know what is going to happen next, just keep swimming!!

40. What word or phrase sums up this year? "Happily Ever After"

Exercise #2

1 minute ago... I was watching a guy's knee bend the entirely wrong way on the NFC Championship Game
1 hour ago... I was reading Benjamin his bedtime books, current favorite is "Good Night Construction Site"
1 day ago... I was watching Top Gear with DH
1 month ago... Rushing to get the last of DS's Christmas gifts together so we could celebrate early.
1 year ago... I was sleep training Benjamin, trying to get him sleeping better and in his own room
1 decade ago... I was a Sophomore in College, probably home for Chritmas, missing DH terribly
1 lifetime ago... I think I was in revolutionary in Russia

5 minutes ago... I was talking to DH about how I hadn't seen the Knee injury...
5 hours ago... I was watching Payton Manning play Tom Brady in the AFC Championship, and feeling very queezy
5 days ago... I had book club for a book about the Comanche
5 months ago... I had just started my new job with the county
5 years ago... I was teaching the one and only college course I ever taught.

Exercise #3

The rule is simply: Post the first line of each month of my blog from the last year.

JANUARY: This is going to be a good year.
FEBRUARY:  One of the hard things about setting a sleep schedule is that its hard to be able to sleep in on weekends or do stuff in the evenings.
MARCH: Benjamin slept really well last night again! He woke up around 10:30pm and needed comforting.
APRIL:  On Sunday we had our normal family holiday - lots of food and good company.
MAY:  Its been a long time since I posted a sleep update, over a month actually.
JUNE:  Yesterday Benjamin turned 17 months old!
JULY: We had a fabulous 4th of July. First, we took a long walk as a family, with Benjamin in the stroller. It was very pleasant.
AUGUST:  My paternal Grandmother was laid to rest today. I was not able to attend the funeral, so I wanted to take a minute to write about her.
SEPTEMBER: Friday Night 8/30/13 - After work we headed out to my parent's house for pizza night. It got off to a really late start because my BIL and Bro had to work late, but that was OK because we planned to stay up for a campfire anyways!
OCTOBER:  I want to post and tell you about the awesome hike I took up the shore as part of my 30x30 list. It was beautiful, gave me a new bucket list goal (as in lifetime bucket list), and taught me something about hobbies and efforts.
NOVEMBER:  FRIDAY  Halloween Carnival!! We went to the elementary school Halloween Carnival (now called the Fall Festival).
DECEMBER:  The Best Advice for New (and Not-So-New) Moms