Dead Reckoning

Originating with Linda at All & Sundry.

Here are mine from years past:
2006 / 2007 / 2008 / 2009 / 2010 / 2011

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before? Willingly cut my hair short.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
 Last year, I said: "My goals for 2011 are (1) finish the Great Decluttering (2) maintain the cleaning that has already been achieved and (3) get back into a regular yoga practice." Mostly these all get a big pffffft. The decluttering puttered along but did not reach what I'd call a stage of completion. I suppose I did keep the house a little cleaner overall, though it definitely had periods of being cluttered-up. I gave up the gym at about six weeks pregnant because the daily fatigue was too much. I'm sure I'll regret it when I'm trying to work off 40 lbs of baby weight, but I don't think I'd physically be able to keep up a workout routine at this point anyway, thanks to SPD.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
 One of my coworkers and his wife had a baby girl in March and my former coworker / good friend Julia had a baby girl in May.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
 No.

5. What countries did you visit? none

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012? a healthy external baby

7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? We had a very nice vacation in May. I got the positive pregnancy test result on June 17, Father's Day.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
 I can't think of anything epic. I feel like I was a really good mother this year, though, and that's something.

9. What was your biggest failure? No big regrets. Just the typical didn't spend enough time with friends, wish I'd read more books, etc etc

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I did have that horrid Man Cold in the fall, but that's about it.

11. What was the best thing you bought? I might say my Kindle in a few months once I've had time to use it more, except I didn't buy it. It was a gift from a generous friend.

12. Where did most of your money go? mortgage, paying down debt

13. What did you get really excited about? Having another baby!

14. What song will always remind you of 2012? Probably anything from the new Mumford & Sons album, which I listened to for over a month on repeat when it came out.

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

– happier or sadder? happier
– thinner or fatter? HAAAAHAHAHAHA
– richer or poorer? Maybe poorer, or about the same?

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?
 Spent more time hanging out with friends

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?
 I regret how much frivolous spending I did. I don't think true austerity is any way to live, but I could've been more discerning.

18. How did you spend Christmas? We celebrated with MB's family on the 23rd, had Christmas Eve dinner with my mom's extended family, and then spent Christmas Day with my parents and sister at their house.

19. What was your favorite TV program? Sons of Anarchy, hands down

20. What were your favorite books of the year? The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Unholy Night by Seth Grahame-Smith



21. What was your favorite music from this year? Babel by Mumford & Sons, the Brave soundtrack

22. What were your favorite films of the year? Honestly, I'm having trouble thinking of much of anything we saw. Almost nothing in theaters. Brave was good and we recently watched Take Me Home on Netflix instant and liked it a lot.

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I threw a surprise game shower for my best friend since Kindergarten. And then a few weeks later, some of my friends surprised me with a cake as a make-up birthday. It was very nice. I turned 31 this year, and then promptly forgot and answered "thirty…something?" every time I was asked for my age.

24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Winning the Powerball, I guess.

26. What kept you sane? Writing, music, friends, and above all my boys.

27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013. Sometimes a plain, simple life is really the best possible life.