2008 Year in Review Meme

Feel free to skip this post, I decided I wanted something for me to look back on next year.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?

I stood up to a determined and intimidating person and I WON.

2. Did you keep your New Years’ Resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I did not make any resolutions last year so I didn’t NOT keep them 🙂  This year I am going to make two resolutions:  be more positive (my response to part 1 is a start, lol) and to worry less.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No, not this year.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

My great aunt Iva.

5. What countries did you visit?

Just my own.  We’ve been sticking close to home since Monkey’s diagnosis, we’re going to start breaking out of that this year!

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

Liquidity.  We were fine but there were some uncomfortable months mixed in.

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

November 4th, the presidential election.  Even if the world didn’t change, my perception of it did.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

There are two.  Professionally, I’ve taken on a bigger role in my department by taking charge of a database program that is going to have radical effects on the department for years to come.  Obviously I’m not working alone but I have become the go-to person for the project and I’m very proud of that.  Personally, I’ve taken steps to strengthen my marriage.  I feel like this was the best year ever in our marriage and I hope Duhdee feels the same!

9. What was your biggest failure?

I think my biggest failure was related to Monkey’s education.  I was entirely too complacent the first half of 2008.  I think I have rallied since the fall however.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

With a preschooler in the house, of course!  Nothing serious though.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Our Dyson!  We had been using one that Duhdee’s parents gave to us and it worked fine but I am so excited to have attachments!

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

Monkey’s!  He has matured so much in the last year.  We’ve been able to socialize more with less stress than ever before.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

No one in my family or Duhdee’s family.   I don’t feel comfortable outing this person but I detest liars and this person lied about somethings that were pretty awful.  An awful lot of people in business and the government can be added to this list too.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Paying off debt, bills.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

The election, I haven’t been this excited about an election in a very long time.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?

I don’t actually listen to music very much at all!  Probably “Life is a Highway” from the Cars soundtrack since Monkey listens to it all the time, lol.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? About the same, but I’m looking forward to a happier year.
ii. thinner or fatter? About the same which is a GOOD thing!  I lost 20 lbs between June 2007 and December 2007 and I have kept it off for a year now!  I am proud of that.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer, yay for paying off old debt!

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

Enjoying my family.

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

Worrying about everything under the sun, snapping at those I love when I was worried.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Home for part of the day, with my extended family part of the day.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?

I fall in love just about every day with my husband.  Weekly at least.

22.  What was your favourite TV program?

We don’t watch very much TV but I do enjoy CSI (Las Vegas) and Law and Order (all of them)

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

I wouldn’t say “hate” but there are a couple of people I have lost a tremendous amount of respect for.

26. What was the best book you read?

I cannot pick one, I read so many great books this year.  My top five (in the order I read them) are:

The Omnivore’s Dilemma; Animal, Vegetable, Miracle; Water for Elephants; A Lion Among Men and The Last Lecture.

The first two had profound changes on our lives.  We planted a garden, we eliminated high fructose corn syrup from our diets, we began buying as locally as possible (eggs, vegetables, honey, beef all come from within 100 miles now!)

27. What did you want and get?

Monkey in an integrated classroom!

29. What did you want and not get?

Chickens.

30. What was your favourite film of this year?

I’m not a movie person, I don’t have the attention span.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I have no idea what I did…I do know I turned 33 though.

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

Paying off our truck early, it’s the last of our debt!

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?

Whatever fit.  I do want to work on this at some point, lol.

34. What kept you sane?

Reading.   According to my library account I read 60 books in 2008, I reread a few I owned as well and borrowed a handful from the loan library at work.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Drawing a total blank…

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

The presidential election, I was very passionate about what this election meant for our country on many levels.

37. Who did you miss?

My friends from college who’ve spread out across the country now.

38. Who was the best new person you met?

Hmmm, hard one…my son’s new teacher probably.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.

Don’t ever set any aspect of your life to cruise control.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

It’s not a song lyric, it’s a quote from The Last Lecture:

“The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. The brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They are there to stop the other people!”