2012 En Revue
Because I love each and every one of you, I wanted to steer you towards this fairly simple but super-amazing quesadilla recipe by (who else?) super famous blogger Ree. I made these babies up for a party we hosted last Thursday for some work people. I didn’t use this whack butter she is shilling, just olive oil, but otherwise followed the recipe to a tee and it was delish. It turned out to be too sloppy for party finger food, but people ate it anyway, and I’ve been having it for lunch daily since then. (I made way too much).
On to my yearly look back – I always love going back and reading these!
1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?
Take a bar exam. I’m about to repeat the feat in Florida in February of 2013, and then hopefully not again for a long, long time.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I made four, and I give myself a C in terms of keeping them. I add a plus to that C, though, because I also kept one that I made in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011, and finally gave up on for 2012 because I kept failing to meet it. (That is, start each morning with yoga. The year I gave up resolving to do it, I finally managed it!) That one is my favorite accomplishment, but the official four are:
- Be a vegetarian for the month of January, and introduce minimal meats thereafter. I managed this pretty well. There were periods of falling off the wagon, including the past month or so, but this remains a life change that I like and will keep. My secret is to bulk up veg, and to add small amounts of highly flavorful meats to many dishes. A couple of slices of bacon in 2 gallons of soup represents big flavor with minimal adverse health effects in any given serving.
- Get back to my normal weight by June. Nope. I’ve made some healthy choices and some unhealthy, but the scale doesn’t budge much. The thyroid is still sputtering to its death, meaning my med levels are not stabilized. Due to the sad state of my thyroid gland, I’m giving myself a break on this one – although I *do* miss wearing the bulk of my clothes.
- Compete in 2 running races and 1 cycling race this year. Well, I did one half marathon (my usual, in October), and I was all ready to do the full in November, before pneumonia destroyed me. No cycling races, though. I need to meet someone who cycles on the reg, who can teach me to change a flat tire and fix the chain.
- Stay focused and disciplined in my study for the bar. Well, I passed that bad boy, so I guess I met this goal.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Two sets of twins were born to people I know, and a few of the MILPs brought home little ones. Actually, now that I’m thinking of it, half the women in my husband’s home town were pregnant this summer, and my own delicious chubby-cheeked goddaughter came into the world in August. (I think? August?) So yes, that’d be a resounding yes.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
Brazil. It was rad.
6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
More regular date nights. A fitness class to attend. A backyard fence and some landscaping. More suits so I don’t have to go to the dry cleaners every week.
7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched on your memory, and why?
February 16, when I caught my first Muses Shoe.
February 17, when I marched in Krewe D’Etat.
February 21, when I walked with St. Anne through the Bywater and the Marigny.
The first week of March, when I fumbled my way through Rio de Janeiro.
April 8, a pretty fantastic Easter Sunday dinner with friends on our back porch.
May 9, when I finished my last law school exam.
May 16, when I celebrated the end of law school with a second line through the Quarter.
May 19, when I graduated law school.
The entire summer, pretty much. Three birthday parties, one baby shower, a drive in movie, dinos at the zoo, a (nearly) lightning-struck boat ride on the lake, swimming, swimming, and swimming, Jack at YMCA camp, playing with the niece, mini golfing, the county fair, enjoying family . . . I’ve pretty much suppressed the hideous memories of Bar Bri, in other words.
July 26 and the few days thereafter, which were our Bar Trip to Santa Fe.
c. August 22, when we closed on our house and finally, FINALLY moved in.
October 12, seeing Pat Benatar and Journey in concert.
October 27, my third half marathon in New Orleans.
The whole month of December – holiday fun.
8. What was your bravest achievement of the year?
Graduating law school, passing the bar, moving the family, starting a new job. It was kind of an achievement-heavy year.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Forgive me for saying I can’t really think of anything to put here.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No – well, besides mild pneumonia. 2012 was a largely healthy year.
11. Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage/rent, daycare, and student loans. I can say this confidently because our budgeting software tells me so!
12. What song will always remind you of 2012?
Sexy and I know it, by L.M.F.A.O. “Wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle, yeah! Girl look at that body. I work out!” That was the one that played on a loop while I “wiggled” down the street at the Krewe d’Etat parade, and even now when I hear it, it never fails to infect my gait with that Mardi Gras strut.
13. Compared to this time last year are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer?
(a) happier. Infinitely. We are both employed at last, we have a gorgeous house and a lot of years to fill it up with cozying furniture and art, and our kids are great.
(b) about the same.
(c) richer (though daycare and student loans make sure we’re not RICH). It’s about time we started digging ourselves out of the red and into the black.
14. How did you spend Christmas?
At our new house, just us four. It was nice – a little less raucous than usual, which was good and bad. I didn’t see any movies, though, which is a normal feature of Christmas that I missed.
15. Did you fall in love in 2012?
Not with anyone new . . . though I’m about to meet a new love, a sweet little niece who will bring a lot of joy to 2013.
16. What was your favorite tv program?
30 Rock and Parks and Rec are old stand-bys, and of course (like everyone) we are straight up addicted to Downton Abbey.
17. What was the best book you read?
I did not read as much as I’d like to this year – most of my reads were repeats, since I couldn’t buy new books and didn’t trust myself to return library books on time. I did re-read all of my Julia Glass works – and I think that included a new one, The Widower’s Tale. Not my favorite of hers, but still stellar.
18. What did you want and get?
Terry Pratchett novels and two other books by Joan Didion! Thanks mom!
19. What did you want and not get?
We had talked about buying me some of the most delicious and amazing boots E-VAR while we were in Santa Fe. There were plans to make these incredibly expensive but gorgeous boots a Christmas present, bought in collusion with siblings, but in the end the husband and I decided to furnish a room in our house in lieu of any other gifts. I still think of that buttery beautiful leather with the turquoise piping, and sigh. Perhaps they will still have them when I turn 35 (gasp!) in September.
20. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
If you read the last question and can do math, you’ll know that I turned 34. We went to Olive Garden. The Professor made me a cake, and presented me with the gifts carefully selected by the boys: a surge protector, and a giant blue-leopard print pillow. There were pink balloons everywhere. I’m not a huge fan of pink, but Jack has suddenly turned into the gender police and insisted that because I am a girl, my balloons must be pink.
21. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
Recession-chic.
22. What kept you sane?
There is an assumption in this question that leaves me unable to answer.
23. What political issue stirred you the most?
Healthcare continues to bug. I was recently exposed to the blog of a family that was virtually wiped out when a falling tree hit their car on the road over the holidays – the parents killed instantly, one of the four grown children in the car walked away and the others are in various states of paralysis and critical condition. They are fighting for their lives, having various surgeries and therapies, and their therapy and healthcare needs after this catastrophe will be lifelong, given their compromised spinal cords. Among the extended family’s chief worries is the stress of how to pay for the extreme medical bills that this family is incurring. I’m not sure of their insurance arrangements, but it is clear that huge swaths of their care remains unpaid, and the bill for lifelong therapy to help a 27 year old quadriplegic who can no longer work (and thus no longer receive healthcare) is a cost beyond comprehension. We are a rich country. This should not happen.
24. Who did you miss?
I long for old friends, met in various stages of life, scattered across the country now. And I haven’t spent nearly enough time with my siblings.
25. Who was the best new person you met?
I am enjoying my work mates very much.
26. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012?
Buy all of your Christmas presents well in advance of Thanksgiving, and you will enjoy your Christmas holidays immensely more.
27. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
This requires more creative thinking than I can manage at the moment. The boys really love Carly Rae’s ubiquitous “Call Me Maybe” song, which they call the baby song.