Aught Eleven

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?

Wrote a Motion to Sever.  (It won!)

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I made eight, for heaven’s sake.  And I kept most of them:

1. No giving birth, no getting pregnant in 2011.  DONE.

2. No conflating family & work time – when I have the boys, I have the boys, and will not try to work.   I only found myself trying to work while watching the boys a couple of times, and immediately stopped it.  And I was right – I’ve been much happier, and just as productive!

3. Eat less cheese, drink fewer sugary drinks.  I cut out soda, for the most part, and no longer take sugar in my morning coffee.  But I still eat cheese.  So half done.

4. Take library books back on time.  I quit checking them out.  The fine shames me, and I’m not confident that I’ll get any better at on-time returns.  So I guess I didn’t keep this one, exactly – though I didn’t break it either!

5. Take time daily for yoga.  Nope.  This is like the fourth year in a row I resolved to do it, and the fourth year in a row that I failed.

6. Run another half marathon, and take one long family bike ride.  Yup!  Ran the same half in October, and we did take one long bike ride as a foursome, though I’ve taken dozens more with the kids on my own.

7. Find more family time.  Eh.  Not too sure about this one.  We still have too much work and not enough child care.  But it’s easier to suck it up and deal now because I know it’s almost over!

8. Work a little harder on looking nicer every day.  Totally rocked this one.  I wore makeup every day of the Spring 2011 semester, and every day of my summer job.  Pretty much.  I also always dry my hair and do something with it – it looks miles better.  I’ve dialed back the makeup a bit – though I still try to do a little mascara, a little bronzer, and some lip color daily.  

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Three sets of good friends had their first babies.  A couple other sets of friends had their number twos.  Too many darling friends lost pregnancies, and babies.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No.

5. What countries did you visit?

Not a one!  But 2012 will be redressing this pitiful showing.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

Money.  And, barring some sort of renege-of-the-job scenario (oh horrors), we will have it.  At last.  Money will bring some of the other things I’d add to this list – like the occasional date night, a fitness class, and an awesome house in which my children sleep in a room that’s as far away from mine as possible.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched on your memory, and why?

April 7, a night of oysters with friends on the front porch.

May 9, when I started work with the firm that would become my forever-job.

July 17, when I slipped down a set of tiled exterior stairs after returning a computer to a friend, and broke my back.  Ouch.

July 23, when despite the broken back I put on a pair of very low heels and served as matron of honor in my baby sister’s wedding.

November 4, when I put on a pair of very tall boots and served as bridesmaid in my oldest sister’s wedding.

8. What was your bravest achievement of the year?

I guess working at my firm?  Diving right in?  Or possibly experimenting with eyeshadow, at the ancient age of 33.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I’ve been too moody.  I need to be less moody.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Broken back.  A couple of stomach bugs.  Jack had scarlet fever.  My thyroid died.  Jack had speech issues, needed glasses because of his esotropia.  Liam had approximately seventy thousand ear infections.  This was an expensive year.

11. Where did most of your money go?

Besides to hospitals and doctors, because of the above-mentioned unfortunate occurrences, my money went into the two money pits that I call children.

12. What song will always remind you of 2011?

That flipping Adele song which plays every three seconds on the radio these days.  I like Adele, but MAN I am weary of that song.

13. Compared to this time last year are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer?

(a) happier.  The Professor has a job.  I have a job.  I think of our impending move with trepidation, but our ship has definitely come in.  Or, well, we can see it from the shore, just a few miles from port.

(b) fatter.  I blame the sputtering death of my once under-appreciated thyroid.  O, Thyroid, how I miss Thee!

(c) poorer.  But next year!  Next year, I will be able to say richer!

14. How did you spend Christmas?

With my family in rocking Nashville.  I have two new brothers, and they definitely made our already full house into a full on party, 24/7.  It made me seriously happy to hang out with everyone.  And I watched TWO MOVIES in a theater.  TWO.

15. Did you fall in love in 2011?

Oh yes, with Daniel Craig once again.  (One of the movies I saw was The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.)

16. What was your favorite tv program?

We still watch 30 Rock, old episodes over and over.  It’s a little sad.  I’ve just started Parks and Rec.  Damages was a huge disappointment.

17. What was the best book you read?

Brain Rules for Baby.  Seriously!  Thanks for the recommendation, Attorney at Large!  Olive Kitteridge was also a huge fave.

18. What did you want and get?

The most fun week with my siblings EVER.

19. What did you want and not get?

A million dollars.

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

I was 33.  I worked – my first day of work for a judge.  I also had two doctor appointments, for Jack’s speech and for my broken back.  A friend took me out to lunch.  The Professor took me out to a fancy dinner.  It was lovely.

21. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

Trying to cover the flab.  Stylishly.

22. What kept you sane?

This blog.  I really mean it.

23. What political issue stirred you the most?

Healthcare.  Far too much of my time this year has been spent dealing with denials and nonpayment of claims, including a denial of my ambulance charge because the 911 operator had the gall to send an out-of-network ambulance to my emergency.  I just got another denial the other day, this one for a dental charge.  Just switch to single payer, already.  It’d cost me less and spare me some grief, even if you raise my taxes.

24. Who did you miss?

My sisters.  My old band-mates.  College friends.

25. Who was the best new person you met?

All of the people my age at the firm.  Not a single one of them may leave it before I begin work.  That’s an order.

26. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011?

I can now diagnose an ear infection in my own child with total accuracy.  I can even tell you how advanced it is.  I suppose that’s a sort of valuable life skill.

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

Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are.

(Two lovely memories attached to this song.  First, I once asked Jack to sing to a screaming Liam, almost as a joke.  But he did – twinkle twinkle Christmas star is what he sang, and Liam stopped screaming and listened to him, rapt, comforted.  Second, Liam can now sing it.  On his own.  18 months old!  It is so darn cute!)