I contemplated not doing the end of year meme this year, but then figured, what the hell? These are insanely long, so I'm attempting to be as brief as possible this year. :) Cheers to a great 2012 and an even better 2013.
1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before? Had a kid. That was pretty monumental.
2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Didn't really make them, but wanted to live with more intention, and I think I did for the most part (maybe). Have been thinking about a couple of sort-of resolution type thoughts for 2013, not sure that I'll make them per se, though.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Um, me. And also Rebekah. It has been so awesome to do this motherhood thing at the same time.
4. Did anyone close to you die? No, and I'm thankful as all hell to be able to say that.
5. What places did you visit? Florida for our babymoon, Morgantown, the lake, all our usual haunts. No elaborate trips this year, and that was A-ok.
6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012? Not a damn thing, really.
7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? June 30, the day we finally met our baby girl.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Keeping our gal alive and thriving, surviving colic. :)
9. What was your biggest failure? Ugh, consistent fitness. Oh, and I flunked on my reading at least two books a month goal, too.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Colds, sinus ickiness, allergies, but otherwise healthy and incredibly grateful for that blessing.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Sound machine, baby swing, lots of wine. Oh, and we bought our first house, so there's that, too. :)
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Husband's as always. The man is kind of a saint. And Rowan. Despite a rough start with tummy issues galore, she's just an angel. She really is.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? A lot of folks on Facebook. It was an election year. Oh, and all of those a-hole politicians who said the horrific things about issues of consequence for women. Ugh, just ugh!
14. Where did most of your money go? Mortgage, baby, savings, nanny (damn).
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Becoming a Mama, getting to know my daughter.
16. What song will always remind you of 2012? Not sure…the Wheels on the Bus? :)
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? So very happy.
b) thinner or fatter? I guess not technically fatter since I was pregnant last year, but dude…too fat for sure.
c) richer or poorer? Probably a bit poorer. Babies are expensive!
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Writing. Picking up my camera (and actually learning to use it). Going for walks. Stretching (literally and not so literally). Giving myself a break. Trusting my instincts.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Worrying about things beyond my control, second guessing myself, complaining.
20. How did you spend Christmas in 2012? At home in Chicago with our girl and my family. It was magic.
21. Did you fall in love in 2012? So hard, and like never before. With a blue eyed baby named Rowan.
22. What was your favorite TV program? Homeland. The Good Wife. Parenthood. Newsroom.
23. What did you do for your birthday in 2012? Exact same as last year: shared dinner with Husband, blew out candles, snuggled my fur babies, talked to friends and family far and wide, and gave thanks for another amazing year. But this year, I was also thankful for sweet Baby C, cooking away in my tummy.
24. What was the best book you read? I started the year with the goal of reading two books per month. Some months, I far exceeded this, others I didn't quite make it. And after July, well there really wasn't much reading of any kind. :) I loved Wild, The Fault in Our Stars, This is Where I Leave You, Broken Harbor, Faithful Place, Operating Instructions, Some Assembly Required, The Woods, The Likeness, and State Of Wonder in particular. I also read both the Hunger Games Trilogy and the 50 Shades of Grey series and quite enjoyed both. So sue me. :) I have a few books to get to yet on my beloved Kindle and hope to find time to pick back up my beloved reading hobby in the year ahead. I miss it quite a lot.
25. What did you want and get? A perfect, healthy baby girl.
26. What did you want and not get? Nothing. I'm far too blessed to give much thought to this question.
27. What was your favorite film of this year? Our long treasured movie habit was curbed quite a bit once the baby arrived, but we managed to see a few. A recent favorite is The Silver Linings Playbook. Just brilliant. I know there were more pre-baby, but I can't recall them at this moment, so there you go.
28. Did you make some new friends this year? Sure did. And I need to invest more of my time in my friendships this year. They're such amazing lifelines, and I need to nurture them a bit stronger.
29.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? I suppose I could go lofty and say world peace and I wish the horrible gun related tragedies hadn't struck so many communities, but here at Casa Carretta, things were as they should be and I have zero inclination to change a thing.
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012? Hmm, from pregnant to newly postpartum to just…uh…softer and STILL postpartum, I'll just go with clothed and leave it there.
31. What kept you sane? Books, music, walks, the fur babies, Husband, my parents, dear friends, good wine (after baby, of course).
32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Ugh, celebrities. Moving on.
33. What political issue stirred you the most? It was an election year, so all the usual suspects were there: the economy, healthcare, education, the environment, women's issues, equality for my gay and lesbian friends, etc.
34. Who did you miss? My best girlfriends, my parents & brother, extended family. It's hard living far away from those you love most, especially when a new baby arrives.
35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012. I learned that I am resilient. That I can do more than I originally thought. That most of the time, my instinct won't lead me astray. And that I can also ask for help, and am so lucky to have a long list of folks who run to my side when I need them most. And also? I learned that the things in life that REALLY matter? Are so worth the wait and whatever particular journey you had to embark upon to get there.
Happy New Year, friends.
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