2011 Reflections

Well faithful blog readers, it's that time of year again.  Let's reflect, shall we?

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
Stay home with my baby and not work the first year of her life.
Go to Alaska, watch a glacier calve, begin training for a 1/2 marathon

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I did a pretty fair job.  I didn't get everything accomplished to the degree in which I'd have liked, but I did pretty well.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Several friends.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Sadly, yes.  My wonderful Uncle Mike died 3 days before my birthday.  I miss him terribly.

5. What vacations did you take?
We finally made it to Alaska this year!  Wow, is it beautiful.  The cool Alaska and Canada temperatures were a welcome change to the Texas heat.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
A clean,organized, purged of extraneous crap, house.

7. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
No particular date, just the wonderful memory that we became debt free in 2011!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Finally being debt free! YAY!!!

9. What was your biggest failure?
Keeping my house as clean as I'd hoped I could.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
nothing more than the winter flu

11. What was the best thing you bought?
A new roof for our house.  No more window leaks!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Brad and I, we are debt free!!  We were so disciplined all year. 

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
pick a celebrity.  wow.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Groceries.  It costs a lot to feed 4.  I don't know how my friends with 4,5,6 kids do it! 
Debt.  Yay for being debt free!

15. What events did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going to Alaska, and Seattle!  I was so happy to see my Shanny! 
TCU Football.  The Boise game was amazing!
Beanie hitting milestones.  Petite losing teeth.

16. What songs will always remind you of 2011?
Pumped Up Kicks - Foster the People (always makes me think of you, Melissa!)
Chicken Fried - Zac Brown Band
Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5
All Adele songs

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
- Happier or Sadder? Happier
- Thinner or Fatter? Thinner
- Richer or Poorer? Richer.  no more debt!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
save more money
purge more crap
cherish every single second with my kiddos

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
stay up late at night.  I just couldn't seem to get myself to bed.
worry about the mess in my house.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
It was spent at home in New Mexico with the whole fam.  Super cold, but we had a great time in the snow.

21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
Gosh, I didn't talk on the phone a whole lot.  Probably Mom.

22. Did you fall in love in 2011?
yes, with all the new friends I made, and with old friends who came back into my life.

23. Where did you spend most of your time?
at home being a mom.
chick-fil-a with the three musketeers and company

24. What did you watch on TV this year?
Glee,  Gossip Girl, Project Runway, How I Met Your Mother, The Today Show, Once Upon A Time, The Voice, Vampire Diaries, Up All Night, Whitney, Ringe

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No. I don't hate anyone.

26. What was the best book you read?
Did I read any books??  Just way too hard with a growing baby.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery or rediscovery?
Adele, zac brown band, jack johnson
28. What did you want and get?
A new DSLR camera.  It's coming.  I almost have enough $ to buy it.  I can hardly wait!

29. What did you want and not get?
A bigger salary for my husband, who works so hard.
30. What were your favorite films of this year?
Harry Potter - so good!, Breaking Dawn, The Help (even better book!), Bridesmaids, X Men 1st class

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Turned 35.  Sadly, I was home for my uncle's funeral. 

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A clean, organized house. 

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
Jeans, tshirt, easy shoes.  I basically had no fashion concept for the first time in my life.  Whatever I could put on that was clean, in the small amount of time the baby napped.  Done and done.
34. What kept you sane?
My girlfriends who kept reminding me that my messy house was just a season in life.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most/least?
Most:  adam levine. so pretty.
Least: any who acted like complete buffoons. Jerry Sandusky.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
I did my best to ignore politics.  honestly a baby and a preschooler didn't give me enough time to register anything.

37. Whom did you miss?
Friends that I didn't talk to much.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
My bean.  She's grown so much in the past year.  From a tiny 2 month old to a vivacious, funny, curious 14 month old.  What a great experience.
All of my Frontier family.  Goodness how blessed and rich they all make my life!

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011:
This is a season in my life.  Good moms have sticky floors, messy kitchens, laundry piles, dirty ovens and happy kids.

40. Quote a song that sums up your year:

It won't be like this for long
One day we'll look back laughing
At the week we brought her home
This phase is gonna fly by
So baby, just hold on
It won't be like this for long