End of Year Wrap Up

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? Tried acupuncture

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? My only resolution from last year was to cry less and enjoy my life more and I do think I've done pretty well with that. (Except for the menopausal crying jags...and I'm not sure you can count those.) I feel as though I've given a lot of time and energy to enjoying Life, and I'm proud of that.

I don't think I'll make resolutions for 2010 because I don't need that kind of pressure. Perhaps I'll just carry last year's over again?

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes, Alcott's girlfriend did.

4. Did anyone close to you die? No.

5. What places did you visit? I think the only place I went this year was to the Bay Area (San Francisco, Sunnyvale, San Jose).

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? Not a thing.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? April 11, the day TCB arrived home from Japan.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I raised over $4,000 for the Breast Cancer 3-Day in the midst of a recession.

9. What was your biggest failure? I didn't stick with the 3-Day training schedule enough to finish the entire event.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nothing major.

11. What was the best thing you bought? iPhone

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My cat, Harry...he always makes me feel happy and loved.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? The mortgage company for TCB's condo. We've worked for over a year trying to come to a workable arrangement that will let us keep it and only lose a small amount of money each month, but they will accept nothing but the full amount for a condo that is worth only 40% of the mortgage value, and we simply can't support that kind of loss every month any more.

14. Where did most of your money go? Eating out. (At least my clothing budget was more reasonable this year - progress, not perfection!)

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? TCB's homecoming

16. What song will always remind you of 2009? "Defying Gravity" from Wicked (Glee cast version)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? Happier, most of the time

b) thinner or fatter? No change

c) richer or poorer? Probably about the same.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Fun physical activity (as opposed to forced physical activity)

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Flipping out on people (and my poor puppy) because of my stupid hormonal mood swings.

20. How did you spend Christmas in 2009? Went to see Blind Side with TCB then had a quiet dinner with just the two of us.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009? Not in the literal sense, but I have certainly spent the last eight months since my husband's return understanding how tough it is to stay in love when faced with adversity.

22. What was your favorite TV program? Glee. Love, love, LOVE.

23. What did you do for your birthday in 2009? TCB and I met my parents for lunch at our favorite seafood restaurant in Oceanside.

24. What was the best book you read? Sad but true...I don't think I read anything really memorable this year.

25. What did you want and get? I wanted to have a life so full that it left me feeling giddy, and I do.

26. What did you want and not get? I wanted to see Alcott graduate high school and head off to an out-of-state school. (See #3 for the reason why this didn't happen.)

27. What was your favorite film of this year? Blind Side or The Soloist

28. Did you make some new friends this year? I did in fact, mostly within Junior League

29.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Being able to tell TCB what I'm really thinking, even when it might hurt him to hear it.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? To heck with baggy, saggy clothes - bring on the fitted dress!

31. What kept you sane? Um, I'm not sure that I AM sane.

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Michelle Obama (another woman who is not afraid to wear sleeveless outfits even when it's cold outside)

33. What political issue stirred you the most? The movement to withhold the right for couples in love to legally marry based on their sexual orientation.

34. Who did you miss? My grandfather (he passed in 2008)

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. You will be about as happy as you make yourself...there are no magic pills.