See Ya Later, 2008
I saw the following meme at Bleeding Expresso & I thought it was a super way to think back on the last year.
1. What did you do in 2008 that you’ve never done before? Initially, I couldn’t quite think of anything, which was kinda pathetic. But I thought some more. You know you don’t want to lead with kinda pathetic. I posted for a promotion at work this week. I asked an actual author to read my holiday short story & she actually agreed.
2. Did you keep your resolutions & will you make more? No, of course not. But yes, I will make more… of a sort. I’m going to do another set of 101 Things in 1001 Days, starting Jan. 1.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No, but my sister-in-law is due in February, so 2009 is looking good.
4. Did anyone close to you die? Yes, a former co-worker. I had always loved him, but I was surprised by how deeply saddened I was when he died a few months ago.
5. What countries did you visit? Oh, please.
6. What would you like in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? a church home … a Christian friend here in town
7. What dates in 2008 will remain etched into your brain? Late May… Griff’s surgery
8. What was your biggest achievement of 2008? Getting better at my job
9. What was your biggest failure? Having been here for more than two years and still calling Louisiana ‘home.’ Not having a good friend here.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Blessedly, no.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Spring Training tickets… Mike’s obsession, beautiful weather, time together as a family.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Well, everyone’s. We all did something worthy of celebration this year.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? a certain nameless politician… a certain nameless college president… a couple of grandparents who chose to stay home with the dog rather than going to see their great-grandchildren… my own on more than one occasion
14. Where did most of your money go? bills & eating out
15. What did you get really, really excited about? The annual Halloween visit from Mandy, Josh, and Olivia.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008? Seriously? The Laurie Berkner CD Eliza and I listen to every morning on the way to school and work.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you (a) happier or sadder (b) thinner or fatter and (c) richer or poorer? Happier, by far. Probably about the same on the other two.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of in 2008? Wii Fit and church visits
19. What do you wish you’d done less of in 2008? worry
20. How did you spend Christmas? at home in my jammies… perfect
21. Did you fall in love in 2008? Of course… over and over again with Mike
22. What was your favorite tv show? Just one? There are too many to count.
23. Do you hate anyone that you didn’t hate this time last year? I’m not big on hate. I’ve got some general dislikes, but there’s not really any need to go into it.
24. What was the best book you read? Frindle by Andrew Clements
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Cold War Kids
26. What did you want and get? A really stunning thai silver pendant that I made into a great necklace.
27. What did you want and not get? A visit from my grandparents
28. What was your favorite film of the year? Most of the movies I see are animated. Hard to choose a ‘best.’ I’d seem pretty silly listing ‘Kung Fu Panda,’ now wouldn’t I?
29. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you? I was 38 and spent my day at work.
30. What one thing would have made 2008 immeasurably more satisfying? not hating my job … having a Christian girlfriend here close by… living next door to Mandy
31. How would you describe your personal fashion statement? Slouchy. Comfy. Something I need to work on in 2009.
32. What kept you sane? Diet Coke. Advil. Mike.
33. What celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Casey from “Chuck”
34. What political issue stirred you the most? the war
35. Who do you miss? Mandy. Aleece. Linda. me, sometimes
36. Who was the best new person you met? Michelle at work
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson learned in 2008. Life is uncertain. And that’s okay.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up this last year.
Filed under Most Everything | Permalink | Comments (4)“If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
We’d see the day when nobody died” If Everyone Cared, Nickelback
Tagged with: 2008 • 2009 • meme
An Award for… me!
Lizzie over at A Dusty Frame gave me a Kreativ Blogger Award, and I’m supposed to answer a bunch of groovy questions. So, here we go…
Seven things I did before I was a mama… (Geez, that was a long time ago, you know!)
- Saw movies without cartoon characters.
- Slept past 8 a.m. on Saturdays
- Went to fancy restaurants.
- Wore silk.
- Complained about being fat even though I was skinny.
- Went on weekend trips with Mike.
- Watched tv marathons.
Seven things I do now that I know Jesus really loves me…
- Trust Him.
- Believe that there is a plan, even if I can’t see or feel or anticipate it.
- See His glory around me.
- Feel unspeakably grateful for His mercy.
- Share Him with my kids.
- Acknowledge Him to those around me who aren’t believers but who ask me about Him.
- Love.
Seven things I would like to do…
- Pay off our debt.
- Take a vacation alone with Mike… something more than just overnight.
- Plant a lime tree.
- Write a book and have it published (I’m not quite sure I’ve said that one aloud before… at least not in a very long time.).
- See Eliza accept Christ.
- Help both kids attend college.
- Retire with Mike to the beach to spend our old age as two of those icky old people you see who spend too much time in the sun. Skinny leathery man and pudgy burned skin cancer girl. Man, that would be the best.
Seven things that attract me to Mike…
- His sense of humor. (When we first met, I was new in town and all alone, and he made me laugh. He still makes me laugh.)
- His intelligence. I’m a sucker for a smart man.
- His passion. Now, those of you who know Mike, hold on. Think about how he launches unbidden into a heated discussion of the First Amendment. The Freedom of the Press? Please. He’s all worked up. I love that about him, even if Griff and I sometimes avoid mentioning the First Amendment in order to avoid the lecture.
- His patience. The man’s a saint to live with me.
- The amazing father that he is.
- His unwavering faith.
- The way he looks in a pair of jeans and a white dress shirt.
My Seven Favorite Foods
- Chocolate
- My grandmother’s chocolate pie
- Mexican anything
- the Shrimp Bisque at The Cottage Restaurant
- Tiny Spicy Chicken, lo mein noodles and wonton soup
- pizza
- ice cream
Seven things I say most often…
- Tough luck.
- I swear, I will give you to the gypsies the next time they’re in town.
- Seriously, you have to go to bed now.
- You people are driving me crazy.
- Where’s my Diet Coke?
- No, really, you have to go to bed now.
- Oh, for the love of pete, just get your babies and pillow and get in bed with us!
- (#8 honorable mention is just for Mike… Bite me.)
So now I’ve answered all of the meme questions. But I’m adding one more. Because I can.
My seven favorite holiday movies
- Holiday Inn
- Christmas in Connecticut (the Barbara Stanwick version)
- Miracle on 34th Street (the Maureen O’Hara version)
- All I Want for Christmas
- The Santa Clause trilogy
- Christmas Vacation
- A Berry Bear Christmas (if anyone knows where I can get this one on DVD, please let me know!!!)
Tagged with: award • meme
Six of my favorite things…
I got tagged late last week by the Groovy Goddess over at And She Lived, and I discovered it just today. The timing was perfect.
It was kindof an icky day for me today, beginning with me thinking all sorts of icky Chel thoughts (mostly along the lines of had too many holiday cheese balls already & I’m a cow) and ending with me getting a memo in my file (a not so great thing) because I forwarded a breast cancer awareness email. (insert mumbled cursing here)
So, anyhoo, a good time for me to think about things that make me happy. Six of them, to be exact. And let’s go ahead and say… I’m not going to list Mike, the kids, friends or anything that should be perfectly obvious.
Here are the rules:
- List six things that make you happy
- Pass the award on to 5 other bloggers
- Link back to the person who gave you the award
- Link to the people you’ve passed it on to and comment to let them know
And without further delay, six things that make me happy…
1) The Hallmark store. When I was in college, the director of our student ministry organization once asked us where our safe place was, a physical place that made us feel safe and happy. I remember thinking that I didn’t so much have one and making something up. My roommate, Mika, said the piano, which was perfect because she plays beautifully.
Now, it’s the Hallmark store. I love to go in and listen to the music and read the cards and just be. Sometimes it makes me sad because Mandy and I used to go to the Hallmark store together, but mostly, it makes me smile.
2) Going to the Publix without Eliza so I can go to the Starbucks on the way. It’s so much nicer to stroll through the store with my chai latte and not with someone offering far more help than she really can give.
3) Diet Coke with lime. I know. Shallow. Sue me.
4) Television. I know. Shallower. But I do love some tv. Monday night shows that make me laugh. Tuesday night ‘House’ that makes me annoyed. Mike Rowe. ‘Mythbusters.’ Thursday night tv that makes me laugh. ‘CSI’ which makes me worry about what the crime lab would find in my house. Shows like ‘Numbers’ on which every single man is a hottie. ‘Monk.’ Corbin Bernsen looking hotter than Gus or Sean on ‘Pysch.’ Reruns of ‘WKRP.’ I could go on, but I might miss a show.
5) Emails from friends. Blogging. Facebook. Things that remind me that I’m not alone.
6) My bed. Best purchase Mike and I ever made together. We bought the king-size bed when I was pregnant with Eliza. One Saturday morning, Griff, our dog, Bernie, Mike, and my big, pregnant tummy were all piled into our queen bed. I announced we were going to go and buy a king bed because there was no way we could shove anyone else in that bed. And we did. And it is perfect.
Mike and I tease that we’re going to stay together for the bed. Not for love (though we will) or for the kids (though we would) but for the bed because neither of us will give it up.
Now, I’m supposed to tag other folks, but I’m not feeling it. Maybe later. 
Tagged with: happy • meme
A-meme-a-mech, a-meme-a-mech… come on, sing along
Dysfunctional Mom at Putting the Fun in DysFUNctional tagged me for a meme (maybe two, I’m slow, you know), so here’s my play for the day.
The One Word Meme
(Before we get started, here’s a funny… I was off yesterday with Griff, which meant I was way behind by today. I had 10 new cases, and that’ll pretty much take all day to work. My supe came up to me mid-day and asked me how I was, and I said, “Fine.” He responded, “Ugh-oh. One word answer. That means you’re not fine.” I thought it was pretty funny that he’s already figured that out about me. I rarely answer anything with only one word.)
1. Where is your cell phone: Bed
2. Significant other: Mike
3. Your hair: colored
4. Your mother: Godly
5. Your father: convinced
6. Your favorite thing: family
7. Your dreams last night: odd
8. Your favorite drink: DietCoke
9. Your dream/goal: retirement
10. The room you’re in: bedroom
11. Your hobby: beading
12. Your fears: endless
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years: here
14. What you’re not: skinny
15. Muffins: always
16. One of your wishlist items: Pandora
17. Where you grew up: Arkansas
18. The last thing you did: smile
19. What are you wearing: jammies
20. Favorite gadget: iPhone
21. Your pets: fish
22. Your computer: laptop
23. Your mood: content
24. Missing someone: dearly
25. Your car: cursed
26. Something you’re not wearing: jewelry
27. Favorite store: Target
28. Like someone: what?
29. Your favorite color: purple
30. When was the last time you laughed: tonight
31. When was the last time you cried: last week
And…
Six Unimportant Things About Me
1. I think everything about me is important.
2. I love peanut butter but not Reese’s Cups.
3. I adore Lucky Charms.
4. If I had $20 a week to go to Starbucks or to send surprises to friends, I’d send surprises. And I love Starbucks.
5. I can only do Ebay every now and then or I get a wee bit addicted.
6. If I could, I’d wear pajama pants and tank tops for the rest of my life.
And now I think I’m supposed to tag other people, but I’m not much on the tagging, so if you want to play, play & let me know.
Tagged with: meme • one word
