An Overture to Illumination: December 2017

Wrapping up 2016

What did you do in 2017 that you'd never done before?
Travelled solo with a toddler.
Did you keep your new years' resolutions and will you make more for next year?

From Last Year

A bad habit I'm going to break: Eating cheese outside of meals
Wait. I said cheese? What was I thinking?
A new skill I'd like to learn: Hand Lettering/Bullet Journaling
I did Bullet Journal for a while, but making the layouts became pretty hit or miss with a toddler around the house. I switched to a One Line A Day Journal, and have been really happy with that process
A person I hope to be more like: Someone who can be self aware without feeling awkward about themselves
A good deed I'm going to do: Donate to a Food Pantry
We donated to the Stow Food Pantry this year. Next year I hope baby bear will be more involved.
A place I'd like to visit: An Alpaca Farm
I don't know why, but I was unable to make this happen. We visited an orchard that has many animals: goats, ponies, chickens, pigs. That was lots of fun. No alpacas, though.

A bad habit I'm going to break: Not meeting my step goals for the day
A new skill I'd like to learn: Needlepoint
A person I hope to be more like: Myself
A good deed I'm going to do: I'm going to check some things off this list
A place I'd like to visit: The Eric Carle Museum

Did anyone close to you give birth?
No babies this year.
Did anyone close to you die?
No one.
What trips did you take?
I went back to TX with my baby—it was our first solo trip and it was terrifying, wonderful, and also terrible.
What would you like to have in 2018 that you lacked in 2017?
A sleeper sofa so that we don't have to do the crib/office dance anymore.
What date from 2017 will remain etched upon your memory and why?
I honestly can't think of any. It is a blur of activity. The days are long but the years are short. One day I see over and over again is the day we went to an indoor playplace, and there was a big slide that J-bear wanted to go down over and over once she got the hang of it, and we got video of her going down the slide with my mother. She makes me watch the video constantly. "Boogah (grandma) slide. Boogah slide."
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I became just a little bit less hard on myself.
What was your biggest failure?
Just my big mouth...again.
Did you suffer illness or injury?
I caught a gastro bug on Christmas, it was super pleasant to wake up the next day to see my child had also caught it (i.e. barfed all over her sheets).
What was the best thing you bought?
Some of the most amazing fabrics to make clothes
Whose behavior merited celebration?
J, because he is always incredibly supportive, wonderful, and amazing.
Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
All of the sexual abuse scandals that broke this year were appalling.
Where did most of your money go?
Kid, House, Car, Sewing
What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Taking swimming lessons with my bug
What song will always remind you of 2017?
Believer by Imagine Dragons
What do you wish you'd done more of?
Sew
What do you wish you'd done less of?
Stress about things outside of my sphere of control.
How did you spend Thanksgiving?
With our Massachusetts family and friends.
How did you spend Christmas?
Throwing up in the bathroom and falling asleep at 6:30 pm
How will you be spending New Years?
Drinking Prosecco at home (Actually, we went over to our neighbors' house and it was so much low-key New Year's fun—we didn't even think we'd make it to midnight, but lo and behold, we did!)
Did you fall in love in 2017?
Every single day.
What was your favorite TV program?
The Crown was probably the show that I devoured the most instantly and intently. I couldn't wait for the second season, and in my opinion it did not disappoint.
Do you "hate" anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I think that I've come to decide that "hate," even the mild pretend "hate," is a completely wasted emotion. This doesn't mean that there isn't anyone that could have made this list, just that I choose not to participate in this question anymore.*
*I have added an addendum to include the strong sense of dislike that I feel for people who mark-up library books.
What was the best book you read?
The Last Tudor by Phillipa Gregory, because inaccurate and sultry historical fiction is totally my jams, and Rosie Revere, Engineer
What was your greatest musical discovery?
Magic 106.7 playing Christmas music non-stop while I wrapped presents. Before that I would be obsessive about my spotify or Pandora or whatever playlist. Now I just let it wash over me as I frantically go about all of the Christmas things that seem to come with a toddler.
What did you want that you also ended up getting?
- A new fitbit that alerts me when I have texts, phone alerts, or am simply being a lazy ass.
- A serger, which my mother bought me for my birthday and now gets used as much as or more than my sewing machine.
- A victory against Roy Moore
What did you want that you did not end up getting?
Into some playgroups with some of the friends we've been with since my bub was a little peanut. It turns out our town is not one of the towns served by this particular group that we got involved with through the hospital, so we got shut out and it really stung.
There was a local school board election, and the candidate I felt would really have been looking out for the early education kiddos did not win.
What was your favorite film of this year?
The Big Sick, which to be honest is the only movie Jason and I actually sat down to watch together this year. So it was half appreciating the movie, and half appreciating our own homemade date night.
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 33. J gave me a day of relaxing and sewing, my mom got me a serger. I had a pedicure and a nice dinner.
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Some weight loss
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2017?
Lots homemade leggings and baggy shirts
What kept you sane?
My husband, and yoga
Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Benedict Cumberbatch, America Ferrera
What political issue stirred you the most?
Local town politics to be honest. There was the school board election, followed by some Pre-K stuff that just does not seem like it was handled in the best interest of our children.
Who did you miss?
My grandmother, as always. My therapist.
Who was the best new person you met?
I met so many wonderful women in the playgroups that we have been involved in.
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2017
Be careful what you say around the toddler, for she is listening intently, even if she looks like she's pretending her penguin is pooping on his "potty," which is actually just a plastic cup.
Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
If you're happy and you know it, eat your food/brush your teeth/comb your hair. - me

30 December 2017

Wrapping Up 2017