Yearly Recap 2013

I read this yearly recap on All & Sundry’s blog a couple years ago, and have been doing it every year since.   1. What did you do in 2013 that you’d never done before? I planned ahead with a meal plan for the week, bought the groceries for said meals, and then cooked accordingly each night. Sad to say that in my 38 years, this is the first time I’ve dabbled in meal planning instead of trying to figure out what to make every evening at 5pm. I’m hoping to do more of it in the coming year. 2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Oh dear. This one requires it’s own post. Check back tomorrow. 3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My friend Charlie and his lovely wife Avara just had a baby. You can check out photos of his adorable baby on his instagram account, but it might make your ovaries hurt. For the first year in a long time, no new cousins were added to our family, and I think all of my siblings and Mark’s siblings are officially done. 4. Did anyone close to you die? Thankfully, no. 5. What countries did you visit? We went to Antigua and the British Virgin Islands. Do those count as countries? 6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013? More balance and more sleep. 7. What dates from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? No specific dates, but after living without running water or appliances in our remodeled home for three months, January of 2013 was pretty awesome, because we finally finished our kitchen and could stop washing dishes in the bathroom. 8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I gave a TEDx Talk this year, which has been a longtime goal of mine.   9. What was your biggest failure? Failing to live in the present more. 10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Actually, yes. I threw my back out and was down for nearly a month. It was incredibly stressful. 11. What was the best thing you bought? A Le Creuset Signature Enameled Dutch Oven. Actually, my husband bought it for me. I’m trying to cook better meals for our family and we’ve been updating our kitchen, since most everything we own we got almost 20 years ago from our wedding registry. 12. Where did most of your money go? Taxes. Yeesh. 13. What did you get really excited about? It was really exciting to remodel our house. Before kids, Mark and I used to flip houses, and I’ve always loved the design aspect, and watching the transformation. It was fun to be a part of that creative process again. 14. What song will always remind you of 2011? I think Daft Punk’s Get Lucky has to be our family’s favorite, although my kids still sing the wrong lyrics. This Girl is on Fire was another favorite.     15. Compared to this time last year, are you: – happier or sadder? About the same.
– thinner or fatter? A few pounds thinner due to a lot of effort. My metabolism is not my friend.
– richer or poorer? Richer, because I worked a lot. I’d actually rather have less money and more balance time next year.  16. What do you wish you’d done more of? I wish I’d gone to the beach more. We pay a pretty penny to live close by and I think I went a total of three times. I love the beach, and need to make time to get there, because it’s an instant attitude adjustment for me. 17. What do you wish you’d done less of? I wish I’d spent less time online. This is a tricky one for me since my job involves social media and since so many of my dear friends live in far-away places, but I want to be investing in my in-person relationships a bit more next year. 18. How did you spend Christmas? We did our family Christmas on Christmas Eve and spent Christmas Day flying to Orlando. 19. What was your favorite TV program? I discovered The Mindy Project this year, which I adore. I’m also a huge fan of Homeland. I loved Breaking Bad (pours one out) and Orange Is the New Black. 20. What were your favorite books of the year? I wrote a post about my favorite reads here. 21. What was your favorite music from this year? I discovered The Lone Bellow this year and was immediately hooked. I’m also loving The Civil Wars and The Lumineers. 22. What was your favorite film of the year? Hands down, my favorite movie this year was Before Midnight. ]I’m a longtime fan of this film series that covers almost two decades of a couple’s life together, and the most recent film explores the issues of their long-term marriage. I thought it was the most honest depiction of marriage I’d ever seen in a movie. So interesting, so relatable. 23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turn 39 today! We are planning to go to a friend’s house and then Mark and I are going to dinner.  24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? I think that being more intentional with my friendships would have made my life more satisfying. 25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013? This year was a Dress Renaissance for me. Yes, I just said Dress Renaissance without irony. But really, I rediscovered my love for dresses this year, after a whole lot of years of breastfeeding and chasing toddlers. I love that I can throw one on and look put-together. I bought quite a few from Gap and Madewell and Anthropologie and wear them quite often. 26. What kept you sane? Sarcasm. Blogging. Cuddling my kids. Time away from the kids.  Friends. 27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013. Reading the comment section over at The Huffington Post is never a good idea.