2009: A Year in Review

I've seen this across the blogosphere, and now that life has slowed a bit, it's the perfect time to reflect on last year...which I'll admit, seems like a blur.

A sweet-child-induced-blur.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you had never done before?
   Had a child. Moved from full time + self employment to maternity leave to part time + self employment to simply self employment. All while being a new mommy.
   
2. Did you keep your New Years Resolutions? And will you make more?
   My main resolution was to be done being pregnant. And yes, I did that. :)
   
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
   Myself to Thomas. Kate to Daniel. Liz to Ava. Crystal to Angelica. Helen to Rosie.
   
4. Did anyone close to you die?
   My pup, Viper. The original namesake of this blog. Which was really quite sad and difficult for me here on the farm. Nellie. And though I never met him face to face, my nephew, Gabriel.
   
5. What places have you visited?
   This year, no international travel. Iowa, twice. Wisconsin. Minnesota. Utah. Arizona, twice. Hawaii. Colorado. Oregon. The coast. Lake Chelan. Tillicum for their drive-thru-only McDonalds.
   
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
   An empty to-do list. A garden. Jonathan wants an orange Mini Cooper convertible.
   
7. What date in 2009 will be etched in your memory and why?
   Not surprisingly, January 8, 2009. The day Thomas was born. One year ago today.
   
8. What was your biggest achievement?
   Not giving up on learning how to become a better wife and mother. I fail. all. the. time. But I always want to grow from my failures. Maybe not at that particular time, but I always end up growing. :)
   
9. Did you suffer any injuries or illness in 2009?
   Not too bad...just recovering from the emergency c-section. God bless those awesome mesh undergarments. :)
   
10. What was the best thing you bought?
    Time with my husband and son, when I quit my job at Merrill Lynch. {Which was, coincidentally, the #1 read blog post of this blog for the entire year.}
    
11. Where did most of your money go?
    Debt. We paid off a significant amount of law school + house remodeling debt while I was still working and we had two decent incomes, as well as when we sold my house in Tacoma. It gave us the freedom to be able to achieve #10 above.
    
    And I ended up being thrilled that I opened a 529 for Thomas before he was born (simply by making Jonathan the beneficiary until Thomas's birth, then transferring the account after Thomas was issued a SSN) and took advantage of higher family income + falling market + an extra year of savings before he goes to college. You're welcome, child. Don't forget that when you're deciding what nursing home you want to put us in.
    
12. What song will remind you of 2009?
    "One in Every Crowd" by Montgomery Gentry. We must have played this song a thousand times in the car with Thomas. It was the ONLY song that made him calm down and stop screaming when he was tired of the long car rides to Rainier. We made up new words and sang them at the top of our lungs. He. loved. it.
    
13. What do you wish you could have done more of?
    Cleaning out the house before Thomas arrived. Said 'no' to things I didn't really want to do but felt obligated.
    
14. What do you wish you could have done less of?
    Putting things away the second time. It's definitely easier to do the first time.
    
15. What was your favorite TV program?
    NCIS. LOST. Leverage. I ♥ all of them.
    
16. What was the best book you read in 2009?
    Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth. Helped Thomas settle into great nap habits and long sleeping through the night. Cheers to us!
    
17. What was your favorite movie of the year?
    Star Trek. Loved it, and I am definitely not a Trekkie.
    
18. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you turning?
    I turned 32. Very chill birthday. Went to daily Mass, stopped by Gordon's to pick out a strawberry pot, tomatoes and basil. Took a long nap with the Wee Ski and went to an air-conditioned dinner with Jonathan and Thomas. It was 90°+.
    
19. What political issue did you struggle with this year?
    Health care. Even as I left corporate America, I did not (and still do not as a self-employed person) support any of the health care bills that have come forth this year. We gave up an incredible health care plan that was offered through Merrill (but no longer offered through Bank of America now) to switch to a high deductible plan found in most small businesses...increasing our costs significantly, but was a 'cost' of the decision we made.
    
    For me, there are non-negotiables that come first -- the main one being the right to life. I cannot support anything that takes that away, especially funded by our government and our taxes. Defending unborn life (especially as a "unwanted child" myself) is not a partisan issue - it is something we all ought to be fighting for!
    
    I believe costs need to be contained first - to help bring affordable health care to the forefront. For example, why did I pay more for blood pressure medication when I had prescription drug coverage, as opposed to filling the same prescription after my coverage was cancelled in October when I filled it at Costco?
    
    And it made me especially proud to be Catholic -- seeing the impact of American Catholic hospitals who gave away more than $5.7 billion in services to those who couldn't afford them in the last fiscal year. That's hope I can believe in.
    
    /off my soapbox. :)
    
20. Who was the best person you met?
    My sweet son, Thomas. Not because he is a little Mini-Half-Me, but because he's a little Mini-Half-Jonathan. Those two boys are my world, and I love them with all of my heart.