2011 Year in Review

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before? I had never been away from the kids for more than 2 days, and in November, Phil and I celebrated our 10 years of marriage by going to St. Maarten sans kids. It was heaven, and I only regret that we hadn't gone on vacation with just the two of us sooner. I also started volunteering at the library due to now having 2 kids at school full-time.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't keep them, but I did start running this year. It's still not fun, but I do feel better about myself for doing it. I'm actually thinking of making a list of resolutions or more of a bucket-type list of things I want to accomplish in 2012.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes! I have a new nephew, Quinten William, who was born Nov. 30. And one of my dearest friends had a little boy, Jack, in early November.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Yes. My grandfather passed away on Dec. 6. I'm still having a hard time dealing with it, and it put a damper on my Christmas spirit. But he was 94, and for that, I feel grateful that he lived such a full life..

5. What places did you visit? Beautiful St. Maarten couldn't really top anything. We also had an overnight layover in Pittsburgh, so we saw that, too. The kids were able to experience Green Bay when we went to visit family.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? More date nights with the husband. And reminding myself to work more during the day when the kids are at school so I don't have to pull late nighters.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Aug. 11 was our 10-year anniversary. Nov. 30 is when my nephew arrived. And Dec. 6 is when my grandpa passed.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Knowing when to accept help. We've had a rough year in certain aspects, but as long as you know what to fight for and why, there are always ways to achieve that.

9. What was your biggest failure? I had said that with both kids on school, I can work plenty during the day. Yeah, that hasn't really happened. And on most days I find that the day flies by and I haven't really accomplished anything. I need to get a better handle on that..

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nope, just the occasional cold.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Our vacation.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My family. For showing me that no matter what, family will be there for you and support you.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Ignorant people and those who abuse kids. That's horrific.

14. Where did most of your money go? Hockey for Jeremy. And our vacation.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? C+D returning to Chicago! And some other news relating to them. :)

16. What song will always remind you of 2010? The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars. The kids LOVED it, and we loved tormenting Phil by listening to it. Firework by Katy Perry because Jeremy would sing it out on the ice while playing hockey.

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

a) happier or sadder? Happier. It's been an evolving year, and I believe that both of us have put in the extra effort to make it so.

b) thinner or fatter? Thinner. The running has helped, but I don't run when it gets cold, so maybe I'll be getting a little fatter soon.

c) richer or poorer? Poorer. Only because sports are getting to be a little pricier.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Calming down. Sometimes I feel like I yell at the kids too much, and I hate that feeling. And housework. The house is a mess, and I've been a little negligent in taking care of that.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Laundry. But it has to be done.

20. How did you spend Christmas in 2011? When all is said and done, we will have had five Christmas celebrations. The first one was moved up one week due to my grandfather's funeral. We celebrated (for lack of better words) with family after the visitation. The following weekend we visited our new nephew and the rest of Phil's brother's family. Later that week Phil's parents came out to celebrate. Then the four of us opened presents on Christmas, and then our last one is actually on New Year's Day with my parents, brother and sister-in-law. Phew!

21. Did you fall in love in 2010? I think I gained a higher appreciation for love this year.

22. What was your favorite TV program?  Modern Family, The New Girl and Community. Most things on Bravo, especially Top Chef. And all Blackhawks games and hockey in general.

23. What did you do for your birthday in 2011? I had a great birthday this year. My parents came out, and my mom and I had pedicures. Then all of us went to dinner at one of my favorite places--Hackney's!

24. What was the best book you read? I read a ton, and it's hard to remember just one. I really enjoyed Two Kisses for Madddy because I follow the writer on his blog. It definitely made me cry.
25. What did you want and get? Time to recharge.

26. What did you want and not get? A money tree.

27. What was your favorite film of this year? We only saw one in the theater this year, The Muppets, and it was hysterical! I also watched The Bridesmaids and Horrible Bosses on DVD and thought they were awesome.

28. Did you make some new friends this year? Yes,  one of my closest friends moved one block away, and she has two girls the same ages as our kids. Plus they go to our church, so we see them quite a bit. I got to know her a lot this past year.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? I'm not too sure.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010? Indifferent.

31. What kept you sane? My girlfriends. I'm trying to be better about keeping in touch with everyone because my girlfriends are my sounding boards and help me get through life's rough patches.

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? There are so many...Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith, Ryan Reynolds, Bradley Cooper...

33. What political issue stirred you the most? Issues involving education and cutting back funds for kids in school.

34. Who did you miss? I already miss my grandpa. Like I said, I'm having a hard time dealing with it, and I'm not quite sure why. I think maybe because it signifies an end of traditions of getting together where he lived.

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010. Marriage takes work. It isn't always easy. And it's OK to ask for help; nobody is going to think less of you for asking.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Time just keeps getting away from me.

Here are a few things that have made me laugh within the last few (rough) weeks.

While driving to dinner with my parents, we passed a house with Christmas lights reaching high up on the family's evergreen tree. I told Jeremy I had no idea how the family was able to get the lights up that high. Jeremy's response?

"I bet someone has long arms like (Marian) Hossa." (Leave it to my boy to reference hockey.)

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Jeremy told me the other day that he has two new favorite animals. The cow and the llama. Why the llama, I asked.

"Because they make bacon." Sure. Makes sense to me! :)

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And lastly, I found this video online. It's about the Blackhawks, and all four of us couldn't stop laughing. Enjoy!

Ponderings

I'm sorry I've been so lax in posting here. I wanted to post pictures/provide an update about what all we did this summer.

I want to post my thoughts/feelings about losing my grandfather. He passed away on Dec. 6, and we had the visitation and funeral this week. He was an amazing 94-year-old man who farmed all the way up until he was 92.

I want to talk about the kids and how they still amaze me.

But that will have to wait. I've been trying to get into the Christmas spirit, but, not surprisingly, it's been hard to find this year. My best friend pointed out that I never tend to be in the Christmas spirit no matter what the year, which is true, but I'm finding it harder than ever this year. I'm hoping that within the week I can get happy and finish my shopping.

I did want to share an article I found that is perfect for this time of year, when we're thinking about the new year and re-evaluating our life. So enjoy this for now, and I hope to get back on here soon.

Giving Thanks

This post is a few weeks behind (ah, story of my life!), but with some recent changes, I wanted to take a moment and count my blessings.

*My new nephew. Quinten William was born Nov. 30 two weeks early at 7 lbs. 15 oz. This is going to be one tough little guy. He's been through so much already (and so have my wonderful BIL and SIL), and on the day his mom was discharged from the hospital, he was transferred to another children's hospital NICU. He was having issues with his oxygen saturation levels, and until today, he hadn't been able to breathe on his own for more than 3 hours. Then today he was off oxygen for 12 hours! The other concerning aspect was that he hadn't eaten since he was born. Today he was able to take a bottle! Small victories. The doctors still don't know the full extent of what's wrong, but we're hoping he'll be home within the week.

*My family. Gosh, I can't say enough about how much I love these kids and the husband. The kids (and the husband) do make me crazy at times, but they are the lights of my life. I can't wait to hear all about their days at school, and they are literally growing up right before my eyes. School is 1/4 over (already!) and both are doing remarkably. Riley is reading at the 4th grade level and is the smartest kid in her class when it comes to math (I'm not kidding--that's what her teacher said at P/T conferences). And Jeremy, my gosh, that kid can remember anything! Today we went to the local Christmas holiday walk, and he remembered some of the things we did last year. And he's still adamant that he wants to be a hockey player when he grows up.

*My grandpa. Unfortunately, he's not doing that well. His health is failing, and he often wonders why he's here. He's in his 90s, and is now living in a nursing home. We were able to celebrate Thanksgiving at his nursing home, and I'm just so thankful for all that he's done for this family. I used to spend so many summers hanging out down at grandma and grandpa's, playing with my cousins. I remember my mom would let me stay down there for weeks at a time, and we'd help milk the cows, get them from the pasture, gather the eggs and just play. Grandma would let the kids pick out the Kool-aid or burn stuff in the wood-burning stove. I love how close our family is, and it's something I hope to pass along to our kids.

*My parents. After having kids, I realize how important it is to live nearby to your parents. I cannot imagine not speaking to them more than 2-3 times a week and seeing them 2-3 times per month. Due to Facebook, I see that more and more of my friends are losing their parents, and that terrifies me. My parents aren't old enough for that! I hate seeing them age, because in my eyes they're still energetic and full of life. Oh wait, that's STILL my mom! I love them dearly, and I cannot imagine what it would be like if they weren't here.

*The husband. Our vacation was so desperately needed and wonderful. It was refreshing to remember what it was like to be husband and wife and not mom and dad. We didn't have anyone vying for our attention. It literally made me fall in love with him again (or maybe that was the Caribbean rum that made me do that). Kidding. He puts up with a lot, and sometimes I feel like I don't give him enough credit for all that he does. He's a wonderful husband, father and best friend. And I love him more than anything.

I know there are more things that I'm thankful for, but these are the main people. I love you all.