1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before? Ran a half-marathon. Got pregnant. There really wasn’t room for much more firsts this year after those two things.
2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I did a much better job of relaxing, though if you ask my husband not nearly enough. I’m not really a relaxed person by nature, especially when it comes to work, but I’m trying. I’m convinced that switching jobs, and working in an environment that’s more complimentary to my personality and life, that has accounted for the complete change in my outlook from this time last year.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Not necessarily close, but I knew quite a few people who had babies this year.
4. Did anyone close to you die? No, thankfully.
5. What places did you visit? No incredibly sexy destinations this year, but I did visit New Orleans, New York City, Orlando and Park City, Utah.
6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010? Nothing, but I’m looking forward to a year that includes absolutely no remodeling. We completed two major remodeling projects this year, and one small one with our downstairs bathroom.
7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? February 28 (the day I completed the half-marathon); June 22 (the day I found out we were pregnant).
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? There were a few. I count Number One With A Bullet as the half-marathon, especially since right now, at 32 weeks pregnant, I can barely get up off the couch without wheezing. I completed the thing, without stopping, and I trained for that thing all through winter. I would love to say Number Two is getting pregnant, but it seems silly. I had a few work victories I enjoyed, and pulled off a couple of successful family open houses, too. I’m also proud of how I navigated the brief spate of unemployment that hit our family. We were blessed, we know, that Scott was only out of work for a month. But I have always, always looked as job loss as an event equal only to death and once I realized we would be OK, I didn’t let fear take over. That was big for me.
9. What was your biggest failure? Amazingly, I’m grasping to try and pinpoint anything I’d really consider a failure.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Does all-day–and-night-sickness in the first trimester of this pregnancy count?
11. What was the best thing you bought? Our new car. The results of our remodels are pretty awesome, too. I remain in love with our washer and dryer, as well as the new built-in bookshelves upstairs. While we rolled in the kitchen remodel to our home loan, we saved up and spent cash on the upstairs remodel, and didn’t put a single cent of it on a credit card. I’m really proud of that.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Scott. Now, forever and always.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? John McCain. The Daily Show mentioned in a skit that when the documentaries on DADT are produced in years to come, McCain will be that whackadoodle whose comments and actions will make us all shake our heads in wonder and astonishment.
14. Where did most of your money go? The remodels and our new car.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Baby Girl Smith!
16. What song will always remind you of 2010? Anything by Phoenix.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Much, much happier. In a million different ways.
b) thinner or fatter? Fatter. Gestating a human being will do that.
c) richer or poorer? Richer. We started saving more cash, and putting a larger percentage of our paychecks into our 401ks.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Oh I would have loved to have taken a real vacation this year. I don’t know how likely that is next year with the baby, but I really hope so. After we found out we were pregnant, vacations were out of the questions since I needed to stockpile vacation time for maternity leave. I think at the very minimum we’ll go away for a long weekend somewhere, but I’d love to go to Jamaica or somewhere equally warm and tropical.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? I couldn’t have done anything about it, but I didn’t do anything over the summer owing to a really rough first trimester.
20. How did you spend Christmas in 2010? This year we started a new tradition – we hosted an open house for our families on Christmas Day. Next year I’m going to have most of it done by the time everyone gets there because I spent the first 90 minutes in the kitchen. It was wonderful, though.
21. Did you fall in love in 2010? Always. My husband is my favorite. I love him so much.
22. What was your favorite TV program? Modern Family. All of the Housewives except D.C. Booring.
23. What did you do for your birthday in 2010? Went to the Chick-fil-A Is Coming to Chicago party. I think I had five chicken sandwiches that night. It was awesome.
24. What was the best book you read? Hypnobirthing; It’s A Girl: Women Writers on Raising Daughters; When Food Is Love
25. What did you want and get? Pregnant. And a new job.
26. What did you want and not get? Nothing, though I hate that we have any debt and with the new car, and some purchases on the credit cards this holiday season, we do. Ah well.
27. What was your favorite film of this year? Pass.
28. Did you make some new friends this year? Very much so, thanks to my new job.
29.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Nothing, actually.
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010? Stretchy front panels are a pregnant lady’s best friend.
31. What kept you sane? Scott and Kate Shea. I don’t even bother erasing their names from year-to-year. My sister, especially yesterday as I was putting on Christmas Day, was a godsend.
32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Totally don’t care about what celebrities think/say/do.
33. What political issue stirred you the most? Anything having to do with equality issues for my gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered brothers and sisters.
34. Who did you miss? Candace moved to St. Louis and this makes me stupendously sad.
35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010. Ring the bells that still can ring/Forget your perfect offering/There’s a crack in everything/It’s how the light gets in
