Eleven years ago, I found this questionnaire, and I’ve been filling it out every December since. See? 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004 and 2003. This might be getting a little outdated though, so I’ve decided I’m going to add a few new questions every year from now on. I’ll mark those with an *asterisk. 🙂 Also, my very good friend Nicole has turned this annual year in review questionnaire into a really cool link-up! So go visit her blog to read hers and link yours up if you’d like!
What did you do in 2014 that you’d never done before? Went to Hawaii, became a godmother, hired a team, made eggnog.
Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? As usual, I kept lots, but not all. I’m working on my 2015 list — it’ll be my 12th straight year posting resolutions on this blog.
Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes, Kristy gave birth to Clayton, May 14.
Did anyone close to you die? No.
What countries did you visit? Just a little bit of this one — Hawaii, California, Michigan, Disney World, NJ, NYC.
What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014? Fancy new year’s eve plans? I don’t know. I honestly can’t think if anything.
What date from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory? July 26th – my brother’s wedding.
What was your biggest achievement of the year? Launching Salesforce, passing my Salesforce Administrator and Advanced Administrator certification exams, receiving two individual ADS values awards and the 2014 Values Champion award at work. Surfing in Waikiki — one of the most amazing things I think I’ve ever done. And maybe the intricately accurate Anna costume I hand-crafted for Halloween with paint, duct tape, a needle and thread, and no sewing machine.
What was your biggest failure? Spending a little too much money.
Did you suffer illness or injury? I think I got sick in February and had a cough for a few weeks, but other than that, not really. Oh, and my stupid eyelids are always red and sensitive for some reason these days, which makes it nearly impossible to wear mascara, which is driving me f-ing crazy.
What was the best thing you bought? Either this Lilly Pulitzer Dark ‘n Stormy shift dress or this 14K gold Maui hook pendant I bought myself in Hawaii.
Whose behavior merited celebration? My bosses’, my team’s and mine for having a pretty epic year at work. John’s for buying a beautiful new house. Diesel’s for always rolling over when I tell him to. And Yulia Lipnitskaya’s for this brilliant and inspiring Olympic figure skating program in Sochi.
Where did most of your money go? Rent, Lilly Pulitzer, Hawaii, coffee, gifts, 401(k), HSA, savings accounts, lunch.
What did you get really, really, really excited about? Hawaii, Chatter.
What song will always remind you of 2014? You and Me by Dave Matthews Band. It snapped me out of a bad mood six months ago, and I listened to it whenever I felt stressed out for several months after that.
Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or sadder? Happier
Thinner or fatter? Fatter
Richer or poorer? Richer
What do you wish you’d done more of? Running, writing, singing in the car.
What do you wish you’d done less of? Trusting consultants, repeating myself, sitting in a chair.
How will you be spending Christmas? I headed up to New Jersey for Christmas, as usual. I spent Christmas Eve at my grandparents’ house with my parents, aunts, uncles and not-so-little cousins. I stopped at Kristy’s on my way home to hang out with her and the kids, and give them their presents. On Christmas morning, I opened gifts with my parents, and we pretty much just relaxed all day until we went to my dad’s cousin’s house for coffee, dessert and games at the dining room table. I spent a few more days in NJ studying for my Salesforce Advanced Administrator certification exam, shopping with my mom, and seeing a broadway show in the city. I had breakfast with Kristy. I went to Pete & Elda’s with my dad. And I stopped to visit Regina on my way home, which resulted in my accidentally backing into an illogically placed telephone pole before I got back on the road. 🙂
Did you fall in love in 2014? Yes. With pelicans.
How many one-night stands? None.
Who were your best friends? John, Heather, Kristy, Tina, and Kate. Jeff and Michelle were my best friends at work. Nicole was my best blog friend. =)
What thing did you do that was meaningful to others? After we went live with Salesforce at work, I made myself available pretty much 24 hours a day for the next two or three months to make sure everyone who needed help had someone to ask. I was a groomsman (a groomsmaid?) in my brother’s wedding. I offered up my guest room to anyone who wanted to take a vacation to Virginia Beach (and Courtney took me up on it)! I hired two guys to be on my new Salesforce team, and I try really hard to be an organized, supportive, inspiring manager that encourages them to learn new things and take ownership of cool projects.
What was your favorite TV program? Downton Abbey, Vampire Diaries, Jane the Virgin, Big Brother.
Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No.
What was the best book you read? Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins.
What was your greatest musical audio discovery? Serial.
*What was your favorite meal? It’s a toss-up between the Darband Special at Darband 5th Avenue Grill in San Diego (April 21) and the Samoan at Kona Café in Disney’s Polynesian Resort in Orlando (October 4).
What did you want and get? An office.
What did you want and not get? Canfora sandals.
What was your favorite film of this year? Frozen. I know it came out last year, but I didn’t see it until this year. I think I watched it more than 40 times.
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I was 33. I went to work. We had a Q1 rally in the afternoon. (I think I received my first values award of the year? For Drive? Or maybe Commitment? I’ll have to double check that.) After work, a bunch of my friends and co-workers met up for happy hour at Cheeseburger in Paradise. John and Jeremy and I had dinner at the bar there after everyone else left. When those two had to go home, I ended up talking to my brother on the phone for awhile and taking myself out for a delicious beer at Back Bay Brewing Co., which had just opened. That weekend, my parents came down. We went to see Bruce Springsteen, and the helped me spruce up my patio for spring. A few days after that, a few of the coolest girls I know took me out to a belated birthday dinner, which was absolutely delicious and fun. 🙂
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Launching Phase 2 of our Salesforce project at work — quoting.
What kept you sane? Evernote, Lilly Pulitzer, my Outlook calendar, long walks on the beach, bourbon, wine, podcasts, Instagram.
Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I’m not sure I even had any time to fancy celebrities and public figures because I can’t even think of any.
What political issue stirred you the most? Those crazy ISIS people.
*What mystery from 2014 was never solved? Seriously, what the hell happened to that plane?
Who did you miss? Grandma Tillie, my parents, my brother, Kristy, Tara, Tina (because she’s been exceptionally), and Jessie.
Who was the best new person you met this year? My Instagram friend, Kate.
*Did you start any new traditions this year? John and I both hosted and attended a few brunch get-togethers. Hopefully we can keep those going in 2015 because they’ve been really fun.
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014: Actions speak louder than words.
Quote that sums up your year: “I had a dream I designed a print for Lilly Pulitzer. It was covered in pelicans and elephants, and it was called ‘It Takes One to Nose One’.”
