Eight years ago, I found this questionnaire, and I’ve been filling it out every December since. See? 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004 and 2003.
What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before? Taught a puppy to roll over, wrote the most amazing blog post of all time, wore bright red lipstick, purposely stopped paying my mortgage, ate blueberries and liked them, made Peruvian soup, bought a dining room table, photographed a wedding, evacuated for a hurricane, experienced a ridiculous earthquake at work
Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I kept a lot of them! I’ll be posting my final resolution update of the year this weekend. Of course — I’m nothing if not true to the traditions of my blog. =)
Did anyone close to you give birth? My cousin Christopher and his wife had a baby, and my college friend Hilary gave birth to Hattie!
Did anyone close to you die? No.
What countries did you visit? St. Maarten! And a little bit of this one — Chicago in November, New Jersey and New York in July and August, and New Jersey again in December.
What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? A trip to Las Vegas
What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory? July 28
What was your biggest achievement of the year? I finally ditched the condo. It wasn’t the easiest decision, but in the long run, I think it’s for the best. I moved into a fabulous townhouse close to the beach!
What was your biggest failure? Spending most of the year since July being stressed out.
Did you suffer illness or injury? Not really — just a few crappy migraines. Oh, and one little spill off my bike. I scraped my knee. =)
What was the best thing you bought? Nikon D3100 DSLR
Whose behavior merited celebration? John’s and my parents’ for helping me move and planning me to two coolest birthday parties ever. And my brother’s for shipping out to Navy boot camp and graduating before Christmas. =)
Where did most of your money go? Mortgage payments, legal fees, charitable donations, rent, 401(k)…and maybe clothes
What did you get really, really, really excited about? My trip to St. Maarten, Jimmy Buffett coming to Virginia Beach, my 30th birthday, surprising Kristy at her party over the summer, moving into my new place, decorating for Christmas, photographing Sarah’s wedding
What song will always remind you of 2011? “Knee Deep” by Zac Brown Band feat. Jimmy Buffett
Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or sadder? Sadder
Thinner or fatter? About the same
Richer or poorer? Richer
What do you wish you’d done more of? Running, vacationing, riding my bike, going to the beach, spending time with friends I don’t get to see very often
What do you wish you’d done less of? Being stressed, aimlessly playing computer, working, panicking about natural disasters
How will you be spending Christmas? I drove home to NJ on December 23 and spent the evening with my parents and my brother. We ordered pizza for dinner, and I worked on organizing a bunch of pictures on my computer. On Christmas Eve, we headed to my grandparents’ house where the entire family was there for probably the first time in 10 years! I got to see all nine of my little cousins. =) We took a huge picture on the front lawn, and a bunch of us gave my grandparents an iPad. My cousins and I sat around drinking beers and eggnog, catching up, reminiscing about old times, playing cards, and taking pictures. After that, I went to Kristy’s parents’ house to see her, Frank and Sadie. We exchanged gifts and talked about cameras for awhile. My brother and I opened our pajamas (mine didn’t fit, but I exchanged them for some that do), and I headed to bed. We slept in on Christmas morning, and my mom made pancakes before we opened gifts. Santa brought me a gorgeous Stella & Dot necklace. My brother gave me a Madewell scarf, and my parents’ gave me a Kindle Touch! My mom and I baked cookies and a chocolate peppermint cake in the afternoon, and my grandparents came up for dinner — baked ziti (because we lost the lasagna?), meatballs, pepperoni, sausage…yum. Then I read on my Kindle and took a nap before wee headed over to my dad’s cousin’s house for dessert No snow this year, so my mom and I did some shopping on December 26, and my dad made my brother and I escarole soup for dinner. I drove home on the 27th, and John and I opened presents under my tree. He gave me a Western Digital media box, a remote for my camera, and some Contigo travel mugs. I gave him Ugg slippers, a calendar I made of photos of Diesel, and a few other little things he wanted. He also got me a mystery gift that’s backordered — I can’t want to find out what it is!
Did you fall in love in 2011? Yes – with Diesel the puggle. =)
How many one-night stands? 0
Who were your best friends? Kristy, Tina, John
What thing did you do that was meaningful to others? I designed the tickets for the Hands to Angels benefit dinner. I also made a decent donation this year, and I hope someone can benefit from that. I helped Tina start planning her wedding. I was really focused on work towards the end of the year — I think that was meaningful to my boss and my co-workers. And (I know I’ve said this 23987293847 times already) I photographed Sarah and Tom’s wedding and reception. =)
What was your favorite TV program? Gossip Girl, Hart of Dixie, Ringer, Survivor, Big Brother, Vampire Diaries, Bored to Death
Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Nah.
What was the best book you read? Lessons from Madame Chic: The Top 20 Things I Learned While Living in Paris by Jennifer L. Scott and A Pirate Looks At Fifty by Jimmy Buffett
What was your greatest musical discovery? TuneIn Radio (I know it’s not a band, but it’s awesome.)
What did you want and get? A camera, a puppy, patio furniture, facials every 5-6 weeks since February, a surprise birthday party
What did you want and not get? Not too much — John and I were going to take a trip to Vegas or Napa Valley, and we didn’t get to do that, but that’s about it.
What was your favorite film of this year? I became addicted to comic book movies this summer. Some of my favorites were X-Men: First Class and Captain America: The First Avenger.
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 30. Andrea and Stacey came into town for the weekend, and so did my parents and my brother. The night before my birthday, we met up with a bunch of my friends at Tautogs for dinner, and then we headed to Lunasea for drinks. On Sunday morning, all of my friends surprised me with a brunch party at Mahi Mah’s! It was the perfect birthday weekend. =)
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Not having to deal with the condo situation. But at least that won’t be ruining any more years in the future.
What kept you sane? Blogging, taking lots of photos, reading, relaxing on my couch
Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Chelsea Handler, Rachel Bilson, and Blair Eadie of Atlantic-Pacific (style idol)
What political issue stirred you the most? The economy, social unrest
Who did you miss? Kristy, my family, Grandma Tillie
Who was the best new person you met this year? Cassie Shephard at Spa on the Boulevard. Best. Facials. Ever.
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011: Sometimes the last resort ends up being the best solution.
Quote that sums up your year: “So it goes.” ~KV
