(photo: cats-pictures.org via Grimafust Photo)
wow. 10 hours in a car sure gives you a lot of time to think. we just wrapped up the annual holiday pilgrimage up to Richmond to see family and friends. as usual, it was too short and we didn’t get to see everyone we wanted to. but the time we did get to spend made me feel so lucky and thankful for all the truly good people in my life and the memories we’ve made together this year and in years past. it was a fantastic backdrop for answering these next 10 questions about 2014. check out parts 1 and 2 here and the post that sparked this series of posts here — i’d love to see your answers!
21. What was your most common mental state this year (e.g. excited, curious, stressed)? frazzled. there is a scene in I Don’t Know How She Does It where SJP is going through her mental list of things that need to get done, bought and remembered – which only reminds of her of more things she needs to add to her list. this is how i feel most of the time. it is absolutely exhausting keeping that running list, but somebody’s got to do it and it’s definitely never going to be a husband.
22. Was there anything you did for the very first time in your life this year? i visited Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and Columbus, Ohio. oh stop, y’all. i know. it is glamorous. puh-lease. one was for work and one was for fun. i’ll let you figure out which is which. Spy has been given strict instructions that i must leave the country for a vacation in 2015. more on that later . . .
23. What was your favourite moment spent with your friends? last month, one of my oldest girlfriends got re-married. it was a great excuse for a girls weekend. and, while it wasn’t nearly enough time with that group of ladies, some of whom i’ve been friends with for (gasp!) nearly 20 years, it was a ton of fun. we drank, we danced, we gossiped. there was a karaoke version of Xanadu and more ham biscuits and cocktail meatballs than can possibly be healthy.
24. What major goal did you lay the foundations for? writing more and seeing where I can take this blog, for sure. i’m so proud of myself for taking the plunge, putting this thing out there and then actually sticking with it!
25. Which worries turned out to be completely unnecessary? i’m honestly not that much of a worrier, though, though i do get worked up sometimes over some completely irrational nonsense. this year, the silliest thing i worried about was probably Spy flying to China within like 24 hours of that Malaysian Airlines flight disappearing into thin air. i was convinced his flight was next or that there was going to be some kind of international incident that ended with North Korean missiles, grounded flights and Americans detained. i mean that wasn’t that crazy, right?
26. What experience would you love to do all over again? the entire summer? i feel like it went by so quickly and i didn’t get enough pool time (is there ever really enough pool time?) or make the most of the long days and warm nights.
27. What was the best gift you received? i would love to say something schmaltzy here about how blessed i am to have had so many great opportunities and experiences this year, but let’s be honest. the thing very best thing i received all year was an actual wrapped up gift: Falcons playoff tickets. for 4 glorious days after Christmas morning, i was going to get to go see my team in a playoff game on home turf. good thing I didn’t get too attached to that idea. last night’s season-ending debacle at the Dome swiftly killed the dream. easy come, easy go.
28. How did your overall outlook on life evolve? i think I touched on this in one of the previous answers, but i think that this year, i started believing more is possible in every aspect of life. i’m not normally a negative person, but i had kind of gotten into a rut. there were things i didn’t like about how life was going, but i became resigned to the fact that that was just the way things were going to be. this year, i challenged that idea and myself, and have regained my usual optimism and openness to all the possibilities. and it feels awesome.
29. What was the biggest problem you solved? why is it that the list of unsolved problems always seems longer than the list of problems that has been solved? (oh right. see question 21.) i pretty much solve problems all day every day at work and at home, so maybe all the little things just run together to become, well, life. if anything, i did find ways to make more time for the things i want to do for me (mainly working out and writing). it’s not perfect, but it is definitely better.
30. What was the funniest moment of your year, one that still makes it hard not to burst out laughing when you think about it? we laugh all the time around here. i’m serious. i’ve just spent close to 20 hours in the car with Spy and Miss Girl over the past 4 days and we laughed much of the way. about what, i couldn’t even tell you. we are a family of storytellers, shenannigansers and coconuts. shit is just funny all the time. so choosing just one funny moment is pretty much impossible. more people should definitely have this problem.
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