My 2014 Recap

 

Following the leads of two of my favorite local bloggers, Mama Bub and Wendy Nielsen, I was inspired by their 2014 recap posts and wanted to take a stab at it for the first time.

I highly recommend everyone take this list of questions and think about your own answers – it is really eye opening to look at the previous year in its entirety.

1. What did you do in 2014 that you’d never done before?

Flying trapeze. Like the circus kind. Still makes me laugh.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don’t do resolutions, but I do set new year’s intentions and make a vision board of these goals at the beginning of each year. Looking back, I probably achieved about half, the other half is rolled over to this year!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes! Susanne had a beautiful baby girl, Shea, early December and two other friends welcomed baby boys end of December. It was a big month for baby arrivals.

Here are Susanne’s THREE girls…LOVE…

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Fortunately, no, but friends close to me lost loved ones. Reminder to cherish our loved ones.

5. What countries did you visit?

Mexico! We went to the Iberostar Playa Mita all-inclusive resort with our kids in July. Highly recommend.

6. What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014?

More alone time with my husband – it’s one of our goals for 2015.

7. What dates from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Seeing my girls meet the pilot on their first plane ride. Going to the Katy Perry concert with my sister. Watching my oldest in her first gymnastics competition (I was in awe).  Seeing my dad in the hospital. Running the PCRF 10K with my sis. Getting the nicest compliment about my daughter from a classmate’s mom in her kindergarten class. Spa day with one of my best girlfriends the day before my 40th, then my 40th birthday and disco party – one of my absolute favorite days of my life.

Disco photo by Candace Rock

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Turning 40 and feeling good about it. And, writing this post on 15 books you can’t put down, which has turned out to be my all time most popular post.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I wanted to write an e-book on how to create a local blog and partner with local sponsors. Maybe this year.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

No, thank God.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Oh my gosh, the 2015 Honda Odyssey. I have mad love for the minivan and this vehicle is a dream come true. I could not love it ANY more!!! Don’t knock it until you drive a minivan mamas. It’s a dreamy vehicle. Stop laughing.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

My husband had a lot of personal growth in 2014 – I am so proud of him.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

A girl in my daughter’s grade was not nice to her last year and it made life pretty miserable many days. Unfortunately our first experience with something like this. Happy to say the issue has gone away this year, but it is torturous while you are going through it with your child.

14. Where did most of your money go?

If I figure it out, I will let you know.  My husband would say Target.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

My 40th birthday party.

16. What song will always remind you of 2014?

This is How We Do by Katy Perry

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? 
b) thinner or fatter? 
c) richer or poorer?

a) HAPPIER. Way happier. b) probably a few lbs heavier. haven’t been on the scale in awhile. c) richer, but not just monetarily

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

I wish I had gone away alone with my husband more.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Distracted internet time…e.g. I am online to look up the Honda user manual, when I see I have a Facebook notification, so I click over there, and then see some link on Facebook and I click over, which lands me on another site….and this can go on for a long time without even visiting the site I went online for in the first place!

23. What was your favorite TV program?

My husband and I got into House of Cards – amazing. And, I don’t know why it took us so many years to discover Friday Night Lights.  But we are obsessed. Binge watching Season 1 on Netflix.

24. What was the best book you read?

What Alice Forgot

25. What did you want and get?

A memorable 40th birthday celebration.

26. What did you want and not get?

Big increase in income from my business.

27. What was your favorite film of this year?

I saw one grown up movie this year in the theater, Boyhood. Good, but not gush worthy. Wish I had seen more.

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Yep, it was the big 4-0 this year. We had a 70’s Disco Party and danced the night away looking completely ridiculous. It was one of the most fun nights of my life. Highly recommend the theme party. People really got into it and it was hysterical.  Look how creepy authentic my husband looks in his leisure suit…

Photo by Candace Rock

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Again, more time with just my husband – but that is our number one goal this year – and 2015 will be different.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2014?

Mom chic. LOL

31. What kept you sane?

Friends, exercise and therapy!

32. Who was the best new person you met?

I have met a few awesome new moms in Kindergarten.

33. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014.

Nothing on this earth is more important than family. I always knew this, but this year the importance of my family was magnified in my dad’s surgery and recovery ** The importance of surrounding myself with healthy people with good energy, because their energy rubs off on me.   ** Everything has it’s time.  I wanted big, huge growth for my business last year, but my youngest didn’t start Kindergarten until September, so my time was limited for expansion. There will be more time as the years go on, and again, my family comes first.  ** And, I think people in the 70’s must have had a really good time. Disco music, mustaches and jumpsuits inspire memorable evenings.

Cheers to 2015!