Friday, January 3, 2014

2013 Year in Review

I have started a bit of a tradition with this post, and traditionally enjoy the retrospective.   The thing is, I feel like I have blogged less and less over the years and therefore forget what I have done!   Boo hiss.   Maybe 2014 is the year to turn that around.

1. What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before?
Saw Indians spring training in ARIZONA-  So fun
Ran - and finished! - two half marathons!    They were challenging and fun.   I'll be doing more of this in 2014
Rode Harry Potter Forbidden Journey with Hannah
Rode around in a little boat in Bay Lake
Got an iPhone [better late than never?]
Flew into tiny NY (Ithaca & Westchester) airports - I actually liked it
Walked across the Brooklyn Bridge [heck, went to Brooklyn at all!]
Bought skinny jeans GOD HELP ME
Flew on an airplane with a cat [he did beautifully I must say]

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
As always, I don't really make resolutions.    I blame impatience.  I tend to make a change whenever the spirit moves me.  You know, hair cut, rearrange the furniture, enter in a race, etc.  

That said, I'm going to set a few goals here to compare in a year (you may see this later in the list too!)

1) Read consistently [not necessarily MORE, but keep the books going]
2) Blog more- at least weekly, maybe even a month of daily posts, like Leah did in November.
3) Take and share more photos.   The iPhone should allow me to do this with relative ease
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes! Cousin Anthony's wife, Nikole, had Mason on November 20

A few high school and college friends had babies too, and so did Holly, one of my favorite bloggers.  She's not close to me but I love her writing!   Was 2013 the year of the baby?
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thankfully.  
5. What countries did you visit?
Zero!  I was stateside once again.   Hoping I can jet off somewhere in 2014.   Suggestions?

6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
As always, for the Indians to win the World Series!  Last year they had a decent playoff run, so I am really hoping there is momentum for this year.  Fingers crossed!

An open, functioning, successful restaurant franchise.    This is taking forever!
7. What dates from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
February 24 - Princess Half!

May 8 - my birthday blast
November 2 - Marissa got married!  
November 9 - Wine and Dine Half!
December 13 - flight with Oliver that was so much better than I thought he would be
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Shaving more than 10 minutes off my 1/2 marathon time from February to November was pretty kick-ass.   I'm still not as fast as I want to be, but it's awesome to see those times go down.   Apologies for sounding like a broken record - I run a lot. 
9. What was your biggest failure?
Oh this is depressing isn't it.  I try to learn from my failures and not necessarily RANK them.  That said…. I do have an answer ;)

Posting photos to the photo site in 2013.    I posted just one album and it was of the Princess race back in February.  It's been almost 12 months since I posted!   Yikes.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yes.  Another running injury, this time worse than the elbow.  I was jogging at sunrise, triped and fell on my face, scraped my lip and leg, bashed back my front teeth and chipped one of them.  It was a disaster.   I got the teeth bonded, my scrapes healed and I kept running.  All is well.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Probably race registrations and running shoes.   And continual vet visits for Oliver were good because he's still around!

12. Where did most of your money go?
The vet!  Also dining establishments in central Florida and a lot went to the restaurant franchise which, again, I hope to talk more about soon!

13. What did you get really excited about?
My 30th birthday celebration and all the fun stuff that came with it

Al visiting us in Florida
Running my first distance races
 
14. What song will always remind you of 2013?
Blurred Lines.  Thank you Robin Thicke and Miley Cyrus

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

- happier or sadder? About the same
- thinner or fatter? Thinner!  Woot!!!  Two years in a row.   Let's go for a hat trick!
- richer or poorer? Poorer thanks to Ollie and the restaurant
16. What do you wish you'd done more of?  
In December 2012 I said swam and read a few more books.   I think those are both good targets for the coming year.   Now that we're in Ohio and my parents have a pool I would not be surprised if I swim more in 3 months than I did allllll year in Florida.

Now that I am in Ohio and it's darn cold out, I wish I had spent even more time outside in Florida.   Don't get me wrong, I had a lot of outdoor moments.  But you can't bottle them up and take them to January in Ohio.   Alas
17. What do you wish you'd done less of?
WILL I EVER LEARN!?    Last year I said comparing myself to others.  I still do this.  
I also should stop thinking about the future and what comes next at the expense of enjoying the present moment.   What can I say?  I am a planner at times.   So maybe 2014 should be the year of less planning on my part, and more delegating.  I like the sound of that.
18. How did you spend Christmas?
We were in Ohio, as usual, with our families, but this time we were not heading back to Ohio and were not living out of suitcases. Christmas Eve Mass, ML's lasagna with a few late arrivals this time around!  Michael's grandparents were in town as well, so that added to the family tally.
Christmas day we woke up at my parents' house [which I had not done since 2008!] and made breakfast together.   It was delish    The day included lots of gifts at both parents' houses as well as the Lasky bash, but Erica ONCE AGAIN had the flu and her presence was greatly missed.  It was ridiculous.
19. What was your favorite TV program?
Nashville!  Soapy and full of good music.  What more could you ask for?!
20. What was the best book you read?
Sadly my list from which to choose has shrunk over the last few years.  Perhaps a goal for 2014 should be to read more books.  Since I am totally OCD I keep a list of all the books I have ready over the year, and after taking a look, there were some good ones, so I guess I got a lot of bang for my buck.  If I have to choose just one, the BEST one was probably The Art of Fielding.
21. What was your greatest musical discovery?
My favorite may be all the a cappella groups I heard on The Sing Off in December.   Probably not a great discovery, but I liked it!   I also became an even bigger Justin Timberlake fan, which I did not honestly know was possible.
22. What was your favorite film of this year?
Recently saw Saving Mr Banks in the theater, which was quite enjoyable

On the Netflix front, I FINALLY saw Rocky.   I know, I know.   It's really good.
23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 30!  We celebrated over a several day stretch, including two dinners and a 5k.  May 8 included Disney fun and cake.
24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
World Series win for the Tribe
Overall, though, 2013 was good to me.   I was not necessarily immeasurably dissatisfied! 
25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
Consistent?  Needs improvement?  
Working from home allows me to pretty much do whatever I want in the fashion department.  I did wear a lot of baseball caps for video meetings!
If I ventured out of the house it was often to a theme park decked out in a tank top and shorts, or I was running in athletic gear.  
26. What kept you sane?
SAME AS LAST YEAR!  Many many cups of tea and many miles of running.   And probably some ice cream, too.
27. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Same as always: Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman. I mean, who else is there?  Actually I take that back.   I'd like to add a third.  Mr. Chris Pine.   Hellooooo Captain Kirk.
28. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.
I am capable of conquering various challenges, and feel best when I am prepared for them.   This is not revelatory but was reaffirmed throughout the year.  

1 comment:

Donna said...

Love your #6. I too have high hopes for our Indians. And to get to go to spring training, what fun!