2009 in Review

I saw this over on Melissa & Kris's blogs (I bet you two didn't think that I read them...) and hmmmm, some of these questions really make me think. Here I go!

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? Alan and I had the opportunity to go on a cruise to Alaska. ALASKA! It's magical. Also, I won first prize for designing a bead pattern for a starfish for the 2010 Bead-A-Day pattern. Thank you Sharon for FORCING me to do this!

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? For the most part, I don't make resolutions, but I will be making one for 2010. I need to loose weight. Not I want to or I should. I need to. My BP was 160/90 in August and down to 121/71 in October.

3. How will you be (did I) spending New Year’s Eve? The same way I spend most weekend evenings - beading and watching old movies. I actually stayed up until after midnight.

4. Did anyone close to you die? My father passed away in February. Enough said.

5. What countries did you visit? Canada (and two states that I hadn't been in before: Washington and Alaska)

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? I'd like for my health to be better.

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? May 2009 - the vision from my Alaskan cruise. Those who know me, know that I am not a religious person. Something in this trip changed inside me to a little more spiritual - not necessarily religious - but spiritual!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? First place in a contest for a beaded starfish. The best part was that when I wrote the instructions, I didn't realize I was entering the contest - I just did it.

9. What was your biggest failure? Not sticking to "lifestyle changes" the way that I should have.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? This damn getting older stuff is rough on my body. If I would just feel older mentally, not just physically.

11. What was the best thing you bought? The camera that my husband bought me and I have become a believer in Bare Minerals line of products. I never thought that I would really like a brand as much as I like these...

12. Where did most of your money go? Home Mortgage.

13. What song will always remind you of 2009? Detroit 67 by Sam Roberts

14. What do you wish you’d done more of? Keep in touch with family a little better. I get together with friends, but forget about family. We have never been real close, and I don't know if that's bad, but I should keep in better touch.

15. What do you wish you’d done less of? Eat.

16. What was your favorite TV program? Turner Classic Movies.

17. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Actually, yes I do. Hate might be too strong of a word, but there is a person who I don't care for as much as I used to.

18. What was the best book you read? Beading books of course ... Marcia's, Rachel's and Diane's

19. What was your greatest musical discovery? None.

20. What was your favorite film of this year? I think that I went to one movie in 2009 - Sherlock Holmes - just after Christmas. It was good.

21. What did you do on your birthday? Worked, what else?

22. What kept you sane? My husband, my friends and my beads.

23. Who did you miss? Dad

24. Who was the best new person you met? Several of the new Beady Friends on the Bead Cruise - Ruth, Beth, Jodi, and more...

25. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009: Just because you can eat it, doesn't mean that you should...