WordGoddess gave to me…

12 people who’ve made a difference in your life this last year

1. Hayley, of course
2. Breanna, of course
3. George, because otherwise there would be no Hayley or Breanna
4. My parents
5. My sister
6. My grandmother
7. The minister who did the funeral for my grandmother
8. The other minister who spoke at the funeral
9. George’s parents
10. George’s sister
11. Several friends offline
12. A whole bunch of my imaginary friends who live inside the computer

11 things you’d put into a time capsule from the last year

1. A copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on DVD (even though it was out in 2005 I didn’t see it until this year, what with giving birth and all)
2. A photo album of all my favorite pictures of the year
3. My favorite pair of sleepers that Breanna outgrew back in late winter
4. Some of my newer recipes
5. A mixed CD of my favorite songs from this year
6. A DVD of the videos I took of the girls
7. Some pictures and the write up from our camping trip this summer
8. A CD of the songs George has worked on
9. A printed copy of the past year of this website
10. A DVD of the past season of my new favorite show, Criminal Minds
11. Some of Hayley’s awesome artwork

10 things this past year has taught you

1. Life can change in a heartbeat
2. People in your family can surprise you – in good ways
3. Other people can be morons
4. Christmas is fun with kids
5. People are incredibly generous, even when they don’t know you face to face
6. Leaving your one-year-old with no milk at the grandparents’ for five hours so you can go to a party and relax is okay and she will be fine
7. Just because you did something one way with your first child doesn’t mean it has to be the same the second time around
8. The people who sucked last year still suck this year
9. Fart jokes and knock knock jokes are the epitome of entertainment for four-year-olds
10. Some cats really are stupid

9 things you could have done without

1. Losing my grandmother five days before Christmas
2. Losing my grandmother, period
3. The Plague cold that ripped through the entire family
4. Taking Breanna to the ER because she dislocated her elbow
5. My grandmother’s house being torn down
6. Assholes on parade with opinions
7. All those temper tantrums that four-year-olds are experts at throwing
8. All those temper tantrums I had too
9. Seeing Britney Spears’ coochie up close and personal in all the tabloids

8 of the best books you’ve read and/or movies you’ve seen

1. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Friend
2. Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince (again)
3. The Kite Runner (GOD that book was so good. So, so amazingly good.)
4. Can You Keep A Secret? (Chick lit at its finest.)
5. Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Post-Partum Depression by Brooke Shields (If you have even come close to PPD, this book was so helpful.)
6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (the movie, I mean)
7. Hoodwinked (I know the movie off by heart I think)
8. Hostel (sick and demented yet terrifyingly good)

7 little (or not so little) things you’ve done to make the/your world a better place

1. Taught Hayley (reinforced) about please and thank you
2. Taught Hayley about graciously saying thanks even if a gift isn’t exactly her cup of tea
3. Teaching Breanna the concept of “gentle”
4. Turned the heat and air conditioners to more reasonable levels
5. Talked with Hayley about the environment
6. Brought home all kinds of crap in my pockets to avoid littering
7. Contacted city hall when our nearest park was covered in litter and had a broken slide

6 things you’d like the New Year to bring

1. More freelance opportunities, whether they’re web design or (preferably) writing
2. Prosperity?
3. Breanna’s freakin’ molars to come in already
4. Enjoyable work for George
5. A move?
6. An ability to fit some exercise in to my life

5 things you’re grateful for today

1. (Currently) sleeping children
2. The joy of watching the two kids playing happily together in the ball pit
3. Labbatt Bleue beer
4. Memories
5. A bunch of new clothes to wear, yay for passed along clothing

4 gifts you’d like to give

1. A teleporter to my family so we could all get together more easily
2. Peace to my mom
3. A profession in music full time to George
4. Self-confidence for the years to come to both girls

3 gifts you’d like to receive

1. That lottery ticket that our friends stuck in our Christmas card? I’d like that to be a winning ticket, thanks.
2. A house and jobs and easy re-location in Halifax
3. A laptop!

2 things you wish you’d done this last year

1. Exercised. I’m always going on about how I should try to do some yoga to ease my freaky aching legs but I never.do.it.
2. Read more. I can not believe how easily reading has fallen off my list of hobbies. My 14-year-old self would have been appalled.

1 thing that surprised you the most this year

1. Somehow everything works out okay.Corny but true.

This has been a WordGoddess Collaboration.