Looking back

Jill posted a challenge (okay maybe it was an invitation, but it was challenging for me) to ponder these questions and post answers.  It was a lot more fun than making resolutions.

What was one goal you accomplished in 2011?
Having another baby.  Last year I didn't get what I really wanted for Christmas, but this year I am so thankful to have a sweet little boy as part of our family now.  It was neat going through Christmas with a newborn, thinking about Mary changing Jesus' diapers (and being thankful that we have Pampers now) and wondering what the Messiah's birth stats were.

What is your favorite memory of 2011?
Sitting in the shallow water of Grotto Bay, Bermuda, pregnant but surprisingly buoyant.

What is your least favorite memory of 2011? 
The challenges of pregnancy - constant hip pain, restless legs when trying to sleep, and heartburn.  It was worth it, though, as my symptoms went away after Bowen was born.

What was the best trip you took in 2011?
Cruising the southern Caribbean, just Steve and me.

What was your favorite purchase in 2011? 
A ring with a bunch of different colored sapphires set in yellow gold.  I bought it while walking around downtown Frederick with my friend Sarah, but then I gave it to Steve so I'd have to wait until Christmas to wear it.

What was the best book you read in 2011?
Millionaire Next Door
 
What was the best movie you saw in 2011?
The Heartbreaker.  It's a French romantic comedy that made me giggle.  And it's filmed in Monaco, which is on our travel bucket list.

What changed about you in 2011?
Being more judicious with my time and relationships.  I try to spend more one-on-one time with each of my parents and hide the FaceBook friends who drive me crazy. 

What made you cry in 2011? 
A lot of things make me cry, and surprisingly I didn't get the baby blues after this pregnancy, but I remember two times this year when I was absolutely sobbing.  One was in the Rochester airport in June when I was trying to figure out how to salvage my trip to England.  The other was during a conversation with Steve about the possibility of us moving to Sweden.

What made you scream in 2011? 
My daughter, for the first month of being a big sister.  She was downright nasty.  She was also two.  It was awful.  See "verse of 2011" below.

What made you proud in 2011?
How polite, sympathetic, and friendly this same little girl normally is. If there's a child crying at the grocery store she wants to go three aisles down to give him/her a hug.  She greets all the moms of her classmates at preschool.  She says please and thank you.  When someone comes over she opens the door and says, "So nice to see you!  Take off your coat?"

What new skills did you learn in 2011? 
Changing a boy diaper without getting soaked.  Usually.

Best meal of 2011?
Grilled lobster tail and rum punch on a beach in Antigua.

Best drink of 2011?
A blueberry martini from Outback.

Favorite photo of 2011? 

My family all together on Thanksgiving

What was your source of comfort in 2011? 
The phrase, "It's just a phase."

What was your verse of 2011 and why?
"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."  Proverbs 15:1
I'm naturally a screamer, and I have to constantly remind myself that Olivia's tone of voice tends to reflect my own and I need to be a good example.