2014: Year in Review

December 2014 [Oliver: 4.5, Joshua: almost 2, Baby Girl: soon to arrive]

Another year has come and gone and it's time for my annual year-in-review here. I enjoy taking this time to reflect on the past year. 

1. What did you do in 2014 that you’d never done before? Experience pregnancy while taking care of two young, active boys. It's an entirely different experience than being pregnant with my first and having down-time to relax or being pregnant with my second while working full time (mostly sitting at a desk). This takes exhaustion to a whole new level. I have never been this tired. I have never felt such physical strain on my body. Plus I'm older this time around (35). 
2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? My goals last year were to have more patience, be more organized and have better time management. I still struggle with all three but I have been working on them. I have prayed for patience a lot and really tried to apply it with my boys. I think I have improved quite a bit but still have a ways to go. I am still very unorganized but have tackled some big projects as of late (the guest room/nursery, the loft, the downstairs closet and the laundry room). There are still so many to go, it's overwhelming. As for time management, I'm still pretty bad at it. Sigh. 
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No. 
4. Did anyone close to you die? No. 
5. What countries did you visit? I like how this question assumes I visited other countries. Not going to happen anytime soon, while our kids are still young. 
6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013? More sleep. (I can keep dreaming, as a newborn will only bring less sleep into my life.)
7. What dates from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory and why? June 20, 2014 (the day I found out I'm pregnant with our third). 
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Surviving this pregnancy while keeping my boys alive. It's been rough. 
9. What was your biggest failure? Nothing big - just little frustrations - things I try to be better at and then let slip. 
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? No. 
11. What was the best thing you bought? Wendel got me / us a Canon 6d camera for Christmas. We've had our old camera (Canon 20d) for almost 10 years so it was time for an upgrade. We are both very excited about it. 
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Oliver is doing great with his behavior for the most part. Cause for celebration, indeed. 
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? People I hear about on the news. Sad stories and disappointments in the human race. 
14. Where did most of your money go? Paying off some past debt, diapers, bills. 
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Expecting our little girl. I'm pretty thrilled we're having a girl. I'm excited to meet her (and never be pregnant again). :)
16. What song will always remind you of 2014? "Shake it Off" by Taylor Swift, "Blank Space" by Taylor Swift, "Dark Horse" by Katy Perry and "Counting Stars" by One Republic come to mind. 
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Just as happy, maybe happier. 
b) thinner or fatter? Definitely fatter with this baby on the way. 
c) richer or poorer? Richer, both financially and by way of feeling blessed with the addition of our little girl on the way. 
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? My answer is always the same for this question. I always wish I had more time to work on family history - mostly our boys' books. It's very important to me and I want to make it a priority but can't keep up right now with even the basics. I'm just so exhausted. 
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? No big regrets in this area. 
20. How did you spend Christmas? A quiet Christmas with our boys in the morning and then had family over for dinner (Wendel's parents, my dad and Dot, Levi and Amalie, Mitchell and Francesca and Susan and Boyd). 
21. Did you fall in love in 2014? More in love with Wendel, to be honest. I love seeing him be an amazing dad to our boys. I love his relationship with them, especially seeing how close he and Oliver are. I love seeing him fulfill his calling and strengthen the youth. I love that we have a good marriage and solid friendship and relationship. We have ups and downs, like everyone, but I have felt a definite increase in love and adoration for him this past year. 
22. What was your favorite TV program? Still Parenthood and The Big Bang Theory. Difficult to top these two. 
23. What was the best book you read? Elizabeth Smart: My Story. Excellent read. 
24. What was your greatest musical discovery? Not sure I had one, really. 
25. What did you want and get? A little girl (on the way). 
26. What did you want and not get? Nothing comes to mind. 
27. What was your favorite film of this year? The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was pretty good. Wendel and I both enjoyed it quite a bit. 
28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 35 this year. I was feeling sick on my birthday, in my first trimester. The only thing that sounded good to me was salad so Wendel and I met at Sweet Tomatoes for lunch. I talked to my sister, Lindsey, on the phone and she told me how much she looks up to me. It made me cry. 
29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? I don't know that it made my year more satisfying than last year but rendering service always brings satisfaction and joy. 
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2014? I've been all about comfort this year with being pregnant. 
31. What kept you sane? Wendel. Always Wendel. 
32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? None, really. 
33. What political issue stirred you the most? Hearing about the Islamic terrorist group, ISIS, beheading reporters to make a statement. It is horrible to think about. 
34. Who did you miss? I still miss some of my coworkers from CPS. I miss my family who lives in Utah. I miss a few friends in Washington. 
35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014: I can do hard things. It's okay to be tired - I'm not here on earth to feel rested all the time. I'm here to work and make a difference and raise a family. 
36. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: "These Are the Days" by 10,000 Maniacs. See this post for the lyrics and why it sums up my year.