2015: Looking Back and Looking Forward

I have been meaning to write one of these "wrap-up the year" posts for a while.  Just now I was trying to open a different link on my computer and randomly opened my blog instead, which reminded me to do it!  It's telling, though, that I haven't posted on my blog since I did my 2014 wrap-up.  And it's not like 2015 wasn't eventful - it was highly eventful!      

This is the format I used last year based on a post by my friend Liz Roscoe, and I'm just going to use it again because it works really well.  It's actually interesting to reread my answers from last year, because I can assess the goals I set for myself and whether I lived up to them...

2015 Recap

1. What did you do in 2015 that you've never done before?

This one's actually tough.  I moved across the country and back, but I've moved before.  I enrolled my daughter in regular daycare, I guess?  She had done a couple of days of drop-in care while I attended a conference in March, but that wasn't really enough to give either of us a real sense of what it would be like long-term.  I thought it would be hard on me, but knowing that she loved it so much and was getting such enriching experiences out of it really helped.  

2. Did you keep your New Years Resolutions and will you make any this year?

I'm leaving last year's responses exactly as they were so I can answer honestly!!

2015 goal #1:

- Set aside time every week to sew.  Doesn't matter what, just get in that craft room and MAKE STUFF.

• Well, I didn't sew every single week, but I did more sewing than I thought I'd be able to do while we were in Connecticut!  Even without a dedicated sewing space (clearing off the dining room table and hauling out the machine), I was able to make a costume for Ziva for Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire AND a Regency ensemble for myself for a Jane Austen Birthday ball.  I'm pretty proud of both outfits!  I wanted to set a similar goal for 2016 - do some sewing every week - but two weeks have gone by and the only sewing I've done has been for Amadeus, not my own stuff (I'm officially the Assistant Costumer for a local production, and I'll actually get paid a stipend!) 

Goal for 2016:

- I think the first goal I'm going to set will be to have my sewing room clean and tidy and all of my various projects organized by the end of January, so that whether I'm sewing for Amadeus or for myself or Ziva, I can just go in there, find what I need easily, and go to it.

2015 goal #2:

- Be more present for my baby girl.  Get off the computer, get off my phone, get off my butt and play, read, sing, explore with her.

• The unseasonably warm, sunny fall we had in Connecticut did prompt me and Eamon to get outside a lot with Ziva, and with her being in daycare while I worked part-time at Mystic Seaport, she got tons of opportunities to play and run around with other kids her age, so that was really great.

Goal for 2016:

- I do still need to work on this, but just a few days ago, even though it was pouring rain, I made a point of bundling both of us up and just taking a short walk down the right-of-way next to our house so Ziva could get some fresh air and splash in puddles.  She wanted to stay outside longer, but it was getting cold and I tempted her back inside with the promise of hot chocolate (her first time trying it- and I think it was a hit!):

 

2015 goal #3:

- Get a job as a children's librarian!!  I think I have a really good shot at one and I really want it to work out.

• I worked for the summer as a supply storytime librarian, but I didn't get a full-time job. 

Related goal for 2016:

-Still the same.  I don't have any librarian job prospects at the moment, although I did get to the interview stage for a long-term temporary upper school librarian position at a very prestigious school, which is gratifying in its own way.  There's a Library Assistant position with Kitsap Regional, but I've also just been sending applications to jobs that I might vaguely enjoy - bookstores, travel companies, you name it and I'm applying for it!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yup!  Lots of people.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Nope. I am thankful that my family is intact and close friends are all in good health.

5. What countries did you visit?

I had big plans to go up to Montreal while we were living on the east coast, but they never materialized.

6. What would you like to have in 2016 that you didn't have in 2015?

Geographical stability, and I don't have to wish for it, we'll have it!  Plus, a full-time job as a children's or school librarian.

7. What date from 2015 will be etched in your mind & why? 

March 4th, because that was the day Ziva just got up and...marched fourth!  She had been able to stand on her own, and had taken a few halting steps previously, but on that day she finally took off!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?  

Making my first entire Regency ensemble.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I don't know if this counts, but I discovered that I'm a much better parent when I am not solely responsible for entertaining Ziva and creating a rich learning environment for her.  I mean, obviously Eamon and I are parenting her together, but being the stay-at-home parent, I feel like I'm always falling short and not giving her all of the opportunities she deserves to explore and create and play.  It's strange, because I am hoping for a career doing those things with other people's kids, but somehow when it's my own kid, I just feel like I can't do enough.  Part of that is her being an only child.  She just loves being around other kids so much, and when we're home, it's just me and her, unless I make a point of having a playdate (and while we were in CT, I didn't really make friends with enough other moms to have a regular thing going). Having her in daycare and knowing that she was getting all of those things took some of the guilt away and made me appreciate and make more of the time I did spend with her.

10. Did you suffer injury or illness? 

No, I think I actually managed to get through most of the year without really getting ill - and that includes doing two theater shows, moving to a different state, starting a new job, Eamon attending schools at the Sub base, Ziva being in daycare, AND traveling over Christmas and spending the holiday with Eamon's family.  Nope, it wasn't until the beginning of 2016 and we were back in Washington that I got sick! 

11.  What was the best thing you bought?

Tickets to Broadway shows!  I got to see "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" on one trip to NY and "Something Rotten!" on another.

12. Whose behavior was worthy of celebration?

This is an odd question.  I'm not really sure?  I read a lot of stories over the year of people doing nice things for other people out of the goodness of their hearts, and I'm sure there were way more stories like them that didn't make it into the news.  So, whoever did a good deed, even a small one, that is worthy of celebration.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled?

See answer to #25, below.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Fabric and sewing stuff, and travel costs - train tickets or gas.

15. What did you get really, really, excited about? 

The annual Regency Assembly in New Haven, CT!!  Eamon and I went way back in 2008, and I enjoyed it immensely (Eamon pretended to for my sake).  When we found out we would be in Groton for the second half of the year, that was one of the main things that reconciled me to the hassle of packing up the house, moving cross-country, and then doing it all over again after only a few short months.  We were only about an hour's drive away from the location of the ball, and only 40 minutes from the dance studio where the dance historian leading the ball would be teaching monthly workshops.  My involvement in those events was a huge highlight of the stay in Connecticut for me.

16. What song will always remind you of 2015?

Baby Beluga by Raffi.  Since meeting the belugas at Mystic Aquarium, that became Ziva's favorite song.  And we even have several other sets of words to that tune, like Abby My Cousin which I "wrote" to help get Ziva excited about seeing her cousin and uncle and Grammy over Christmas!

17. Compared to 2014 were you ___________ in 2015

a. Happier or sadder? Happier.  I'm a pretty positive person in general, and even though there was a lot of upheaval and kerfuffle, I made the best of it.
b. Thinner or fatter?  Thinner. I'm not really sure how it happened, but it seems I got back down to my pre-pregnancy weight of 125!  Now that the colder weather is settling in I can tell it will creep up again - I always eat more when I'm cold!
c. Richer or poorer? Poorer. I just cannot seem to land a permanent job.

18. What do you wish you had done more of? 

I wish I had used the pool at our apartment complex more!  Even though it was an indoor pool, and therefore could be used even in the worst weather, the weather made it hard to motivate myself to get out of the apartment at all.  See next question.

19. What do you wish you had done less of?
I wish I hadn't let the few days of bad weather that we had (which were really very few) keep me cooped up, especially for Ziva's sake.  I really don't like rain - especially cold rain - but I want to do my best to not pass that along to her.  Sometimes I just make it an excuse not to go anywhere, and she deserves better than that.  Especially now that we're back in Washington for the winter, I need to just rally my spirits, bundle us both up, and find a way to have fun regardless.  There are always hot showers and hot beverages, but you don't get a do-over on toddlerhood.  She should  splash in puddles and pick up worms and build mud walls, and I just need to suck it up and give her those opportunities.   

20. How did you spend the winter holidays?

We were in Connecticut for most of Chanukah (apart from a weekend trip to Cambridge to join the festivities hosted by dear friends) and we spent Christmas in St. Louis with Eamon's family on our way back across the country. 

21. What is the most embarrassing thing that happened to you this past year?

On my last day of work at Mystic Seaport, I was selling tickets to two visitors from France, and after telling them about the museum and explaining the whole last-hour half price deal completely in French (and one of them even complimenting me on my "perfect" use of the language) I managed to tell them that their two half-price tickets ($12.50 each) came to a total of $80, because I said "quatre-vingt" instead of "vingt-cinq,"  That was pretty bad!!  

22.  Did you fall in love in 2015?

I did fall back in love with fall ;-) Having lived in Washington for three years of almost zero foliage, being on the east coast for the autumn - and it was a spectacular one - was a real treat.

23.  What was your favorite restaurant?  

BRAVO BRAVO!!  A terrific place in Mystic that Eamon and I discovered way back when he was in sub school.  We got to go twice while we were living in Groton and the food was just as delicious and amazing as I had remembered.

24. What was your favorite TV program?

Still Jeopardy and Downton Abbey!  Although there are also my guilty pleasure Travel Channel and HGTV shows...

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate in 2014?

Before this election cycle started, Donald Trump was just kind of a blowhard idiot who made a lot of noise.  But what he's doing now is validating the very worst of American traits, jingoism and xenophobia, and I do actually hate that about him.  I mean, I guess shining a light on all of that disgusting bullshit is good, but I hate him for playing to it so openly.  

26. What was the best book that you read?

I...didn't read very many books for myself.  I did discover some really great books for Ziva, though.  I think my favorite was "All the World" by Liz Garton Scanlon with illustrations by Marla Frazee.

27.  What was your greatest musical discovery?

I enjoyed a lot of music over the course of the year, but I wouldn't say I had an "Aha!" moment when it came to a certain piece or a certain composer.

28.  What did you want and get in 2015? 

Time to visit with friends and family on the east coast!

29. What did you want and not get in 2015? 
I pretty much got everything I wanted!

30. What was your favorite movie of 2015?

I think "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" was the only new movie I saw in 2015.  And it was pretty awesome!

31. What did you do for your birthday & how old did you turn?

I got to go to Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire for my 33rd birthday!  Well, on my actual birthday we were driving the 8 hours from Groton to Lancaster, but my birthday weekend was spent enjoying the Faire. 

32. What's one thing that would've made 2015 more satisfying? 

Same answer as last year - more sex.

33. How would you describe your fashion in 2015? 

"Can I breastfeed in this?"

34.  What kept you sane? 

Puzzles, Jeopardy, working part-time (though that came with its own stressors) and visiting people!

35. What celebrity/public figure did you admire the most? 
I answered "Barack Obama" last year, and it's still true, and largely for the same reasons.

36. What political issue fired you up the most? 

God, which one didn't??  There's a lot going on in politics that has me tearing my hair out.

37. Who did you miss? 

While I loved seeing people on the east coast who I hadn't seen in a really long time, I did miss our friends back in Washington.

38. Who was the best new person you met?  

I met too many wonderful new people to name them all - my castmates and the production teams in the two shows I did, "1776" and "Sense and Sensibility."  Putting on a show with a group of people really turns you into family, and I am so thankful to know them! 

39.  Tell us a lesson 2015 taught you:

Home is where the family is.