1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?

Visited the north coast of Labrador.
And I switched to Linux on my laptop. Which is a big deal in the geek world. Take it from Cory.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I wanted to get healthier by losing the baby weight – It’s not all gone but by mid-December (pre christmas binge) I was 5 pounds shy.
I wanted to read more books – I failed that one big time.
I want to stop biting my nails. Which worked for about a month when I had fake nails on and then for about 2 weeks after they came off. But then I started biting them again.

This year I resolve (again) to become healthier by losing the baby weight, and then some, through proper diet and exercise. And to stop biting my nails. I’m giving up on the real books thing for this year, but check back in a years time.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

My sister-in-law Michelle had ‘baby cousin Nathan’ in July and Merrin (and the rest of us) couldn’t be happier.
My good friend Krista had her second child, this one a girl named Tamsin, in April. When Elsa grows out of clothes Merrin says we have to give them to Tamsin.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

My Aunt Debbie died. She was my dad’s sister and was only 52 years old. It was the first sibling of one of my parents to die (outside of an infant brother of my mom’s before she was born).

5. What countries did you visit?

Again this year no countries were visited but as mentioned I did get to the north coast of Labrador for the first time. We took a five day cruise on a ferry leaving Goose Bay and visited Rigolet, Makkovik, Postville, Hopedale, Natuashish and Nain, and then back.
I had wanted to go to Nain since doing a grade 5 social studies unit about Newfoundland culture. The couple hours in Nain was definitely the highlight of the cruise for me (though going to Uncle Jim’s house in Makkovik was a close second): it was the best weather day of the trip and a ‘real’ cruise ship had stopped there just before us so there was a whole cultural heritage fair thing happening for them, that we jumped in on. There was craft and art for sale, a seal skin being cleaned, fish & seal ribs hung to dry, raw salmon and bannack being served for free – and lots of people, both tourists and locals. Again, my 20+ year wait to visit Nain did not disappoint.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

More money. And that just might happen in October when Elsa turns 2 and we stop paying seventy million gabillion dollars a month for infant daycare.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

July 12th, the day Nathan was born.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Losing 30 pounds of body weight.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Again anytime I lost my patience with the kids. In 2008 it was Merrin, in 2009 it was more with Elsa. I know it’s not her fault, but sometimes I just didn’t have it in me to get through those tough sleepless nights without resenting her.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

No.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Our month long vacation in the province this summer – from St. John’s to Nain to Port Aux Basques, we had a great time.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

And the same as last year – Probably my husband’s, for dealing with me every day.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

And also the same as last year – Probably my own, at times. But mostly it was Stephen Harper’s, that crazy Prorogue rogue.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Daycare. Without a doubt or hesitation. Unfortunately.
Followed by mortgage, and then groceries.

And we spent a fair amount of money on our month long vacation, though we spend considerably less than most others who would duplicate our travels. It pays to have connections. And parents.

15. What did you get really excited about?

Our month long summer trip in the province.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

We really suck when it comes to getting new music. Come to think of it, maybe that should be one of my resolutions – to find more new music.
The songs that will remind me of 2009 are kids songs playing in the car, and then in my head, over and over and over again.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:


a) happier or sadder? Maybe a little happier, because Elsa is sleeping better now, and I’m back at work. 

b) thinner or fatter? Thinner. You know, getting rid of the fat from that whole second child thing.
c) richer or poorer? Poorer. By more than $1200 a month – damn baby daycare!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Same as last year: Reading. Specifically reading from real live books as opposed to the crap I read online.
But maybe I should add ‘listening to (adult) music’ too.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Reading crap online.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

My sister Sandra surprised us this year and came home on christmas eve without telling anyone. We all had a great time hanging out with her. The girls loved having her here.

I thought we had a good mix of spending time in and out of the house. Most of the days we hung out in the house but each day we did one thing outside of the house: visiting family or friends, taking the girls outside to play, hitting the mall to get some clothing deals.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?

Just more in love with my family.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Canada’s Worst Driver is pretty good.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

No, I don’t think so.

24. What was the best book you read?

Well I didn’t read a lot of books. And I’m sitting here wracking my brains trying to think of one book I read to tell you the title of and I can’t. I really suck.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Really quiz, are you trying to make me feel totally bad about my complete lack of musical knowledge or taste.

26. What did you want and get?

A month long trip across the province, including a cruise to Nain.
Oh, and a tenant that is more in line with our (boring & quiet parental) lifestyle. Yay!

27. What did you want and not get?

Me, I can’t think of anything really. Cory says he didn’t get a new camera, but cry me a river, right?

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

I’m proud to say that we did get to a couple of movies this year, primarily because we started paying a babysitter late in the fall. It’s my cousin Jennifer who is in first year university, but we are honest-to-goodness paying her so I feel partly grown up & partly extravagant paying her but mostly just poor.
Anyway, all that to say that though we have seen a few movies I can’t tell you which one might have been my favourite.
I can tell you that if I had gotten to see Inglorius Basterds I bet that would have been my favourite. But mostly just to look at Brad Pitt.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I went to work in the morning. The weather was warm & mild and the sun was shining. I picked up a great sandwich and coffee and brought it home for lunch, panini-izing the sandwich. I took the afternoon off to cook lasagne & cupcakes and clean the house for my party, the (7th? 8Th?) annual ShelCor Tree Decorating party. A good
number of people came over and some of them even threw some decorations up on the tree. I drank several glasses of dad’s wine and ate a couple pieces of lasagne. It was a great day. I turned 33.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

As last year, I don’t really know. Maybe a new house? Or at least floors that don’t creak at every step.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

Work appropriate.

32. What kept you sane?

Same as last year: Cory. And having meal plans.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

And I’ll say it again: I LOVE BRAD PITT AND ANGELINA JOLIE.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

I don’t know if anything really stirred me politically this year, but Stephen Harper being a douche about the Cophenhagen climate change talks was annoying and then him being a complete arse and proroguing parliament for the second time in as many years is, pretty much unforgiveable.

35. Who did you miss?

My sister Sandra, who lives in northern Onterrible. Or as she calls it, Peta-f*$%ing-sucks-a$$.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

Our new tenant. Who has a daughter a year younger than Merrin and who is the best tenant we’ve had probably, ever.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.

I’m still learning it but: Cogs in the wheel have a valuable purpose, as long as they keep turning the wheel.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

From one of those annoying kids songs, to the tune of Auld Lang Syne :

“We’re here because we’re here, because we’re here, because we’re here.
We’re here because we’re here, because we’re here, because we’re here.”

Or another one, Cory recommends:

“I’m a little acorn nice and round, I live in a rut down in the ground.
Somebody came and stepped on me, and that is why I’m cracked you see.
I’m a nut (cluck cluck), in a rut (cluck cluck), I’m a nut (cluck cluck), in a rut (cluck cluck).”