I had forgotten my New Year’s resolution of 2008 until I went digging through my archives today in search of something totally unrelated and came across what I wrote in early January:
I am going to be brave. This year is going to be like no other in my life, and in order to keep myself out of the mental hospital or in an endless bag of Doritos, I am going to have to be brave. I’m going to resist freaking out. I am not so much afraid of life in a new place as I am of all of the stuff that has to take place between now and then. I am going to remember that people have done what I am about to do a million, trillion different times throughout history. I will be calm, cool, and collected. I will exude strength and level-headedness. People will start calling my hairdo “The Brave.” There will be a petition to change the last line of the national anthem to the “land of the free and the home of the Tiffany.” (Of course, I will graciously plead with the persisters to fight global warming instead.) The point is that I’m going to be brave.
Anyway, for better or worse, richer or poorer, braver or wussier, I had one heckuva year. I spent a while tonight going through and reading some of the highlights (and lowlights) of the last twelve monumental months.
Just in case you’re into vintage, here are some of my favorite posts and memories from the last year.
In January 2008:
*We finally figured out where we were going to live and announced it to the blogosphere in Are You Ready For a Big Announcement?
*My dog ate a hole in the couch cushion and my four-year-old said the “F” word in Which is Harder? Dogs or Kids?
*I wrote 100 things about myself again in 100 Things About Me (Again? Yes, again!)
In February 2008:
*I stuffed fruit snacks into Max’s shoes to get him on a ride at Disneyland in Anybody want a fruit snack? They’re warm.
*I finally grew up and realized that my birthday does not have to be a four-star, red-carpet event in Thirty-One: The Year of Unexpected Surprises.
In March 2008:
*I decided to take a break from blogging because it was distracting me from the rest of my increasingly stressful life in So Long For Now. It lasted a whole, entire month.
In April 2008:
*I found out about all sorts of wonderful taxes you get to pay when you work for yourself in For our anniversary, I’m giving Ryan the gift of living in this beautiful country.
*I also called Oprah on the carpet in It’s Like That Alannis Morissette Song.
In May 2008:
*Ryan GRADUATED FROM GRAD SCHOOL! (I’m sorry, that can only be typed in all caps.) I was so excited, I planned a cornucopia of celebrations in GRADUATIONPALOOZA.
*I also posted pictures of younger, more adorable versions of myself and Ryan in Put Your Behind Past You.
*My heart broke for a boy in Christian’s class in One Dragon, Please.
In June 2008:
*I explained why I took a break from blogging and how I narrowly avoided becoming the Amy Winehouse of Bloggerville in My Journey Through Blogging Rehab.
*I also discovered a giant mushroom growing in my yard and got a little sci-fi in What the?
In July 2008:
*I got a coconut bra in the mail in How to Make My Monday.
In August 2008:
*I counted my blessings at our going away party in I am rich with friendship, family, and hamburger buns.
*I moved across the whole, entire country and wrote to let you know that, much like a trip to the gynecologist, it wasn’t as scary as I’d thought in The Beginning of the Beginning.
*I reflected on my freshman year of college and asked you what you learned when you first dipped your toe into the giant pool of adulthood in An Afternoon on Main Street.
In September 2008:
*I revealed a disturbing trend in Weaknesses: We’ve All Got Them.
*I admitted that I should never be trusted with a hammer in Hang Time.
In October 2008:
*I invited you on a virtual journey through my lovely local landscape in Let’s Go For a Walk.
*I was attacked by a bloodthirsty predator in Side Effects: Pain, Swelling, Burning, Itching, and Unrepentance.
In November 2008:
*I became the unofficial national spokesperson for a very important cause in Public Service Announcement.
*I revealed my incredible lack of direction in If this post was a gaming system, it would be a Nintendo Wii.
And finally, in December 2008:
*I found out What Happens When I Leave My Children Unattended. And I liked it.
*I helped my son give birth in We’ve All Been There, Max.
