December 9 Challenge. Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you? (+ Mondo Beyondo Giveaway)
Seeing soooooo many people get divorced this year it served as a reminder about the vows we took when we got married and made me want to make sure our relationshiop is strong. We're going through stuff like everyone else but we know the “D word” is off the table so we gotta make it work. It's made me want to always try to improve, even when I don't feel like it. We gotta do this for us and for the kids. Xaver and I know the grass is NOT always greener on the other side — we tried it already! It breaks my heart hearing how people are getting divorced.
December 10 Album of the year. What's rocking your world?
Black Eyed Peas “The END” I think it is on non-stop at my house. Even Matt asks for us to play it! It's got a great beat. Some of the political stuff I can do without but no one listens to Black Eyed Peas for the lyrics or because they are smart ;)
December 11 The best place. A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook?
My car. I love my car. It still smells a little bit new, it is roomy, plays nice songs, and I spent over 30K miles in it this year. I can even take a nap in the back!
December 12 New food. You're now in love with Lebanese food and you didn't even know what it was in January of this year.
Curry. I hated Curry but then I tried it again at this place in town called Go Bangkok (I wonder if the know what that name sounds like?). I love the sweet peanut curry they have. mMMMMmmMmMm!
December 13 What's the best change you made to the place you live?
I love that we cleaned out the garage. I've never been able to park both my cars in the garage. After my car got broken into we cleaned the garage out. Sucky reason to do it but now I love that I have no ice on my car, it isn't broiling in the summer, and I feel alot safer bringing in groceries and stuff like that.
December 14 Rush. When did you get your best rush of the year?
Waking up after my first night with my CPAP machine. I felt like a new person! I did not realize how many years I had been going around in an irritable exhausted fog. How on earth did I function?!?!? It was hard to wait 3 weeks after the sleep study (and sleeping well despite how many times they woke me up) to get my own personal machine.
December 15 Best packaging. Did your headphones come in a sweet case? See a bottle of tea in another country that stood off the shelves?
I bought a print off etsy from Helen Dardik. She drew a cute little figure on the envelope and I cut it out and saved it–it is soooo cute! I am waiting for the right project to use it on.
December 16 Tea of the year. I can taste my favorite tea right now. What's yours?
Chai, definitely! Since I am trying to save money, I have been making my own and experimenting with additives, flavors, and so on. I still love me some Starbuck's though.
December 17 Word or phrase. A word that encapsulates your year. “2009 was _____.”
Challenging.
December 18 Shop. Online or offline, where did you spend most of your mad money this year?
I spent a TON of money on Etsy. I am addicted to watching the “Recently Listed Items” pages scroll on by for hours.
December 19 Car ride. What did you see? How did it smell? Did you eat anything as you drove there? Who were you with?
Definitely our Arizona Trip. Xaver just got me the new Black Eyed Peas “The End” CD and we listened to that the entire 4 days. Smells? Let's not go there since we were stranded in the car on the freeway in 114 degree weather with nowhere to pee…the whole fam was there, even my parents, sister and her family. I drove. We had pie and ice cream at Trapper's, ate a Cracker Barrel, stopped at the Dairy Queen in Holbrook…lots of eating was done during tis trip!
December 20 New person. She came into your life and turned it upside down. He went out of his way to provide incredible customer service. Who is your unsung hero of 2009?
April. I had met April before this but never really spent much time with her–she is an AWESOME friend.
December 21 Project. What did you start this year that you're proud of?
Home Improvement. We really got alot done on our house this year–did the whole front yard with drought resistant plants, cleaned the garage so we cna park our cars in it, and just made our house more of a home.
December 22 Startup. What's a business that you found this year that you love? Who thought it up? What makes it special?
Bodacious Bundts. It wasn't started this year but this was the first year I learned about it. Cool coffee shop here in my little town and I love the name. And they have yummy bundt cakes ;)
December 23 Web tool. It came into your work flow this year and now you couldn't live without it. It has simplified or improved your online experience.
Facebook without a doubt. I feel more connected to alot of people I rarely saw. I don't feel as connected to some so in 2010 I hope to fix that. But yeah, Facebook is the best web tool for me.
December 24 Learning experience. What was a lesson you learned this year that changed you?
Alot of people I know are getting divorced this year and it makes me really sad. With all the stress of our finances this year, layoffs, our health issues, and the kids, life, etc…I leanred that no matter what Xaver and I are there for each other. I really think alot more before I do stuff now in our relationship because I want to be together our whole lives. I am not saying there are not good reasons for divorce because there are. It just isn't in OUR vocab in anymore. We WILL work things out no matter what.
December 25 Gift. What's a gift you gave yourself this year that has kept on giving?
My Quickutz Silhouette. I don't know that I would call it a gift but I useit all the time, we even used it to make Christmas gifts!
