The Year in Review or Why Our Wedding Rocked

Everyone's doing this, so I thought I'd join in, just because I don't really have the energy to report on our holiday events. The stories will trickle in from these last two weeks, but here's something to reorient me to writing complete sentences.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? Got married.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I never make resolutions. However, I'm going to try really hard to be nicer next year - nicer in my thoughts, actions, and writing.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Let's not talk about the large number of babies that descended upon us in the last year. I may end up at the Baby Gap web site again and I don't think I can afford that right now.

4. Did anyone close to you die? No, but my uncle died and we did make a trip out to Pennsylvania for the funeral.

5. What countries did you visit? Stayed in this year.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? Job security.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? May 24, the day we got married.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Planning the wedding while working three jobs. I know I almost lost my mind here, but our wedding was so moving and so us that, in all modesty, I have to say it was the best wedding ever.

9. What was your biggest failure? Let's not talk about my lack of writing on the dissertation. It's too distressing.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Oh, of course. I had the kidney stone in March and broke my hand in November. Both remarkably fun events, I assure you.

11. What was the best thing you bought? My new boots! Seriously, I haven't written about them, but I had been stalking them at Macy's for months. I went in, petted them and tried them on, over and over again. But they were just too expensive to justify. But then, Macy's had a designer shoe sale (25% off!) and then 10% off that if you signed up for a Macy's credit card, so I did. And these boots were still more expensive than any other footwear I've ever owned, but they are beautiful and comfortable and well worth it.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? The guests at our wedding who made it memorable and fun. The manager at our site, the bartender, AND our photographer all commented on how fabulous our guests were. They danced, had a good time, were lovely to all the folks working the wedding, and were the best wedding guests a couple could ask for.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? All the people shouting "oil, baby, oil" at the Republican convention. I can't tell you how disturbing it was.

14. Where did most of your money go? The wedding and groceries.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? The wedding. If I had known all my answers would be about the wedding, I could have saved you all the time of reading this and simply directed you to some wedding posts.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008? "Nothing Matters When We're Dancing" by the Magnetic Fields. It was the first song we danced to at our wedding and it is super duper sweet.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier
b) thinner or fatter? fatter; let's just say that getting married has been delightful for my food intake!
c) richer or poorer? about the same

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Working on my dissertation.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Dreaming dreams that my fiance was going to die.

20. How did you spend Christmas? At my in-laws' house.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008? I fall in love with my dear husband more every day. That's schmaltzy and sort of nauseating, but so true. Even right now, as he's catching up on the Fail Blog and he's laughing so hard he has tears in his eyes, it's hard not to think that I am the luckiest woman in the world for managing to convince this man that he has to hang out with me for the rest of our lives.

22. What was your favorite TV program? Sunday night football of course! John Madden, will you come to dinner sometime? And talk about how things are ticky-tack?

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

24. What was the best book you read? Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. This book had a huge impact on what I buy at the grocery store and how I consider food. We are very foodcentric in our household and this book only cemented that fact even more so.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Taylor Swift!! On Christmas Eve, I totally squeed with BB's 13-year old cousin when she opened up a gift to find the new TS album. We immediately ran off into the bedroom together to listen as the rest of the family looked on in bemusement.

26. What did you want and get? A wonderful, patient, loving husband who was with me through all the holidays. (And an engagement ring I can wear!! We got it fixed!! And it's still gold!)

27. What did you want and not get? A vacuum cleaner. I'm going to have to buy one for myself,I am guessing. My boys in Detroit winning ONE game. A new Bowling Green State University lunch bag.

28. What was your favorite film of this year? WALL-E, hands down. Although Bolt comes in second.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I babysat on my birthday and went out to dinner with the boy. I was 29.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Progress on my dissertation.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Sleeved dresses!!

32. What kept you sane? The boy. John Madden. Green tea. Working out. Etsy. Sleeping in on Sundays. Cheese.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I must admit that most of my crushes are football crushes. John Madden, of course. Tony Dungy. Drew Brees. The Manning brothers, although they could certainly use a trip to a barber shop.

34. What political issue stirred you the most? Gay marriage. I can get worked up like you wouldn't believe over this. It's a civil rights issue and I hope that someday everyone will be allowed equal rights and get the same benefits, both administratively and symbolically, that I am able to share with my husband. It's just plain ridiculous that we have a stratified system based on intolerance, ignorance, and injustice.

35. Who did you miss? My bestest friend. I wish she lived here and I could see her every day. I worry about her, I miss her, and I love her. Please come live here!!

36. Who was the best new person you met? LBI. I have to say she was the cutest, tiniest baby I have ever held and as she gets bigger every time I see her, she changes so much it's remarkable.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. Sometimes it's best to shut the hell up.