What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before? Privately self-published my first book for myself and family/friends to have a hard copy while editing; also beta-read for the first time for 2 (and counting!) fellow writers; and more, but I can't think of anything else that was big.
Did anyone close to you give birth? My second cousin and his wife had an adorable little girl on Christmas Day, but they live in another state, so I have to content myself with looking at her pictures on Facebook.
Did anyone close to you die? No.
What countries/states did you visit? Any states between Michigan and South Carolina, and also any states between Michigan and New Jersey. You can tally that up.
What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013? More oxygen, definitely. This last year was a killer for asthma. Hence, the appearance and introduction of my evil twin, Ken.
What date from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory? March 19th, the day the first Hobbit film came out, very important, even though we waited to watch it right away; or the other one that comes to mind is December 28th, the day I played the piano for my second wedding. I had a lot of fun with that.
Did you move anywhere? Nope.
What was the best month? Probably August... my birthday month. *winks*
What was your biggest achievement of the year? Writing 72,000 words in a single month. That was amazing, albeit exhausting.
What was your biggest failure? I'd say being sick so much. Asthma was rough, and I used my inhaler waaay more than I usually do.
Did you suffer illness or injury? Did you not read the above? No major injuries to report, just lots of asthma.
What was the best thing you bought? More Dickens! I got myself Great Expectations, Little Dorrit, Our Mutual Friend, and The Pickwick Papers.
Whose behavior merited celebration? Umm... I'll say my oldest sister's. Beth left in October to go stay with my grandparents for a while. She's really helping them out, and even though we miss her terribly, we're happy knowing that she's where God wants her to be.
Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Well.... My own? I definitely should have been more out-going and positive, but I wasn't.
Where did most of your money go? In loans.
What did you get really, really, really excited about? The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey!!! Wow, was I giddy when we first watched it! But I couldn't help it... Tolkien writes amazing stories.
What was the best concert you've been to this year? My family watched a live streaming of a Christmas Vespers concert from the college my cousins attend. It was extremely well done! The music was gorgeous!!
What song/album will always remind you of 2013? Probably Disney's Frozen. We're not allowed to listen to all the songs, but Do You Want to Build a Snowman?, For the First Time in Forever, and In Summer were daily occurrences in our house for a solid two weeks when we first got the soundtrack, and they still really haven't died out.
Compared to this time last year, are you:
1. happier or sadder? "I have learned that whatsoever state I'm in therewith to be content."
2. thinner or fatter? The same... I think.
3. richer or poorer? I had three part-time jobs this year. You decide.
What do you wish you'd done more of? Write.
What do you wish you'd done less of? Waste time on Pinterest.
What was your greatest musical discovery? Les Miserables, for one. This was a great year for musicals, but Les Mis was really the only true discovery in the musical genre because I knew songs from the other musicals and hence, none of those could be counted as this year's greatest discovery since I knew them from before, and Les Mis was the musical I discovered *was* a musical this year, and therefore must be put down as the greatest musical discovery of the year. Truly, I have a dizzy intellect, and iocane powder comes from Australia. Bonus points for anyone who gets that reference.
How did you spend Christmas? At home with my family. We skyped with my grandparents and Beth Grace all morning, so that was something new, but it was loads of fun.
How are you spending New Year's? At home, again. Quiet, but content to leave it so.
Who did you spend the most time on the phone with? Probably Beth Grace. Before she left, I was not a phone-talker in the least, and since she left, I have more than twice recorded over an hour conversation with Beth. I don't know what's happened to me.
What was the best book you read? Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens, besides many others.
Did you fall in love in 2013? No.
What was your favorite TV show? My family doesn't have cable/satellite TV so we don't watch TV shows really.
What did you want and get? Dombey and Son book and War Horse piano music are probably the two biggest. The former was a birthday gift, and the latter, Christmas. They're both superb.
What did you want and not get? Little Dorrit (2008) on DVD. Hopefully, I'll be able to afford that for myself soon.
What were your favorite films of this year? The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Rise of the Guardians, Epic, and Jack the Giant Slayer. All fun adventures, but please be warned that there are scenes, music, and language that I do not endorse.
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I was sick again this year; I don't think we did anything big, really. I probably read or wrote most of the day, and yes, I left my teens behind by turning the big two-oh. I don't feel 20, though. I'm wondering when that's going to kick in.
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013? My sister said I looked like a homeschooler; I thought I looked like a writer; you decide.
What kept you sane? My family.
Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy most? I don't do this "fancy." Celebrities don't really mean that much to me, but thanks to Pinterest, I know more about them by name and by face than I ever did before.
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? More oxygen, but now I'm feeling redundant. Anywho, here's to a better year of easy breathing!
What political issue stirred you the most? I deliberately do not follow most political issues because they're so depressing... but I'm sure there were a few that I read articles on, but nothing big is standing out right now.
Who did you miss? My sister, Beth. Obviously. Although, since she left, I've gotten her bed. That's a plus.
Who was the best person you met? I don't know that I've met anyone really this year. I mean, not anyone that was more than an on-the-street-hello or I'm-near-you-for-about-a-day status, so I'm going to mark this question NA.
Tell a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013. Life goes beyond the internet. You have a family, and time is better spent with them making memories than building up a reputation on Pinterest by having a thousand and one pins. You only have a few years with your parents and your siblings, so make the most of them. They're the only family you're ever going to have. Love them before that chance escapes you.
Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS!
Five personally significant events of 2013: Privately self-publishing CoaL; writing 72,000 words in a month for NaNo; playing for my second wedding; my sister leaving for my grandparents'; and discovering I have a carob intolerance.
Five things I want to do in 2014: Write 150,000 words. Play my flute more. Breathe easier, even if it means being smarter with my inhaler (I immensely dislike using it). Publish my first, real book. And... watch Frozen and Desolation of Smaug! *grins*
Five people I'd like to know better in 2014: Blogging friends!! But there are more than five, so don't you dare make me pick names.
God bless!
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