"Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

Sunday, January 5, 2020

2019 Meme

I did these for a few years and then stopped. But I decided to give it a go this year...



1. What did you do in 2019 that you’d never done before?

hiked to Mt. LeConte in eastern Tennessee and found a new grandparent through Ancestry



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


n/a and no, I did not




3. Did anyone close to you give birth?



no, but my school friend is fostering a baby whom she got as a newborn! They are hoping to adopt. She has 4 children already, ages 17 to 9, I think.



4. Did anyone close to you die?


Yes, Joni
 
Speaking of, her husband compiled a lot of posts about Joni and the family since her death and shared this one on January 3rd, the anniversary of her death. Precious (and sad) memories.



5. What countries did you visit?
none



6. What would you like to have in 2019 that you lacked in 2020?

 
a trip to the NOC (since I didn't go to the Nantahala Outdoor Center once last year!)




7. What date from 2019 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

January 3rd, my online group had a toast to Joni and a couple hours later she died. I knew it was imminent, and I went to bed and found out the next morning that she had died sometime after midnight on January 4th my time. She lived in the PNW so it was January 3rd there.


8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?


hiking to Mt. LeConte -- it wasn't a planned hike, but I did it!



9. What was your biggest failure?


complaining and being unthankful

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
 
I got the flu for the first time in memory!  Well, I didn't bother getting an official diagnosis, but Zach, Sophie, my parents, and I all got the same thing around Easter!
 
 

11. What was the best thing you bought?

a membership to the Museum of Life and Science in Durham - lots of great memories with the kids and my dad



12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Andrew, I guess. He's almost always a cheery, helpful, kind fellow!



13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

the goofball in the White House

14. Where did most of your money go?

insurances of various types


15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
 
I'm not a really x3-excited type of person, but I enjoyed the SkyBridge in Gatlinburg in the summer!


16. What song(s) will always remind you of 2019?
 
nothing comes to mind


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



i. Happier or sadder?


ii. sadder at the moment because of Stella


iii. Thinner of fatter?


iv. fatter



v. richer or poorer?



vi. same, I guess



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


hiking



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

worrying and complaining



20. How will you be spending Christmas?

I spent it with my inlaws for lunch, and my family in the afternoon at my sister's house.


21. How many one-night stands?

why this question??? it's still stupid



22. What was your favorite TV program?

nothing really stands out as a favorite any more. I guess NCIS.



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

I really try not to hate though I strongly dislike certain people at times (see #13)


24. What was the best book you read?
This is always a tough one for me because how can I pick the best out of dozens of books?  I recently read this one recommended by Niki and liked it a lot so I'll use it
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Liquid Pleasure Band played a concert in town around Veteran's Day; I liked them
 

Also, Sophie singing the Sponge Bob Squarepants theme song with me and Andrew. Although the video is from yesterday (so 2020), we practiced in the car on previous trips. And by practiced I don't mean I learned the lyrics. I flubbed them yesterday (note to self: "Absorbent and yellow and porous is he.")



26. What did you want and get?

membership to the museum


27. What was your favorite film of this year?


I don't think I watched anything, but I like that the Mr. Rogers film came out



28. What did you do on your birthday?

helped at my work's yearly spring banquet


29. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2019?


practical, comfortable, totally out-of-style


30. What kept you sane?
several short trips just to get away and enjoy nature; reading; prayer



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

some of those who testified in the impeachment inquiry (Alexander Vindman, Fiona Hill, etc.)


32. What political issue stirred you the most?
evangelical support for Trump makes me lose my religion



33. Who did you miss?  
Joni (so much!)



34. Who was the best new person you met?
 
a lady whose daughter Sophie played with at the Durham museum back in May.  They live in Pittsburgh, but were in the area because the lady works for a group that does special events at museums throughout the country (or parts of it). The girl Sophie played with was Caroline, and her mom was Yu-ling (I had to check my phone); she was nice to talk with that day.



35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2019.

enjoy every day moments and keep trusting God in the hard times. He is faithful.

1 comment:

Niki said...

I enjoyed reading this. I laughed when you said your personal fashion concept is totally out of style. lol