2022 Year In Review

2023: Year in Review

1. What did you do in 2022 that you’d never done before?

I FINALLY got to see a Cirque Du Soleil, which has been on my bucket list for 25 years.  Three in fact.  Dude yall, you really need to see O. It is stunning.

2. Did anyone close to you die or give birth?
No.

3. What countries did you visit?

Belize!  Scuba diving with our travel buddies. First trip since pandemic. I petted sharks while snorkeling around looking at fishes and rays and stuff.

4. What would you like to have in 2023 that you lacked in 2022?
The rights to my own uterus/body back.

5. What dates from 2022 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I feel like this year has been all about unwinding from the tightly wound spring we have been for the last 15 years.  No huge dates, but a lot of doing and being that reminded us what it’s like to live a fuller life again.

It also has been mind-blowing adjusting to not having a side business that we are juggling. 

And holy wow, Husband now works at a place that actually wants him to find ways to improve systems, implement change and growth, and actually pays him to learn things.  It. Is. insane.

So yah, this year was about adjusting to a better normal.

6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Figuring out who I am now.  Restarting my home studio business that integrates all that I have learned and experienced so far in life.

7. What was your biggest failure?

I wanted to start a secondary class called Art for a Spell with a friend but I was not in the right place to actually follow thru with the work it would have taken to get it launched.

8. Did you suffer illness or injury?
We got covid.  I mean, yah, we will all get it at some point… and its going to evolve into a yearly thing like the flu in all likelihood… but still.  We made it 2.5 years!  Then the second born child, who forever more shall be known as the “Plague Rat”, brought it home from work.  And it took 2 months for the covid cough to go away.

9. What was the best thing you bought?

This neck/back massager that actually works, and new slippers.

10. Where did most of your money go?
Aside from normal house stuff… groceries and the vacation fund.

11. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Me and Husband got tattoos! I love them so hard.

12. What was your song for this year?

I, in complete surprise and confusion, must admit that I did not have one. So weird.

13. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?

Happy.

14.  Compared to this time last year, are you thinner or fatter?

I am no longer young, so weight means something different than it used to.  I have been slogging through finding the right depression medication now that I am perimenopausal… which means weight gain, and loss, and gain again, every time I switch meds.  I know if I hit 180 I become a high risk for diabetes. So my goal concerning weight is to just be healthy as best I can and to embrace the belly fat left over from bearing children that seems permanently glued in place.  So mote it be.

*And I am deleting this question for next year.

15. Compared to this time last year, are you richer or poorer? 

Richer in health, time, and friendships.  Poorer in money, stress, and snow. I am sad about the snow.

16. and 17. What do you wish you’d done more or less of?

More garden and less fretting about not doing garden.

18. How did you spend the Holidays?

Thanx giving was turned into wizard day and the homestead family all played Hogwarts Battle and watched the movies all day. Winter Solstice was also spent with the homestead family doing a white elephant exchange.  Geekmas with friends and a D&D miniature secret santa got postponed to new years day due to freezing rain. Christmas day we drove down to NorCal for a brief visit to see the extended family.

19. What was your favorite TV program?

Wheel of Time was the favorite for 92% of the year, but then Wednesday dropped on Netflix and I love it so hard.  Owl House, which is a cartoon on Disney, is the runner up.

20. What was the best book you read?

For the first time ever (because it was made easy for me) I kept track of all the books I read this year (not counting all the dumb books that I didn’t bother reading past page 40). I read 45 books!!!

The best by far was Jay Kristoph’s Nevernight. Sooooo good.

21. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Myrkur – Folkesange    Danish black metal musician/singer dedicating the entire album to Scandinavian folk roots.

22.  What Podcast captured your attention this year?

“Hot and Bothered – Live from Pemberley”  Looking at the historical context of Jane Austin’s “Pride and Prejudice” chapter by chapter.

“What Trump can teach us about Constitutional law” (which changed to “What Roman Mars can Learn about Con Law”)  It basically takes the crazy shenanigans of Trump and looks at what constitutional law says about it.

23. What did you want and get?

Time with Husband.

24. What did you want and not get?

A room for guest to come stay in.

25. What was your favorite film of this year?

Was not super impressed or interested in Movies this year.

26. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

We had a birthday party for all the Marches in our friends group, which is 5 of us I think? I got big and obnoxious confetti balloons!

27. What’s one thing that would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A garden.

28. What kept you sane?
Shaun.  And tea.  And books. And women’s marches.

29. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Huh.  I got nothin. I really liked the docuseries “Megan and Harry”.  I think the monarchy is silly and a waste, and have never paid any attention to the royals, so I don’t know why I watched it.  But I am glad I did.

30. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2022.

Menopause is sneaky.

31.  Was there anything that surprised you?

I finally found one thing I don’t like about living in our new spot.  The wind. I don’t like it.

32. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

If I could save time in a bottle,
The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save every day till eternity passes away
Just to spend it with you.

And I'd save everyday like a treasure and then
Again and again, I'd spend them with you
And I've looked around enough to know
You're the one I wanna go through time with

- Time in a Bottle composed by Rob Lane and sung by Julia Church

33.  What am I grateful for?

A partner that makes good life decisions with me.

Kids that I like.

The ability to say yes.