my sister’s one-day sister-in-law (i just know it!) tagged me in a facebook note, “end of year meme.”  it would have been sooo easy to use the majority of her answers because, dude, it’s like she wrote them just for me!  but, alas, she did not, so i’ve crafted my own responses just for you.

 

  1. what did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
    was diagnosed with and treated for cancer

    2.  

  2. did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
    i don’t make them

    3.  

  3. did anyone close to you give birth?
    most recently, the greenes welcomed their twin girls

    4.  

  4. did anyone close to you die?
    i lost an old friend.  he was a great man.

    5.  

  5. what countries did you visit?
    chemoland.  it sucked.
    walt disney world

    6.  

  6. what would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
    energy and hair

    7.  

  7. what date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
    june 12th, it was the last time i nursed my daughter before i started chemo

    8.  

  8. what was your biggest achievement of the year?
    resuming nursing after battling cancer

    9.  

  9. what was your biggest failure?
    having to stop nursing
    yes,  i realize that was beyond my control, but to me it felt like failure.

    10.  

  10. did you suffer illness or injury?
    yes

    11.  

  11. what was the best thing you bought?
    our new house

    12.  

  12. whose behavior merited celebration?
    my mother’s
    my husband’s
    my daughter’s

    13.  

  13. whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
    northern virginia’s drivers

    14.  

  14. where did most of your money go?
    our new house

    15.  

  15. what did you get really, really, really excited about?
    taking my daughter to disney for the first time

    16.  

  16. what song will always remind you of 2008?
    the hot dog song

    17.  

  17. compared to this time last year, are you:
    happier or sadder?  happier
    thinner or fatter?  fatter
    richer or poorer?  poorer

    18.  

  18. what do you wish you’d done more of?
    crafted more homemade gifts
    visited more friends
    blogged more
    taken more photos and video of my family and friends

    19.  

  19. what do you wish you’d done less of?
    had less cancer
    gained less weight

    20.  

  20. how did you spend christmas?
    at our new house with my husband’s parents, brother, sister-in-law, and my parents, grandparents, aunt & her family and her godparents & their family

    21.  

  21. did you fall in love in 2008?
    every day

    22.  

  22. how many one-night stands?
    (seriously?  this one i have to change to something more mommy blog- friendly)

    23.  
    what changes did you make to “green up” your lifestyle?
    collected more reusable shopping bags and got my mom in the habit of using them, too
    started a compost pile
    chose a tankless hot water heater for the new house
     

  23. what was your favorite tv show?
    lost

    24.  

  24. do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
    hate?  that’s much too strong of a word.

    25.  

  25. what was the best book you read?
    did i read any books?  i know i started reading anthony bourdain’s the nasty bits, but i can’t even remember if i’ve finished it. 

    26.  

  26. what was your greatest musical discovery?
    steve burns’ and the flaming lips’ steven drozd’s ” i hog the ground”
     

    27.  

  27. what did you want and get?
    to nurse my daughter again

    28.  

  28. what did you want and not get?
    skinnier faster

    29.  

  29. what was your favorite film of this year?
    this is the last question i answered because, honestly, i can’t remember watching any movie in its entirety aside from charlie wilson’s war. so i guess that’s it.  though if i’d had opportunity to watch the x-files: i want to believe, i’m sure that would have beat out charlie wilson.

    30.  

  30. what did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
    went to my birthday party, 35

    31.  

  31. what one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
    having more energy and less nausea after chemo

    32.  

  32. how would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
    chemo casual

    33.  

  33. what kept you sane?
    prozac and ativan

    34.  

  34. which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
    oh, how i love me some brit-brit.  girl is a spectacular disaster!

    35.  

  35. what political issue stirred you the most?
    the presidential election, though that was more of a circus then an issue

    36.  

  36. whom did you miss?
    my friends from orlando

    37.  

  37. who was the best new person you met?
    my chemo nurse, danna

    38.  

  38. tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
    this is your life, right now.  this is what you get.  stop preparing for “someday” and start living it the way you want to now.

    39.  

  39. quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
    “it’s a brand new day,  whatcha  waitin’ for?”

    40.  

  40. tag five people to post their answers to this 2008 wrap-up meme. please link back to this blog from yours.
    non-lucid drivel
    the twinkies
    motherhood and cancer
    life with the moonhils
    returnjourney