I'm sorry this is so long. Maybe this year I'll learn to talk less.

Joining Jenn's New Year's party from halfway around the world.

What were some highlights/low points of 2013?
* Katie got married
* Christopher was gone for the month of January which OF COURSE means something would go wrong. In this case it worked out well for me that our neighbor got shot because it meant I temporarily moved in with Jenn.
* I went to a Josh Turner concert 
* We worked through not one but two very serious issues in our marriage
* We found a church we like
* I tried teaching Christopher the finer points of babysitting
* I used the internet to self-diagnose my ailments and survived some questionable driving situations all in one day
* Jenn and her people left me and I still miss them every day. Obviously it was a VERY LOW point in my year. I was still reeling when Aggie and her tiny munckins packed up and left.
* I went to Utah for a wedding and got stranded on the side of a mountain
* Sesame made his/her presence known
* We moved. Again. 
* I made new blog friends. (I'm especially looking at you, Michelle.) 

Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I generally don't make resolutions anymore because I have a hard time keeping them, but I did achieve my personal goal of watching all 9 seasons of The Office. The other goal I kept was to make more crafts. I even managed to spend less time on the the computer which was difficult because I really love being nosy aka reading blogs at all hours of the day.

This year my goals should be:

* learn to survive on no sleep 

* get less gray hair (anyone know how to make this happen without the use of coloring?)
* open my own personal Dunkin Donuts in the garage

As far as serious goals go:
* learn to use my camera well
* finish my degree (I never talk about it here because I like to keep things happy and light, but I have been studying for a degree in early childhood education for the last 17 years and I am so ready for it to be OVER.) 

Did anyone close to you give birth?
Katie's sister Marylynn had little Rachel. I haven't met her yet but I like to consider her a niece.

Did anyone close to you die?Thankfully no. 

What countries did you visit?
I stayed in good ole US of A for 365 days, but you'd never know by what popped up on my phone when I drove into Kentucky.

I did visit a new state when I went to Utah in July. While there I went tubing, sat in a hot tub, and had various alcoholic fruity beverages which are basically all the things you shouldn't do when you are pregnant and don't know it.

What would you like to have in 2014 that you didn't have in 2013?
More visits with Katie, Autumn, Joanna and all my friends from home. More nausea-free days. 

What dates from 2013 will be etched upon your memory, and why? 
The day I told Christopher about Sesame (August 1st). I wanted to tell him when we moved into our new house so he didn't know until four days after I took the test. I can keep a secret like nobody's business. 

What was your biggest achievement of this year?
Completing the process of packing and moving to a new house without crying. Moving is very traumatic for me and I cry every single time we do it so that was big. I completed my 302 hours of student teaching in about two months. It was the loudest school I've ever spent time in so I was glad to escape with my hearing intact. Beyond that I don't feel like I did anything very monumental this year. 
But I suppose successfully carting around another human being for the last 180+ days is nothing to sneeze at.

What was your biggest failure?
I always compare myself to others too much.

What's the best thing you ate?
I had many good meals this year, but the best food overall award would probably go to potato chips or pizza. I have a very simple palette these days. 

What's the best thing you bought?
A sewing machine and a camera.

What did you get really, really, really excited about? 
Jenn and Aggie's husbands coming home. Going to see Josh Turner. Anna and Jillian's visit in the summer. Every time Christopher came home from work.

What do you wish you'd done more of?
Volunteering. I volunteered at the children's hospital and preschool every week for years before getting married and I miss them both so much. 

What were your favorite TV programs?The Office and Downton Abby. I'm still distraught over Matthew's death. I loved him and his beautiful hair.

What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
Hold on while I check my blog archives. I do remember that I turned 24. Christopher cooked me dinner and we went to our first dance class. He gave me 24 roses, a DD giftcard (he knows my love language), and a necklace. 

What kept you sane?
The big three- Christopher, chocolate and the occasional cry.

Tell me a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.