2008 Year in Review -- and 2009 Goals

All the cool kids are doing it... and maybe if I "write" this down and make it public, it'll work. Right? RIGHT!?

Anyway. 2008.

January
It's hard to remember. I was pregnant. I was supposed to be on light duty, but my office didn't really care about that. Did we do anything? Go anywhere? No. Probably I spent a lot of time and money at Target. Oh! I know! I passed that test where you have to drink the nasty orange syrup stuff and hang out at the lab for a while. Go me!

February
My blood pressure was up and I was having headaches. My doctors were telling me how bad it could be and I was shrugging it off. My work finally decided to put me on office duty only. I was taking calls and not going in the field at all. For one week, because on February 22, I left work early because of a headache, went to the doctor, and then had to have Bucket meet me at home and get to the hospital for tests. I was not awesome. The doctors decided I would be completely done with work.

March
I was incredibly bored. Sitting at home was not for me. I didn't even have a baby to hang out with! And I wasn't allowed to do anything or go anywhere alone, except for my doctor's appointments. I started napping and watching a lot of Unsolved Mysteries reruns.

April
Although I did not want to have labor induced, at my last prenatal appointment (on my due date!), my blood pressure was high enough that my doctors were not comfortable letting me continue on by myself. Llama was born on April 17. It was excellent.

May
I finally had a baby to hang out with while I watched Unsolved Mysteries reruns and napped. It was kind of like hanging out with a meatloaf, though. She slept a lot and only woke up to eat and poop. But she was very portable and I could take her anywhere. I liked that a lot.

June
Nothing eventful happened in June. Maybe this was when The Army Guy told me he was going back to Iraq? Maybe I knew before that. I'm totally not sure. My brain has been taken over by important information like, "The cat will jump up and steal the baby's waffle if you don't put him in the basement during breakfast." Not that she ate waffles in June. That's present-day information.

July
I know we took the boat out for the Fourth of July. I think we only took it out twice? Three times, maybe? In this whole year. Good thing we paid for a slip so we could have it sit in the river and look nice. Llama hated her life jacket, which is totally not optional, and that greatly impacted my desire to go down to the boat. Having a baby who screams until she passes out, sleeps for a few minutes, and wakes up to scream again (repeat, repeat, repeat until the life jacket is removed) is not relaxing or fun. And I was/am nursing, so drinking wasn't an option. What else do you do when you're on a boat besides drink and play cards and sit on the bow saying, "I'm the queen of the world!"??

August
It was hot. I was bored. I went on a lot (A LOT) of walks with Llama, who promptly learned that if she made enough noise, she'd convince someone to take her out of the stroller. But not remove her sun hat.

September
We went to Maryland for Labor Day. Totally awesome. My mother- and father-in-law went out on Hawaiian Punch and iHusband's jet ski, dumped it a few times, and couldn't get it going again. MIL got hurt, so that sucked. But here is the funny stuff, because you know I don't tell a story unless it's amusing. Hawaiian Punch, Bucket, Llama, iHusband, and Bucket's aunt and uncle (who don't have names yet... I'm working on it) were hanging out with some fabulous margaritas, just chatting, when an older man in a Buick with a license plate on the front that said "Whizball" came into the driveway. He got out of his car and said, "There are these people, they say they know you." And we all looked at each other confusedly. He described the people. It didn't help. (What can I say?) Then he said, "The lady said her brother lives here and he has a dinghy." Yes, that was a true statement. But it still didn't accurately convey the situation at hand. Then he said, "They're in the water." Oh! Well, why didn't you say so, Whizball? So the rescue attempt was underway. The rest is kind of uneventful, except for the part where MIL comes walking up the road, completely soaking wet. And angry.

It was Bucket's 30th birthday and I threw him a surprise party that he mostly ruined with his nebbiness and question asking. It was not that surprising to him. His BFF (do boys have BFFs?) called him and asked for a ride. To his surprise party. So that part was already suspicious. And then we arrived, and Bucket spied his grandmother's car, and that part was ruined because he said to me, "Why are my grandparents here?" But it was fun nonetheless. Llama ate lemons and limes out of everyone's drinks. Impressive!

October
Mostly uneventful. Bucket was gone for about one million days. What did we do? I think we went to Target a lot. October 15 was our third wedding anniversary. Bucket wasn't here. Llama was an octopus for Halloween. She handed out candy with me and she got excited about the kids she saw.

November
It was MY BIRTHDAY and Bucket was not forthcoming with the birthday present, card, or party. I was miffed. (Great word, right?) He made up for it at Christmas. Thanksgiving was at Hawaiian Punch and iHusband's house. Fun times. The Army Guy left for training as he goes back to Iraq on January 13, which is a crappy birthday present for him.

December
Tuna Roll was born. Llama's first Christmas happened and many photos were taken. The Army Guy was home for a few days and that was awesome. We had probably the most sober New Year's Eve that we've ever shared (neither of us was drunk!) but it was also probably the most special so far because we had Llama.

Okay, that's 2008. Gah, I'm boring. Now on to the 2009 goals. I will establish five, because that seems like a manageable number.

Goal 1: Attain a 4.0 grade point average in my master's program.
I think it's pretty self-explanatory. I feel like I wasted my opportunities in college, even though I graduated with a perfectly respectable GPA. Except for that one semester (in which I met Bucket and alcohol...) that I had a 2.0. Right. So I know I can do it, now I'm going to prove it.

Goal 2: Finish kitchen.
This is not so much a goal for me as it is a goal for Bucket. It's important to me anyway. We've been in this house for three years and the first priority was supposed to be the kitchen. Which is still not done. I hate this kitchen.

Goal 3: Teach Llama to say "mama."
She does not say mama. Only "yeah," "no no no no no," and "cheese." That's unacceptable. Cheese is more important than me!? I'm only half kidding.

Goal 4: Take a class of some sort with Llama.
Swimming, music, The Little Gym... I haven't decided. But I think it would be good for both of us. Yesterday Llama had a playdate and she knocked the other little girl down, even though the other girl is 2 months older. No good. Llama's a bruiser and we need some interaction with other kids so she learns that knocking them down isn't nice. It's hard to teach that with a giant Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal.

Goal 5: Spend time in the evenings talking to Bucket instead of retreating to our respective corners.
He has the laptop, I have a book. Or I have the laptop, he has the remote. Etc. The possibilities of how we don't talk are endless. I'd rather talk to him. I can read during Llama's naptime.

There you go. Now I challenge you to 1) create a blog if you don't have one so I can read it, 2) do your year in review and goals for next year, 3) keep me accountable.