I think I will post a month by month rundown of my year with the highs and lows in an upcoming post.
Sky Cycle, Achievement Unlocked! Seriously, this thing kept going viral, and we went right by the park where it was at so decided to check it out. It is seriously overhyped.
Always makes some, always revisit them the next year to see how I did. View Upcoming Post on my success (or lack thereof)
03. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I had a couple of friends give birth, and my sister in law.
04. Did anyone close to you die?
I will feel really foolish if I say no and I forgot about somebody, but no.
05. What countries did you visit?
Japan and the USA. Mostly Japan.
6. What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?
Energy. And a functioning back. Actually the first part of 2016 was fine, it was the latter part where I felt like an old lady.
07. What date from 2016 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Funny how no dates just jump out at me from this year, though time periods do. I guess November 8th, because of the election, which seems to be a big thing for this year.
08. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting out and exploring. Prior to September, we did a LOT. Very full and fun year for our little family.
09. What was your biggest failure?
Not staying active through the latter part of the year. Seriously people, if you get pregnant, stay active. If you weren't active before, try to at least go out for a walk regularly or something, but just stay active! I kind of hit a lull midway through the second trimester, we focused on potty training Ashlyn and weaning Corbin so didn't do a whole lot. I paid a price for it.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I'm currently in the midst of a 9 month injury, haha!
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Memories. Lots of Memories.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Our tenant, when we finally kicked him out of the house. There was a bit of Schadenfreude there, I apologize, but he was a serious pain in the butt. It was more of a "Don't let the door hit you on the way out!" kind of thing. But I don't think that's what this was asking. Meanwhile, I'm not sure how to answer this question normally.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Gosh, I think the entirity of the USA. I get it, since I'm not a fan of our current President Elect, but how some people have acted in response has made me shake my head. I'm not looking forward to returning back to the States in regards to politics. Things are very touchy in regards to anything related to the presidential election, which I was never a fan of regardless of which direction it went.
14. Where did most of your money go?
A motorhome. We had a few maintenance issues come up with it. Also, a car died, one that we were expecting to get some money out of when we left here, but it went kaput, end of story, no use coming back from the dead. We had to junk it and any investment into it, then turn around and buy a car to replace it that we believe we will most likely have to junk when we leave. That was a big ouch that we weren't planning on. We also went on a few roadtrips, but those were worth it.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The Roadtrips we took, we had a lot of plans and it was just a really fun year for that.
16. What songs will always remind you of 2016?
I guess Mariah Carey's ultimate fail of a New Year's Eve party will be a big part of that (even though it was already 2017 when I got the word, hehe, I didn't see it myself but it was EVERYWHERE!). But I don't really listen to music all that much and I think I am showing my age.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
Considering how strong of a note we ended 2015 on,
ii. Thinner or fatter?
I'm currently 35 weeks pregnant, and baby is measuring big and I am carrying some excess fluids. So I feel like a whale.
iii. Richer or poorer?
I think we are at a wash in that regard. We are fine financially, thank goodness, because otherwise losing that car would have been a lot more painful then it already was.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Worked on our Japanese. We've been here for two and a half years, my Japanese is actually quite mediocre considering. And it doesn't look like we will be working to get it any better.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Surfed Facebook, or my phone in general. Serious time suck.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
It was a quiet day with the family. We opened presents, meant to go to Church but that kind of got away from us, then we went out to eat at the D-Fac so I didn't have to cook. Came home after that and played with all of our new stuff.
22. Did you fall in love in 2016?
Well, I'm already in love with my husband, and I love my kids. I guess I fell in Love with Zion's National Park, heck National Parks in general. When we get back stateside, Gus and I are ditching the kids and taking a little trip together. We have to.
23. Favorite Month 0f 2016
This is a tough one, there was a lot of good things about 2016. April was awesome. So was June. So was July. Heck, August, whatever. They had a lot of great memories. September left something to be desired, but it was not without its perks, and it was a necessary break from the go-go-go of the earlier part of the year. Anyway, as a whole, 2016 wasn't a bad year for us, not at all.
24. What were your favorite TV programs?
Do kid shows count? I have seen a fair few, but my mom-brain seems to have forgotten most of it.
25. Did you have a falling out with anyone that remains unresolved?
With this year, I would say no. I try not to hold grudges anyway, it affects me more than the person I'm holding a grudge against. I try to keep peace between my various family members and friends anyway, I'm not really the type to try to stir things up, mostly. At least I try not to. More often than not, I just lose touch with people, it wasn't a really falling out, its more about going our separate directions.
26. What was the best book you read?
I am not a huge book reader by any means, but toward the end of the year, some friends in church started up a book club again and I have been trying to stay apart of that. Anyway, the first book we read, A Long Walk To Water, was fantastic.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Music? What is this culturally enriching thing you speak of? Seriously, I don't listen to much music.
28. What did you want and get?
A series of memories of different adventures in various parts of Japan.
29. What did you want and not get?
A trip to Nagasaki. We broke down on the way there.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
I would have to say Rogue One. And I say that having not seen much of any movies in the theater, so my movie viewing has been limited. I also liked Finding Dory.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
We celebrated number 36 on a Tuesday. I think I had an appointment earlier in the day. I didn't want to cook dinner, so we ate out at a little Chinese place called Karinba. I got something a little slimier than I meant to. Gus got me a cake that was actually a hodgepodge of cakes. My visiting teacher brought me a Chocolate Bundt Cake, we were covered in the cake department. I didn't really ask for anything in particular, but Gus got me some chocolate covered Hawaiian Macadamian nuts. They were tasty. I gorged.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not having the breakdowns we did, and probably not losing our car. That was the biggest down turn. Also, if by some incredible luck somebody other than Hillary or Trump won the election.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2016?
Oversized T-shirts and Lounge pants towards the end. Before that, Jeans and a T-shirt. I am not fashion conscience, and I don't pretend to be. I dress for comfort. However, my oldest daughter is turning into a bit of a clothes horse, and it cracks me up. She always has to have a dress or a skirt on, and she hates jeans. She loves leggings, though she wears holes in the knees before I get the opportunity to replace them.
34. What kept you sane?
My little family has kept me sane, while at the same time, being the source of my bursts of insanity from time to time. Gotta love being a mom. Overall, I think I have kept a fairly level head. Gus might suggest otherwise.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you like the most?
*scratches head* I'm clueless. I don't know why I bother with this question. Who cares? I'm not 19 anymore, I could care less about celebrity figures. Public Figures too for that matter. I really tried to get behind Gary Johnson, but he sort of derailed somewhere halfway through the year and though I still cast my vote for the guy, I was kind of relieved that he had zero chance of winning the election and it was more about casting my vote for the party he represented (though I'm not 100% libertarian by any stretch of the imagination)
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
It was 2016. The absolute worse election year in the history of my life. We had two crap candidates at the head of the major tickets and I just wanted to ignore the whole thing. I am remaining cautiously optimistic with Trump and just waiting to see what kind of President he will be, as getting upset doesn't change anything and I don't have the energy to get upset over it. So yeah, that whole thing.
37. Who/what did you miss?
When I went back stateside for 7 weeks, I really missed Gus. Coming back to Japan, I miss my family back stateside. Apparently, we also missed the rhythm method with our fertility window and wound up pregnant with a little "Oops" baby. So that one will be joining our family in 2017. This is the final munchkin, I swear. We are done with kids after this, as we are no spring chickens, and I have discovered that I miss my youth.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
I have met a lot of fantastic people over the year, one of the things about living on a Military Instillation, people come and go constantly. We had an influx of new friends over this summer and it is hard to just pin one person down that leaves an impact. Sadly, we see a lot of friends go as well.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016.
Sometimes, you just have to roll with it. Life happens, things can take a turn for the worse, you have to assess what you can do in such a situation and sometimes there isn't anything you can do.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Seeing how I am not musically inclined, I never know how to answer this question. Google doesn't seem to be wanting to help me in this regard. I guess I'll go back to the 1990's and say "All I want to do is have some fun" by Sheryl Crow and leave it at that.
