'Cause you know where you've been

~Carbon Leaf

*Stolen from Carrie, who stole it from someone else....

In my 2008...What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Moved to England!

Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't remember my resolutions, but I did make a few this year. So far so good. It's a start right?

Did anyone close to you give birth?
Teresa, though we're not as close as we once were.

Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully no.

What countries did you spend time in this year?
The US and England, man that second still feels strange to say.

What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Sleep.

What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
September 16, the day I moved to England. February 14, the first time I went to England.

What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year?
Getting into grad school, selling my house in a tough market.

What was your biggest failure?
Friendship.

Did you suffer any serious injury or illness?
Thankfully, no.

What was the best thing you bought?
A plane ticket to London in February...then a plane ticket home for Christmas.

Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Tough one, not sure how to answer this one. Is that sad?

Whose behaviour made you appalled and/or depressed?
I ended several friendships, well, several friendships were ended but at least I learned who my true friends were.

Where did most of your money go?
Grad school.

Compared to this time last year, are you,
a) happier or sadder? Much happier.
b) thinner or fatter? Thinner, down 15lbs.
c) richer or poorer? Money-wise, poorer. But totally worth it!

What did you get really, really excited about?
Selling my house, moving to England, learning about water treatment, seeing Wicked, traveling, spending time with my family at Christmas.

What do you wish you'd done more of?
Spent time with my family and friends that have always been there for me.

Did you fall in love in 2008?
Nope.

How many one-night stands?
NONE!

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I don't usually use hate to describe feelings towards people, but I strongly dislike a few now.

What was the best book you read?
My Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn

What did you want and not get?
Scholarships for school.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
28- celebrated with my classmates with cake, went out with my European friends (and cake), cake with the co-worker, Thanksgiving dinner, and more celebration out with my classmates. Man, how did I lose 15lbs??

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not going through all the crap with people I thought were my friends. Being pain free in my knee.

What political issue stirred you the most?
The Environment...and if we're looking at world politics, the deaths going on in Zimbabwe.

Who did you miss?
I still miss my uncle. I wish I could share this experience with him. Not having my family here is tough too...but at least I can see them when I go home.

Who was the best new person you met?
That's tough. I've met so many great people here in England. And a few new ones back in the US. I can't pick just one.

Tell us a valuable life lesson(s) you learned in 2008.
Following your dreams is not always pretty and perfect, it comes with a struggle.

What sums up this year? (a word, a quote... ?)
Again from Carbon Leaf..."Live a life less ordinary, live a life extraordinary." Yeah, that about sums it up for me!