kiss it, 2009

1) Was 2009 a good year for you? I got promoted, got to be in a few books, celebrated two years with billiam, got a new camera, dropped & broke before mentioned camera, collected more books, lost contact with more people, road-tripped with my best road trip buddy, rode four wheelers, flew kites, adopted THREE friggin' dogs. So it was ...just a year. Not awful, not great. Can't complain, can't brag.


2) What was your favorite moment of the year?
listening to the Avett Brothers from the floor in the "ladies" room where I was puking my guts out. ha.

3) What was your least favorite moment of the year?
there were many small moments that make my head hurt to even think of them. so I won't.

4) Where were you when 2009 began?
sitting on my couch in the living room in a puddle of cat pee because Edison decided to pee on me as we all toasted with champagne glasses.


5) Who were you with?
billiam, Justin, Daniel, and Dana, me thinks....

6) Where will you be when 2009 ends?
I'm not sure yet. Home probably, getting drink with the boy. I have to work early the next morning ....boo.

7) Who will you be with when 2009 ends?
the boy, the dogs, the kiddo

8) Did you keep your new years resolution of 2009?
it was: to not have a resolution. This is my gift to myself every year.

9) Do you have a new years resolution for 2010?
I resolve to have the same resolution as last year: none. I don't think I'm perfect, I'm just a realist. This is about as good as I get haha.


10) Did you fall in love in 2009?
nope.

11) If yes, with who? Abe Lincoln!!

12) If yes, do they know?
oh, I bet he does. wherever he is...with Elvis in a spaceship in outer space or whatever.

13) Are you still in love with them?
always. he was the pioneer bearded depressed celebrity heart throb.

14) You regret it?
nope.

15) Did you breakup with anyone in 2009?
not really.

16) Did you make any new friends in 2009?
I haven't met many new people. my social life is reduced to online surveys and cyber farming.

17) Who are your favorite new friends?
all of you. each and every one. awww. don't you feel special?

18) What was your favorite month of 2009?
last spring was wonderful, but I couldn't possibly tell you why

19) Did you travel outside of the US in 2009?
no but I will this year. I'm saving up dinero for it.

20) How many different states did you travel to in 2009?
Texas, Georgia, Tennessee

21) Did you lose anybody close to you in 2009?
nobody had kids with my ex-boyfriend, nobody cheated on me or stole from me or hurt me - I haven't had any traumatic friendship or family experiences. yay!

22) Did you miss anybody in the past year?
many many people. liz and brittany most of all!


23) What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2009?
the hangover was pretty much awesome.


24) What was your favorite song from 2009?
I have listened to the avett brothers pretty much on repeat for the past six months. and marty robbins.

25) What was your favorite record from 2009?
I illegally download


26) How many concerts did you see in 2009?
a dozen or more


27) Did you have a favorite concert in 2009?
Those Darlins were pretty great live!

28) Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2009?
not as much as I did in 2008 or 2007....or any of the five years prior to that. I'm slowing down in my old age.

29) Did you do a lot of drugs in 2009?
nope

30) How many people did you sleep with in 2009?
I sleep with four furry loving dogs every night

31) Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year?
nah. no use in shame.

33) What was the worst lie someone told you in 2009?
hows about "I'm on your side"?? or "no I can't tell you've gained weight!"

34) Did you treat somebody badly in 2009?
yes. that's an unfortunate side affect of being an occasional asshole.


35) Did somebody treat you badly in 2009?
yup and I retaliated. now we're even. <--- this actually isn't true for this year. but I'm going to leave this up as an answer because there's still a day and a half to go in '09

36) How much money did you spend in 2009?
all of it.


37) What was your proudest moment of 200?
my job has made me proud. it has equally made me want to rip all of my hair out

38) What was your most embarrassing moment of 2009?
puking all over myself at a concert was high up there! but I'm kind of the queen of that - I'm constantly slamming the door on my hand, walking into walls, stuttering, etc.

39) If you could go back in time to any moment of 2009 and change something, what would it be?
why waste time wishing I could change things? Okay, saying I could I would have said "yes" when I was asked to go with him; I would have said "no" when asked if I was happy instead of lying through my teeth; not taking more chances.

40) What are your plans for 2010?
the world's wide open, baby. Meaning: I ain't got a fucking clue. As usual.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

to chevon, with love.

About nine years ago, I moved to Virginia with a teeny baby Ani and Ryan. It was his first military posting. I was excited to be able to stay at home with Ani while Ryan worked, to set up our first real home together, to get my new family started. What I wasn't prepared for was the utter homesickness that would sweep through me as I spent day after day couped up in our house, too shy and socially inept to go out and make friends with all of the other military mothers.

Then, after six months of being in Virginia and becoming steadily more isolated, Ryan and I bought a computer. Within a few weeks, I had discovered mommy chat boards and set up a parenting web-site of my own, "Proud Young Mommies". On this chat board, I met dozens of other moms who were like me - I met other young, scared to a certain extent about the task ahead of them raising their young babies, and needing a friend just as much as I did; I met other mommies that had already raised several kids and were full of advice, humorous anecdotes, and supportive; I met girls that would soon become my friends. We were there every morning to drink our coffee and laugh together. We were there every night for one last reassuring word or random story about our day.

I never expected to become true friends with women that I had never even met, but soon found soul mates among the dozens of screen-names and scanned photos. Years have passed since "Proud Young Mommies" began and, while I'm not active on that particular site anymore, I have remained in touch with several of those women. They were there for me through my divorce, through my first disasterous forays into dating, they were my should to cry on and my friendly face on a bad day. We add each other to any new social network we all join, we comment on pictures of our children as they grow, we keep in touch during the little moments in our lives and we are aware of all of those big moments as well.

Today, one of those women, a beautiful soul with four young children and a dedicated husband, has passed away from cancer. I didn't expect this news when I logged on today to check in with my friends for a few brief moments on my day off and see what was new in everyone lives. I should have been a little more prepared since she had been sick for some time, but I had decided to think only that she would get better and to not allow for another option in my mind. I turned away from the screen and cried after I read about it. Billiam, seeing my distress, came to find out what had transpired, put his arm around me, asked me only, "Who? And what can I do?. I started to explain to him that an online friend...I mean this girl I knew online ...and then all I could say was CHEVON because there was no need to explain how I knew her - I had simply known her. And for that, I'm grateful.

book.

The book, "We Feel Fine, an Almanac of Human Emotion" came out this week with two of my pictures in it. One is a picture of Ani, under "comfort".

I told Ani she was famous and she didn't even know it. She replied, "Oh I always knew it."

Damn I love that kid.