2009 In Review

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

No really. I just haven't figured out yet whether it was the best year ever or the worst year ever.

One of the biggest criticisms of blogs is that they are so self-important and self-centered - and this blog (and this post, in particular) will be no exception! But it's MY blog, so in yo FACE, blog critics!

Anywho, most of you know our "story," but I know that a handful probably don't. We were definitely living in a very "easy" situation for our first four years after college. We both had good jobs, could afford to travel, dine out, buy the things we needed...and some of the things we wanted, too :) We were definitely very comfortable and confident about our "places in the world."

During the summer of 2008, Matt put an offer in on a house and by Labor Day weekend, we were moved in! Less than a month later, Matt found out he would be losing his job in early 2009. What terrible timing, no?

The last 15 months have been so challenging in ways I never would have guessed, but it has really been a great year in so many ways. We have both learned a lot about ourselves and one another. And we've learned that even when your worst fears are realized, it's really not the end of the world. And in the immortal words of one of my bosses "It is what it is - you can only do what you can do."

And since this post is already wordy, I'm just going to go with it :) Here are a few lists:

Top 5 successes:

1. WE GOT DOOOOOGS. I am so thankful for them every day. I can't even begin to tell you how happy we are to have them.
2. We didn't lose our minds, despite all indications to the contrary.
3. Our attic is insulated! (thanks to matt, mark and gary!)
4. We grew vegetables! Lots of them. And they were AWESOME!
5. We both stuck to studying much more diligently than I would have predicted (Matt for the CFA and me for accounting classes).

Top 5 things I miss:

1. Dining out
2. Travel
3. Erica - she passed away just over a year ago and it's hard to realize that she is really gone.
4. Money - is that shallow? Maybe, but it's true.
5. My friends from Kroll - I still get to work with a few of them, but a couple of them went to other companies - and they were all pretty awesome - maybe someday we'll all reunite ;)

Top 5 things I've learned this year:

1. The grass isn't greener on the other side. The grass is greener where you water it. Be productive - and don't dwell on things you can't control. Just water the grass and hope for the best.
2. In a tough spot, it's hard to know exactly what to do in order to be supportive and comforting to someone (since everyone needs support in different ways). But you always get points for trying.
3. My "plan" for myself and the greater "Plan" aren't always the same thing - I shouldn't need to be on everyone else's schedule to feel like I am succeeding.
4. There is a lot of value to learning how to do things for yourself. From baking our own bread, to building our own fences, we're learning how rewarding it can be to do things for ourselves.
5. It's not the end of the world - and when it feels like it is, remember that everything is easier to "take on" if you give yourself the chance to take a step back and focus on the things you can control. And if it still feels like the end of the world, it's best to let yourself laugh every now and then. It really helps :)

Top 5 things I hope to learn next year:

1. Patience (with myself and others) - things will happen when they are meant to happen. No amount of poking, prodding, lamenting, or despairing will push along the things that are outside of my control. Sometimes, I need to just take a chill pill. For seriously.
2. Contentment - there are so many "things" that I want...new sofas, more kitchen and entertaining-type stuff, more trips to good restaurants, more foreign travel...the list goes on. Our "blip" has lasted longer than we thought it would, but eventually we'll get back to where we were...only we'll be better prepared for whatever is in store for us down the road. No matter what I am currently "doing without," my life is really good - I really need to remind myself to be more grateful and contented!
3. Thoughtfulness - It isn't hard to be thoughtful - particularly in the case of my dad, I'm sure he would love it if I called more often, or sent him cards, but for some reason, I haven't stepped up to the plate. I hope that I will do better next year with my dad and with everyone else.
4. Promptness- In particular, I am SO BAD at responding to personal emails (ask Ashley or my Aunt Barb). I feel like I have nothing to say, but that's not a very good excuse for ignoring people. How hard is it to respond? Not very, methinks. Promptness in all situations is preferable to the alternative.
5. Accounting - no really. I want to take the CPA exam and still have a few classes to take. I hope that I can manage my time well enough to learn the accounting properly while still keeping up with work, home and life!

So that was our year - hopefully it didn't take you a year to read about it :) It has been good and bad, happy and miserable, easy and hard. But we have learned a lot and I'm proud of where we are right now. In the end, we're happy and healthy - and we're hopeful that everything else will fall into place.

Farewell 2009 - I can't wait to see what 2010 has in store for us!

HAPPY NEW YEAR