2012 in Review

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?
Got married. Best. Decision. Ever. ;-)

2. What was the most surprising moment of 2012?
A good friend's break-up.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
2012 was a big year for babies.  Going to go with two of my college roommates: Teresa & Katie.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
A MT colleague and two of my students passed away over the summer.

5. What countries did you visit?
Hawaii!!! ;-)

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
Sticking with my answer from last year: "Financial abundance."
Feeling like we're on the right track, too.

7. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
July 2, 2012 - Our wedding day.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Keeping my sanity. ;-)

9. What was your biggest failure?
Did not devote enough time/energy to expanding CODA MTS.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I had to have my first ever endoscopy, but otherwise was relatively healthy.  John, however, broke his arm Easter weekend and ended up with an 'Urgent Care-worthy' stomach illness on Christmas Eve.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Our wedding & honeymoon.  Truly a dream come true.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Last year's response still holds true: John.  I love him more every day and I am so excited [I married] my best friend.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Rick Snyder and the MI legislature.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Wedding/honeymoon, bills, new transmission, new washer/dryer.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
HAWAII! (Can you tell I'm STILL excited?)

16. What songs will always remind you of 2012?
"In This Life" (Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole) - Our first dance song.
"Gangnam Style" (PSY)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier.
ii. thinner or fatter? Slightly fatter.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Exercise.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worry/stress.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Christmas Eve was spent at Urgent Care with my sick husband.  Christmas Day was spent nursing my recovering husband and doing laundry.  It really didn't feel like Christmas. :-/

22. Did you fall in love in 2012?
2011's answer: I fall in love all the time...fortunately, repeatedly with the same person.

23. How many one-night stands?
None.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, and Mike & Molly.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
My hatred has grown stronger over the year: Rick Snyder.

26. What was the best book you read?
This year's pleasure reading has consisted of the Twilight series.  Don't judge! ;-)

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Bruno Mars & Hunter Hayes.

28. What did you want and get?
1) Married to my best friend.
2) Acceptance to grad school.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
The Dark Knight Rises

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
The big 3-0!  I took the day off, went to the chiropractor, and I think John and I went out to dinner.  I also received a beautiful bouquet at school the day after my birthday from my Heartwood besties.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Sticking with 2011's answer: More time.  There are so many projects I wanted to complete this year and just couldn't find the time for.

33. What kept you sane?
Sticking with 2011's answer: John.  He's always there to talk me back to reality when I get caught up in all the little things that don't really matter. [That's one of the many reasons I married him!]

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you admire the most?
Gretchen Whitmer & Gabby Giffords.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
The election.

36. Who did you miss?
John, since he started his job at Quicken and we became long-distance (again).

37. Who was the best new person you met?
All the awesome MT colleagues I met at conference, particularly those I had previously connected with through social media.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012:
Where there is a will, there's a way.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Promise me you'll always be
Happy by my side.
I promise to sing to you
When all the music dies.
And marry me,
Today and everyday.
Marry me.
(Marry Me, Train)

I married my best friend on July 2, 2012 at Waialea Bay, Puako, Hawaii.

2011 In Review

I used to do year-end surveys all the time back when kept my LiveJournal, but I haven't done one in a few years.  In fact, that last one I did was at the end of 2008.  Here is one I borrowed from fellow music therapist, Rachel Rambach.

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
Got engaged.

2. What was the most surprising moment of 2011?
When John pulled out a ring and got down on one knee.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My good friend, Meegan.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No family or close friends, but one of my students unexpectedly passed away on Christmas Day.

5. What countries did you visit?
Stayed in the United States, but traveled to Florida, New York, Connecticut, New Hampshire, & Vermont.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
Financial abundance.  With lots of money tied up in our investment property and planning for our wedding, funds are definitely much tighter than desirable.

7. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
August 16, 2011 - The day John and I got engaged.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
There were two big ones: 1) starting 'Sing Play Grow' - seeing a long-time professional goal come to fruition and 2) getting a good tenant into our first rental property.

9. What was your biggest failure?
I had a lot of plans for adding contracts, particularly to expand within the hospital, but just did not seem to have the time to put my plans into action.  I know a big part of that was due to all the time spent getting the rental property finished, but I still wish I had devoted more energy to expanding CODA MTS.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Only the typical respiratory crud.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Well, technically it was purchased at the tail-end of 2010, but the snow blower I bought John for Christmas 2010 really proved its worth during the February 2011 blizzard!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
John.  I love him more every day and I am so excited to marry my best friend.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The B1G commissioner and the BCS selection committee.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Living and business expenses.  Bills, bills, and more bills.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Vacations!  First our trip to Sanibel Island, Florida with my family in February and then our trip out east in August.  And the trip out east in August resulted in another REALLY, REALLY BIG excitement: our engagement!

16. What songs will always remind you of 2011?
"Without You" (Keith Urban) and "Sexy and I Know It" (LMFAO)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Not sure.  Probably happier overall, but more stressed.  And ALWAYS sad about winter this time of year...
ii. thinner or fatter? Right about the same.
iii. richer or poorer? Probably richer technically, but feeling poorer due to the big event on the horizon and all the money that is tied up in the investment property.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Saving.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Spending...see 17iii.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Spent Christmas Eve in Grand Rapids with John's mom and then my family.  Hosted Christmas Day at our house for John's dad and stepmom.

22. Did you fall in love in 2011?
I fall in love all the time...fortunately, repeatedly with the same person.

23. How many one-night stands?
None.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Mike & Molly, and House.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Montee Ball.

26. What was the best book you read?
Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult...the main character is a music therapist!

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Lady Antebellum.  Could, and often do, listen to them all day long!

28. What did you want and get?
A diamond ring.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
The Music Never Stopped

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned twenty-nine.  I was at the GLR Conference in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.  John came to the conference with me so he could be there for my birthday.  We had a great time relaxing in the water park after my day of music therapy education.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More time.  There are so many projects I wanted to complete this year and just couldn't find the time for.

33. What kept you sane?
John.  He's always there to talk me back to reality when I get caught up in all the little things that don't really matter.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you admire the most?
Kirk Cousins.  Such a classy young man who will be greatly missed.  It has been a pleasure to watch him lead the Spartans.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
The campaign to Recall Rick Snyder.

36. Who did you miss?
The first year anniversary of the unexpected passing of my aunt was quite difficult...

37. Who was the best new person you met?
I have yet to actually "meet" most of them, but I am grateful for all the connections I made with music therapy colleagues through social media this year.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011:
This too shall pass.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you.  (God Gave Me You, Blake Shelton)


2011 - Good riddance.
2012 - Bring it on!