End of the Year Survey: 2016
I am absolutely stealing this from Hannah's blog…thank you, Hannah! As
I look back on 2016, this seems to be the perfect way to reflect on all the
major moments and milestones. I apologize in advance for the amount of
answers that involve the wedding! And I look forward to the direction I
want to take the blog as the year continues!
Moving forward, I hope to spend 2017 blogging more and discussing so many things that have been filling the pages of my journal J
1. What did you do in 2016 that you'd never done before?
I became a wife! And Ryan and I went on a vacation together for the first time. I also ran a 5k for the very first time!
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
My 2016 new year's resolution was to read one non-fiction book a month...and I read one...in January! So, it definitely didn't go too hot. BUT I started 2017 off strong. My new year's resolution for this year is to run one 5K per month for the entire year. I started with this weekend and was so proud of myself at the end of the race. It was my first 5K that I didn't stop to walk...not even once! And Ryan was there to cheer me on which made it all the more special.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My sweet friend Emily had a little girl. Emily was my very first friend to have a baby and it was so much fun showering her with love this year and meeting her sweet Nora.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, this year Ryan and I did not lose anyone close to us.
5. What countries did you visit?
Although I did a lot of traveling, I stayed in the US all year!
6. What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?
In 2017, I would love to have more time for relaxation. I am so grateful for all of the travel that I was able to do this past year, but I am looking forward to spending a little more time this summer laying by our apartment pool and less time stressfully planning a wedding like last summer!
7. What dates from 2016 will be etched upon your memory, and why?
So many moments and days in this past year were so important! Truly, the best three days this year were hands down our wedding day, the day Ryan graduated from Georgetown, and the day Ryan passed the bar exam! We had so many big moments this past year. As I listed those I thought of the day Ryan was offered a job, the first time I met my sweet nephew Stephen, and our first married holiday over Thanksgiving.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Honestly, one of the things I am most proud of it finally getting help for my anxiety. Of everything I accomplished this past year, this is the one thing that has had the most positive lasting effect and I hope I am able to continue to seek help and work on it as 2017 continues. (I also became a true hockey fan. To Ryan, this was the most important!)
9. What was your biggest failure?
I absolutely failed at any sort of wedding diet...wah wah. And I absolutely failed at my new year's resolution!
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Thankfully, I did not!
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Not to sound incredibly cheesy, but the very best thing I bought was Ryan's wedding band! Second best was definitely the mega surprise Christmas gift that Ryan's mom and I got him for Christmas...a signed jersey from his favorite Pens player.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My parents had an incredibly hard year that has still left them with uncertainty and they have handled it like champions. Their patience absolutely merits celebration.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Every political ranter on facebook for sure.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Plane tickets! There were so many festivities for my friend's weddings and babies on top of all of the planning for Ryan and I's wedding and honeymoon.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
So many exciting things happened! I was so excited about Ryan graduating from Georgetown...especially because it meant he was finally done with night classes. I was just as excited when the bar exam was over...and the most exciting thing that happened was finally marrying the love of my life!
16. What songs will always remind you of 2016?
Oh gosh. I have no idea. I am the worst at music.
17. Did you make any new friendships?
I did! I have met a handful of incredibly wonderful people since moving to DC. And I have formed such a wonderful relationship with my dear friend Becky who I knew from Marquette.
18. Did you go on vacation?
I did! I went on a lot of trips for different family and wedding festivities that included Omaha, St. Louis, and Milwaukee. Ryan and I went on our first true vacation together to Denver in August! And the trip to Hawaii for the honeymoon was hands down the best vacation to date.
19. What do you wish you had done more (and less) of?
I wish I had let go more and just tried to go with the flow...so I definitely wish I would have done less worrying about every. little. thing.
20. How did you spend the holidays?
I spent Easter in Omaha...my last family holiday before we got married. Ryan and I spent Thanksgiving in Omaha...our first married holiday! And we spent Christmas in Nashville visiting Ryan's family.
21. What new food did you discover?
The lamest answer of all time...tater tots! I have never tried them because I am so incredibly picky and firmly believed that there was no way the crispiness on the outside could coincide with the (what I assumed would be mushy) on the inside. And boy was I wrong. World turned upside down...I mean even my dad teared up.
22. What was your favorite TV program?
This is Us and Life in Pieces are hands down my two favorite shows of 2016 and leading into 2017!
23. What was one of your favorite experiences of the year?
Ryan and I's wedding weekend in Milwaukee with all of our loved ones was by far the best and my most favorite experience of the year!
24. What was the best book you read?
I read a lot of books in 2016...I think my favorites were all of the Liane Moriarty novels...I can't wait for Big Little Lies to premiere on HBO.
25. What was your greatest musical or artist discovery?
I am the least cultured of all the cultured…I have no idea! Ryan and I did buy our first piece of art but it was a print from a Hawaiian photographer.
26. What did you want and get?
I wanted to marry Ryan (duh), to travel to Nashville, to go on a vacation just the two of us, and I realllllllly wanted a beautiful purse (how shallow am I??).
27. What did you want and not get?
I really wanted to get a dog before the end of 2016! But, as of tonight, we have put down a deposit on a litter of bernedoodles that were born this week! We will bring home Donut (boy or girl) in March.
28. What was your favorite film of the year?
Me Before You and Neighbors 2. Now, let me just explain Neighbors 2 for a second before anyone judges me! When I moved to DC, I lost my moving going buddy. And I now see movies alone…super therapeutic PS. But, the week after Ryan took the bar he wanted to just go see a dumb movie to relax and we saw Neighbors 2. He hadn’t even seen the first one. But, it was one of the first times he had laughed that hard in while (studying for the bar is the worst…so I hear). And then we got coldstone…so that memory alone is my favorite!
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I absolutely love my birthday (shallow, remember?) and always throw myself a party. This past year was a little different since I had just moved to the DC area and spent it just with Ryan. Even though he had to do work, he took me way out of the way to Freddy’s (my FAVORITE place to eat in Omaha) and then for dinner we drove far again to go to On the Border (my other favorite, fancy restaurant). It was so nice to spend it with just him. And then we ended the night watching Trainwreck. I fell asleep midway through and Ryan had to watch it alone…I then lost my movie choosing priviledge…) Oh, and I was 27! Which, is it just me or does everyone forget how old they are when they are just turning these weird mid (okay…late) twenty ages? Ryan and I keep asking each other how old we are.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Oh, this question is so hard. My year was so incredibly satisfying. The only thing I can think about is what caused me the most stress…which was our living situation. So, I guess moving into our now home earlier would have made my year MUCH more satisfying. But, Ryan and I grew a lot individually and as a couple in that house. So, no regrets (but I am glad it’s over).
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept for 2016?
I wore a lot of yoga/mom clothes. And I didn’t do any yoga…and I am not a mom. The nanny life has really done a lot of damage to my fashion concept. But, it does help keep me in my cutest clothes on the weekend. So it has morphed from completely Loft to loft/lululemon/Victoria secret sport/a lot more Loft (old faithful).
32. What kept you sane?
My mom. My mom was a life saver after the move to DC and really helped me. She is still helping me all the time as I navigate through the first year as a wife.
33. What celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Mindy Kaling. ALWAYS.
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
Oh the entire election…
35. Who did you miss?
I miss all of my Milwaukee best friends L This was the absolute hardest part of moving to DC. I also miss my sweet sweet nephews and soon-to-be-here niece! I miss every single family member (in-laws and all). It is so hard loving both of our families so much…what a burden J
36. Who was the best new person you met?
Absolutely the best new people I met were the family I work for and their sweet little girls that I nanny full time, Kate and Cole! They are a dream. Ryan and I also met and made a wonderful friend who was actually are leasing agent for our current apartment. Okay, I am being a creeper. We just had lunch for the first time today…but I have a good feeling! ….I’m so creepy.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016.
Patience. I could go on and on. But, really. I didn’t have a lot of it when I needed it. And I still could use it. But, I have come a long way.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Moving forward, I hope to spend 2017 blogging more and discussing so many things that have been filling the pages of my journal J
1. What did you do in 2016 that you'd never done before?
I became a wife! And Ryan and I went on a vacation together for the first time. I also ran a 5k for the very first time!
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
My 2016 new year's resolution was to read one non-fiction book a month...and I read one...in January! So, it definitely didn't go too hot. BUT I started 2017 off strong. My new year's resolution for this year is to run one 5K per month for the entire year. I started with this weekend and was so proud of myself at the end of the race. It was my first 5K that I didn't stop to walk...not even once! And Ryan was there to cheer me on which made it all the more special.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My sweet friend Emily had a little girl. Emily was my very first friend to have a baby and it was so much fun showering her with love this year and meeting her sweet Nora.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, this year Ryan and I did not lose anyone close to us.
5. What countries did you visit?
Although I did a lot of traveling, I stayed in the US all year!
6. What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?
In 2017, I would love to have more time for relaxation. I am so grateful for all of the travel that I was able to do this past year, but I am looking forward to spending a little more time this summer laying by our apartment pool and less time stressfully planning a wedding like last summer!
7. What dates from 2016 will be etched upon your memory, and why?
So many moments and days in this past year were so important! Truly, the best three days this year were hands down our wedding day, the day Ryan graduated from Georgetown, and the day Ryan passed the bar exam! We had so many big moments this past year. As I listed those I thought of the day Ryan was offered a job, the first time I met my sweet nephew Stephen, and our first married holiday over Thanksgiving.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Honestly, one of the things I am most proud of it finally getting help for my anxiety. Of everything I accomplished this past year, this is the one thing that has had the most positive lasting effect and I hope I am able to continue to seek help and work on it as 2017 continues. (I also became a true hockey fan. To Ryan, this was the most important!)
9. What was your biggest failure?
I absolutely failed at any sort of wedding diet...wah wah. And I absolutely failed at my new year's resolution!
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Thankfully, I did not!
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Not to sound incredibly cheesy, but the very best thing I bought was Ryan's wedding band! Second best was definitely the mega surprise Christmas gift that Ryan's mom and I got him for Christmas...a signed jersey from his favorite Pens player.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My parents had an incredibly hard year that has still left them with uncertainty and they have handled it like champions. Their patience absolutely merits celebration.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Every political ranter on facebook for sure.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Plane tickets! There were so many festivities for my friend's weddings and babies on top of all of the planning for Ryan and I's wedding and honeymoon.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
So many exciting things happened! I was so excited about Ryan graduating from Georgetown...especially because it meant he was finally done with night classes. I was just as excited when the bar exam was over...and the most exciting thing that happened was finally marrying the love of my life!
16. What songs will always remind you of 2016?
Oh gosh. I have no idea. I am the worst at music.
17. Did you make any new friendships?
I did! I have met a handful of incredibly wonderful people since moving to DC. And I have formed such a wonderful relationship with my dear friend Becky who I knew from Marquette.
18. Did you go on vacation?
I did! I went on a lot of trips for different family and wedding festivities that included Omaha, St. Louis, and Milwaukee. Ryan and I went on our first true vacation together to Denver in August! And the trip to Hawaii for the honeymoon was hands down the best vacation to date.
19. What do you wish you had done more (and less) of?
I wish I had let go more and just tried to go with the flow...so I definitely wish I would have done less worrying about every. little. thing.
20. How did you spend the holidays?
I spent Easter in Omaha...my last family holiday before we got married. Ryan and I spent Thanksgiving in Omaha...our first married holiday! And we spent Christmas in Nashville visiting Ryan's family.
21. What new food did you discover?
The lamest answer of all time...tater tots! I have never tried them because I am so incredibly picky and firmly believed that there was no way the crispiness on the outside could coincide with the (what I assumed would be mushy) on the inside. And boy was I wrong. World turned upside down...I mean even my dad teared up.
22. What was your favorite TV program?
This is Us and Life in Pieces are hands down my two favorite shows of 2016 and leading into 2017!
23. What was one of your favorite experiences of the year?
Ryan and I's wedding weekend in Milwaukee with all of our loved ones was by far the best and my most favorite experience of the year!
24. What was the best book you read?
I read a lot of books in 2016...I think my favorites were all of the Liane Moriarty novels...I can't wait for Big Little Lies to premiere on HBO.
25. What was your greatest musical or artist discovery?
I am the least cultured of all the cultured…I have no idea! Ryan and I did buy our first piece of art but it was a print from a Hawaiian photographer.
26. What did you want and get?
I wanted to marry Ryan (duh), to travel to Nashville, to go on a vacation just the two of us, and I realllllllly wanted a beautiful purse (how shallow am I??).
27. What did you want and not get?
I really wanted to get a dog before the end of 2016! But, as of tonight, we have put down a deposit on a litter of bernedoodles that were born this week! We will bring home Donut (boy or girl) in March.
28. What was your favorite film of the year?
Me Before You and Neighbors 2. Now, let me just explain Neighbors 2 for a second before anyone judges me! When I moved to DC, I lost my moving going buddy. And I now see movies alone…super therapeutic PS. But, the week after Ryan took the bar he wanted to just go see a dumb movie to relax and we saw Neighbors 2. He hadn’t even seen the first one. But, it was one of the first times he had laughed that hard in while (studying for the bar is the worst…so I hear). And then we got coldstone…so that memory alone is my favorite!
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I absolutely love my birthday (shallow, remember?) and always throw myself a party. This past year was a little different since I had just moved to the DC area and spent it just with Ryan. Even though he had to do work, he took me way out of the way to Freddy’s (my FAVORITE place to eat in Omaha) and then for dinner we drove far again to go to On the Border (my other favorite, fancy restaurant). It was so nice to spend it with just him. And then we ended the night watching Trainwreck. I fell asleep midway through and Ryan had to watch it alone…I then lost my movie choosing priviledge…) Oh, and I was 27! Which, is it just me or does everyone forget how old they are when they are just turning these weird mid (okay…late) twenty ages? Ryan and I keep asking each other how old we are.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Oh, this question is so hard. My year was so incredibly satisfying. The only thing I can think about is what caused me the most stress…which was our living situation. So, I guess moving into our now home earlier would have made my year MUCH more satisfying. But, Ryan and I grew a lot individually and as a couple in that house. So, no regrets (but I am glad it’s over).
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept for 2016?
I wore a lot of yoga/mom clothes. And I didn’t do any yoga…and I am not a mom. The nanny life has really done a lot of damage to my fashion concept. But, it does help keep me in my cutest clothes on the weekend. So it has morphed from completely Loft to loft/lululemon/Victoria secret sport/a lot more Loft (old faithful).
32. What kept you sane?
My mom. My mom was a life saver after the move to DC and really helped me. She is still helping me all the time as I navigate through the first year as a wife.
33. What celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Mindy Kaling. ALWAYS.
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
Oh the entire election…
35. Who did you miss?
I miss all of my Milwaukee best friends L This was the absolute hardest part of moving to DC. I also miss my sweet sweet nephews and soon-to-be-here niece! I miss every single family member (in-laws and all). It is so hard loving both of our families so much…what a burden J
36. Who was the best new person you met?
Absolutely the best new people I met were the family I work for and their sweet little girls that I nanny full time, Kate and Cole! They are a dream. Ryan and I also met and made a wonderful friend who was actually are leasing agent for our current apartment. Okay, I am being a creeper. We just had lunch for the first time today…but I have a good feeling! ….I’m so creepy.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016.
Patience. I could go on and on. But, really. I didn’t have a lot of it when I needed it. And I still could use it. But, I have come a long way.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I want to
skip this. So…I’m going to! I listened to a lot of country music this
year. And I listened to Blink 182
pandora. The song lyrics that mean the
most (I’m about to cheeseball it up) are my favorite lyrics from our first
dance. Just reading the lyrics takes me
back to that room, my husband, and the magic that I felt that entire day.
Some day, when I'm awfully low
When the world is cold
I will feel a glow just thinking of you
And the way you look tonight
Yes, you're lovely, with your smile so warm
And your cheeks so soft
There is nothing for me but to love you
And the way you look tonight
With each word your tenderness grows
Tearin' my fear apart
And that laugh, wrinkles your nose
Touches my foolish heart
Lovely, never, never change
Keep that breathless charm
Won't you please arrange it?
'Cause I love you
A-just the way you look tonight
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose
It touches my foolish heart
Let's just hope that 2017 is filled with even more glitter!
MS
Great post! But.... how about that awesome Bachelorette party your sister threw???
ReplyDeleteFor the record, those are my favorite pictures in the post!!! That should have gone under one of the best days!
DeleteI'm so glad you stole it from me, I love reading peoples' year-recaps! Maybe we can pressure your sister into blogging again too? haha. :) I am also super excited for the HBO Big Little Lies (I also read a lot of Liane Moriarty this year) and Mindy is just the best, isn't she?
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for the series and yes, Mindy is the very best! I can't wait for new episodes.
DeleteI keep asking Emily to come back! Hopefully soon!