The World Begins Again

It's time to give my poor neglected blog its yearly update. I'm hoping this will serve as a reminder of all the good that happened this past year, rather than focusing on my failures.

What did you do in 2018 that you’d never done before?

Lots of things, actually. Jump off a high dive was one. Starting a podcast was another. The podcast itself is still in the works, but you can actually listen to three episodes of "The Love & Light Podcast" in your favorite listening app. Look for the cute lightbulb, designed by my friend Todd Anderson.

Love & LIght Podcast

Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I'm not sure I did, but I decided I was going to do a couch-to-5K program (which started January 22nd). I did that, and then I decided to train for a 10K and then a half-marathon, Amazingly enough, I did it! For someone who has NEVER been athletic, it's pretty amazing that my body did that, although I really felt like I was going to die after that first workout!
I have made more goals, including a full marathon. Eeek!!

Did anyone close to you give birth?

My cousin Heather had a sweet baby boy, whom I have yet to meet.

Did anyone close to you die?

Not particularly close, thankfully. I have several friends currently fighting cancer, but they are still fighting. I am truly surrounded by amazingly strong women.

What countries did you visit?

I should really just change this question to states, but (not) soon enough I will be venturing overseas. This year, I went to California, Nevada, Arizona, and (briefly) through Wyoming.

What would you like to have in 2019 that you lacked in 2018?

Total repeat and still true: confidence and organization

What date from 2018 will remain etched upon your memory?

October 27. That was the day of the Halloween Half; we also took family pictures, and I had a delightful evening with my friend Julia watching Lea Michelle & Darren Criss.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Half-Marathon. For sure.

What was your biggest failure?

Editing issues. It took me forever to get people their pictures, and I felt terrible about it.

Did you suffer illness or injury?

Not really (thank you, Jesus). I did get in a car accident and had a mild concussion, but that's about it.

What was the best thing you bought?

VIP pass to see Mat Kearney. I adore him.

Whose behavior merited celebration?

This is always a weird question; I should probably delete it. But I'm gonna be selfish and say that MINE did, because I really worked on my attitude and behavior this year, and I made a lot of positive changes. I was really hurt by some words spoken by people who barely know me, but I worked my way through it, and I'm stronger on the other side.

Where did most of your money go?

Bills. Car (including repairs from the accident and a small fortune in gas). Food. Concerts/Shows. Gifts. Airline Tickets. Bath & Body Works. Ulta. Amazon. (Not necessarily in that order)

What did you get really, really, really excited about?

A trip to California for the Don't Keep Your Day Job workshop with Cathy Heller. I've become a bit obsessed with her, and that was a really great event. The hotel in Hollywood, though, was another story .  .  .

What song will always remind you of 2018?

"Let Your Colors Shine" by Cathy Heller. It's not a great song, but it's fun and it reminds me of her awesome podcast and it makes me happy.

My album of the year is "Delta" by Mumford & Sons. PEOPLE. If you haven't listened to it, you need to. It's incredible, and it honestly might be enough to knock U2 out of my top spot. IT'S THAT GOOD. Honorable mentions to the Hamilton Soundtrack and to "Beautiful Trauma" by Pink.

My top 10 SONGS of 2018 (or, the songs that have meant the most to me this year)

10. "Electric Blue" by Icehouse

9. "Kings & Queens" by Mat Kearney

8. "A Million Dreams" by Pink (Greatest Showman)

7.  "It's Quiet Uptown" (Hamilton Soundtrack)

6. "I Will Be Released" by John Nolan

5. "A Little Respect" by Erasure

4. "Heart of a Hero" by Cathy Heller

3. "Whatever You Want" by Pink

2. "Beloved" by Mumford & Sons

1. "Slip Away" by Mumford & Sons

And the concert list for this year: 

Mat Kearney {with Allison} (The Complex, SLC, 2.25.18)
Bon Jovi {with Mach & Wow} (Vivint Smarthome Arena, SLC, 3.16.18)
OMD {with Allison} (The Complex, SLC, 3.21.18)
Pink {with Gina & Lori} (Vivint Smarthome Arena, SLC, 5.9.19)
U2 {with Dom} (T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, 5.11.18)
Erasure {with Allison} (Kingsbury Hall, SLC, 8.12.18)
LM/DC {with Julia} (Eccles Theatre, SLC, 10.27.18)
Air Supply {with Mandi} (Eccles Theatre, SLC, 11.16.18)

They weren't concerts, but I also saw Hamilton and Phantom of the Opera at Eccles Theatre. And nothing at USANA. Huh.

I should really add my top Podcasts of the year, since that's become a thing:
10. Heavyweight
9. The Sisterhood Podcast
8. Baconsale
7. Happier with Gretchen Rubin
6. The Life Coach School/Better than Happy (tied)
5. Cold
4. Do It Scared/Goal Digger (tied)
3. Life on the Rocks, Please
2. Awesome with Alison
1. Don't Keep Your Day Job

Compared to this time last year, are you:

   Happier or sadder? Happier in general, though I'm fighting with the S.A.D.

   Thinner or fatter? Thinner! Not where I want to be, but I still lost 50lbs!

   Richer or poorer?  Poorer, seeing as I'm not very employed at the moment.

What do you wish you’d done more of?  

Spending quality time with my Benji.

What do you wish you’d done less of?  

Staying up too late, saying yes when I really want to say no (like to the Float Committee).

How will you be spending Christmas? 

Honestly, I'm not sure. Allen worked all the holidays this year, so it was kind-of a mess.

Did you fall in love in 2018?

Not really, but I am appreciating my husband more.

Who were your best friends?

Peggy, Heather. My sisters.

What thing did you do that was meaningful to others?

I spent LOTS of time taking and editing pictures this year (and several of these sessions were free of charge); I hope they are meaningful to others, or what the hell am I doing?
And I hope the Days of '47 Float meant something to someone. All it meant to me was pain and obedience.

What were your favorite TV programs?

I have watched very little TV this year. The only series I binged was "Godless" on Netflix. Everything else has been super hit-and-miss.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

No. There is someone I really loved in the past, but I think I see him more clearly now, and what he says doesn't matter.

What was the best book you read in 2018?

I did not read as much as I wanted to this year. I did finish the Livre de Mormon in around 5 days (procrastinate much?). The best novel I read was "Lethal White" by Robert Galbraith. I also read "The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brene' Brown, "Girl, Wash Your Face" by Rachel Hollis, "Start With Why" by Simon Sinek, and some others. I should keep better track of that.

What was your greatest musical discovery?

OMD put on a GREAT show! I had very low expectations, so maybe that helped. But it was awesome.

What did you want and get?

To start a podcast. It's started, but still struggling. Mostly just me, but also because Peggy is so dang busy!

What did you want but did NOT get?

A Kindle. Good grief--this has been on my list for like 6 years now. Also a new laptop.

What was your favorite film of this year?

A Quiet Place was fantastic. So was Mission: Impossible Fallout. I also enjoyed Black Panther, Aquaman, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Ready Player One

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I went to "Rewire Choir" at Daniel Blomberg's home, I went to a fundraiser for a friend with cancer, and we probably went out to dinner. And I turned 39.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

More sleep. 

What kept you sane?

Friends. Good people at work and church and in my life.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Patrick Wilson is back at #1, though I got to take a picture with David Tennant at FanX. Jason Momoa is steadily climbing the charts, though.

What political issue stirred you the most?

Probably the Kavanaugh Hearings, and the bravery of Christine Blasey-Ford. The royal wedding (Harry & Meghan), and the boys who got stranded in a cave in Thailand . . . WOW. 

Who did you miss?

Lots of people. I have not seen enough of Shannah Leigh.

Who was the best new person you met this year?

My friend Lana, who is in my choir (the Salt Lake Singers). She's a total soul sister.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2018.

You have more power than you think you do.

Quote that sums up your year:

“People may call what happens at midlife “a crisis,” but it’s not. It’s an unraveling—a time when you feel a desperate pull to live the life you want to live, not the one you’re “supposed” to live. The unraveling is a time when you are challenged by the universe to let go of who you think you are supposed to be and to embrace who you are.” 
― Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection

So there it is . . . my yearly contribution to this blog and a reminder of the good and bad of this time in my life. I want to know how your year went as well! Please comment or shoot me a DM (slide on in, baby!). Let's make 2019 a great one, eh?

LOVE YOU!!!

Hold On To Me

Well, friends, another year has come and gone. It has been a big year--lots of ups and downs, good days and bad. I haven't done much blogging (er, any, really), but I have done a fair amount of journal writing ("this sh*t can't be hacked!") and Instagramming/Facebooking (not real verbs, I know). So I'm out there, just in a different way.

One thing I do think about throughout the year is what I'll be putting in this very post: my year-in-review. So here it is: a rundown of 2015 in all its glory.

What did you do in 2015 that you’d never done before?
I took the National Certification exam for surgical technologists. I am now officially a CST (Certified Surgical Technologist, though everyone calls us "scrubs"). Even though I have been scrubbing for 9+ years now, I've never been certified, because it wasn't required. Now it is, and It's rather a joke among my coworkers that we are all now so much better/intelligent/sparkly now that we are certified.

Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

This is what I wrote last year, and it still fits today: "Honestly, I don't remember what they were. Probably the usual, and I probably will."

Did anyone close to you give birth?

Dave & Lexy had baby #5 in August. I was so bummed not to be in Phoenix to meet little Asher on the day he was born, but I'm very happy to know my nephew now that they have moved back to Utah! Yay!

Did anyone close to you die?

My Great Uncle Wayne Bryant passed away in November. I didn't hear about it until a few weeks later; I guess there wasn't a funeral, which makes me sad. 

What countries did you visit?

No other countries; I did get into Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, and California (the usual, I suppose).

What would you like to have in 2016 that you lacked in 2015?

An assurance that everything will work out the way it's supposed to.

What date from 2015 will remain etched upon your memory?

August 29. I won't really elaborate here, but that was the date of a pretty significant paradigm shift in my heart.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Passing the certification exam was a pretty big one. I also was promoted to a Tech III at work (the highest level you can attain within Intermountain). Not really big deals, but not too shabby.

What was your biggest failure?

I never got Benji into therapy. I need to get him evaluated and get that ball rolling. He needs more than the school can provide, and I need to buckle down and get it scheduled. 

Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nothing major; just a really bad cold in October.

What was the best thing you bought?

Airline tickets and Disneyland. I need to fly more!!

Whose behavior merited celebration?

Not mine, that's for sure. Grandma T (my mother-in-law), on the other hand, has been amazing. 

Where did most of your money go?

Bills. Car. Food. Concerts. Gifts. Disneyland. Bath & Body Works. Ulta. Amazon. 

What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Going to California in May with Allison for the U2 concerts! I'm still excited just thinking about how awesome it was!

What song will always remind you of 2015?

It's a tie between "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson w/Bruno Mars, and "Hello" by Adele. Here are the ALBUMS I spent some quality time with in 2015 (homework, you know).

10. Talking is Hard, Walk The Moon

9. 25, Adele

8. Just Kids, Mat Kearney

7. Sigh No More, Mumford & Sons

6. Smoke And Mirrors, Imagine Dragons

5. The Desired Effect, Brandon Flowers

4. VHS, X Ambassadors

3. Battle Born, The Killers

2. Young Love, Mat Kearney

1. Wilder Mind, Mumford & Sons

Some of these albums are a bit older, but I tend to listen to them over-and-over for a while. Songs of Innocence didn't make the list, because it came out in 2014, and I couldn't stop listening it to it then. I did listen to U2 non-stop while I was there for the concerts, and it was so great. 

My top 10 SONGS of 2015 (or, the songs that have meant the most to me this year)

10. "Moving On" by Mat Kearney

9. "Take Me To Church" by Hozier

8. "Polaroid" by Imagine Dragons

7. "The Crystal Ballroom" by U2

6. "Never Get You Right" by Brandon Flowers

5. "Avalanche" by Walk The Moon

4. "Unsteady" by X Ambassadors

3. "When We Were Young" by Adele

2. "Learning to Love Again" by Mat Kearney

1. "The Wolf" by Mumford & Sons

Popular songs like "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran and "Style" by Taylor Swift weren't bad, but they don't make the top 10. Sorry, Tay-Tay.

And the concert list for this year (it was pretty epic): 

Pentatonix (3/3/15, UCCU)

Mat Kearney (3/13/15, The Complex)

U2: Innocence & Experience (5/30, 5/31, The Forum, Los Angeles)

Train (with Matt Nathanson and The Fray, 7/19/15, USANA Amphitheater)

Imagine Dragons (with Halsey and Metric, 7/28/15, Energy Solutions Arena)

Walk The Moon (with Coin, 8/8/15, The Complex)

Brandon Flowers (9/28/15, The Complex)

Bastille (Nightmare Before Xmas, with Arcadia and Broken Kelby, 12/7/15, The Complex)

Seriously--it was a great concert season. The only one on the schedule for this year is Vance Joy @ The Complex, but I might need to go to Journey (USANA) Josh Groban & Sarah McLachlan (USANA), The Cure (Maverik Center).  I'm also hoping U2 will drop their next album soon ("Songs of Experience"), and with it more U.S. tour dates. We'll see how it all pans out!

Compared to this time last year, are you:

   Happier or sadder? Not sure at the moment. It depends on the day and how much sleep I've had.

   Thinner or fatter? Fatter, probably. I don't really keep track.

   Richer or poorer?  Slightly less in-debt, and I made more, so I guess I'm richer?

What do you wish you’d done more of?  

Exercising.  Spending time with my boy.

What do you wish you’d done less of?  

Staying up too late.

How will you be spending Christmas? 

Probably in Logan.

Did you fall in love in 2015?

Um...

Who were your best friends?

Peggy, Heather, Todd

What thing did you do that was meaningful to others?

I threw a baby shower for Alisa and organised a retirement dinner for Carol. I also made a photo book for Sarah & Chad's wedding.

What were your favorite TV programs?

Doctor Who, Downton Abbey, Sherlock, The Mindy Project, Broadchurch. 

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Not really. I try not to hate people.

What was the best book you read in 2015?

I read quite a few books this year. The best is probably The Martian by Andy Weir (it was so good I read it twice!). Let's see if I can remember the rest: 

Harry Potter 1-7 (it's about time to read these again . . .)

The Cuckoo's Calling, Robert Galbraith

The Silkworm, Robert Galbraith

Career of Evil, Robert Galbraith

The Giver, Lois Lowry

Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith

The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom

The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman

The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman

Bossypants, Tina Fey

How To Be Good, Nick Hornby

Funny Girl, Nick Hornby

This year (so far), I have read Brooklyn by Colm Toibin and Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson. Both pretty easy reads, but not spectacularly memorable.

What was your greatest musical discovery?

X Ambassadors. Good stuff!

What did you want and get?

An iPhone 6s Plus. Merry Christmas to me.

What did you want but did NOT get?

A Kindle. Sometimes toting books around gets old.

What was your favorite film of this year?

Star Wars Episode VII (I've seen it twice). The Martian was also very good, but the book was better. Mockingjay Part II and Selma were good. Inside Out was FANTASTIC. 

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I'm pretty sure I worked. I'll be 37 in a couple of weeks. Yikes!

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

More sleep. And a car with a great sound system. 

What kept you sane?

Friends. Good people at work and church and in my life.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

I'm currently crushing on Oscar Isaac. ("Poe DAMNeron, ammirite?")

What political issue stirred you the most?

Honestly, I try to avoid it. My car radio died, so I just listen to music. The bombings in Paris were tragic, but the political pundits make me crazy. I REALLY hope Donald Trump doesn't win the Republican nomination.

Who did you miss?

I don't get to see Peggy often enough, but she makes time for me. I miss Brittany Burgon--she hasn't responded to any of my attempts to reach her. Sad. 

Who was the best new person you met this year?

Todd (work friend). He makes me laugh.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2015.

The only thing you can control is yourself.

Quote that sums up your year:

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” 
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

So there you have it, folks (um, Erin--I'm pretty sure you're the only person still checking in! Thanks!). Here's to another trip around the sun. Let's make 2016 a good one, eh?