The Best and Worst of 2009

Last night, Jon and I were reflecting on the entire year, thinking over some of the things that happened this year, some of the things that didn’t happen, and some of the things we wished had happened. Ultimately, this year was defined by waiting. Late January, Jon and I were furniture shopping, just about to complete our master bedroom makeover. We had painted it (twice), bought new bedding, and had fabric samples at home to pick out something cozy for our bay window area. The morning I was heading to Arhaus to place the order, Jon came out of his office and said “Don’t do it. Wyeth is being acquired by Pfizer. We need to cut back our spending starting right now.” From there until October, it was nothing but a waiting game. We waited for any news. I spent hours in waiting rooms of doctors offices while waiting for the diagnosis of Meniere’s Disease and hours driving to and from appointments for the rest of the year. We had more rain and more snow that we’ve had to wait out than I remember from past years. Almost every camping trip was wet at some point, and we spent time hovering in the camper playing games waiting for the rain to let up. Some years we’ve seen more, done more, but this year, we waited for relief and news. My way of handling it was to aggressively clean out my entire house. I went through things methodically, cabinet by cabinet, scouring, sorting, and ultimately, throwing out, giving away, or selling via garage sale. (where Marin had her first lemonade stand and we learned that she is an aggressive sales person – takes after her daddy, there.) We even went through every item in the basement and if it hadn't been used since we moved here, it got tossed to the curb as well. Jon said now, after the dust has cleared and he’s charging into his new company, that he felt like he missed this entire last year. I can see what he means; his stress levels were way too high. But when I really think about it, there were moments I would have liked missing, too, such as Marin’s astronomical meltdown in Copper Mountain. This is the one where she got off the bungee trampoline, looked at the line she would have to wait in if she wanted to do it again, and threw herself on the cement screaming and wailing that she would never move again until she got back on the trampoline. The crowd was enormous, and yes, that was my child on the ground turning 10 shades of red while throwing her shoes so she would have an excuse to not get up. I scooped her up and carried her all the way back to our condo while she screamed at every passer-by that she was trying to run away. I would sincerely liked to have missed that moment. But on the other hand, I would not miss for anything all the hugs, kisses, and amazing things that have come out of her mouth for anything in the world. Watching her ride her first bike, making her first pie, listening to her read in secret (she won’t acknowledge to us that she can read) hearing her thank us repeatedly for her toys and clothes; sure, she has her moments, but she is appreciative, clever, hilarious, and perceptive. I am so thankful that she is my child and not someone else’s; I would spend all my time wishing she were mine. At the end of it all, I’m still reeling a little from all that happened this year, but I can say that I am truly thankful for every good thing that I have. For this next year, I am going to hesitantly say that I hope for more action and less waiting, but I know… be careful what you wish for.

So here it is, our annual Best and Worst list of the year.

Best Moment: Finding out that Jon kept his job after we were completely convinced that he would lose it. Goodbye Wyeth, hello Pfizer.
Worst Moment: Jon says Jan. 25th, the day he found out (via the internet) that Wyeth was going to be purchased. A close second is getting hit by the red Taurus. (our car = totaled) The cop showdown that followed didn’t help. (You all best get out of here; somethin’s about to go down.”)
Most Poignant Moment: For Jon, it was when he was explaining to Marin some basics of Christianity. They talked about Jesus being put on the cross, what it means to forgive others, when we should ask for forgiveness, among other things, and then Marin paused and asked “Did God have to ask Jesus’s forgiveness for doing that to him?’
Greatest Disappointment: Not being able to put one foot directly in front of the other to walk. Thanks, Meniere’s Disease.
Dumbest Purchase: Zhu Zhu hamster set. (Well, if it’s dumb remains to be seen. But I’m a little mortified nonetheless.)
Best $$$$ Spent: Droid phones.
Most Necessary Purchase: My prism glasses.
Most Joyful Moment: The moment Jon got the call that he would obtain a position with Pfizer.
Funniest/Awkward Moment: Teaching Marin the proper names for body parts, or rather, the aftermath. The morning after she learned the terminology, she crawled in bed with Jon and me, snuggled for a moment, then said “Dad, this is a bagina bed. Penis’s, OUT!”
Most Thankful for: New friends like Neeli, Corene, Lisa…
Greatest Embarrassment: Asking David Sedaris if his candy basket was a f***-it bucket.
Greatest Loss: Sleep.
Best TV Shows: Lost. And I have to say, I’m loving Modern Family.
Best Book: The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Jon’s is The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. Actually, it’s the only book he read all year.
We Wish For: A cleaning lady
Places We Traveled This Year: Crested Butte, Yampa, Beaver Creek, (twice) Vail, Copper Mountain, Kansas City, and Rapid City.
Most Beautiful Place We Saw: Crested Butte.
Greatest Frustration: That Jon’s not a vampire.
Best CD Purchase: Ryan Adams “Cardinology”.
Most Refreshing Moment: For Jon, any moment of fly fishing.
Something We’ll Never Do Again: Take Ambien with an alcoholic beverage. Nor will Jon ever eat a peanut butter and wing sauce sandwich again. Nothing from that night should be repeated, really.
Movie We Should Be Ashamed to Have Laughed At: Bruno
Worst Movie We Saw: Wanted
Sweetest Thing Marin Said: Is that Mommy waking up? That sound is music to my ears.”
Irony: Needing our roof replaced from hail damage only to find out it was never installed properly to begin with.
Moment I Don’t Care to Relive: Waiting for the phone to ring. (back to the whole Wyeth/Pfizer thing again)
Most Looking forward to: Our February trip to Akumal, Mexico.
Least looking forward to: Lost ending this year.
Most Shocking Moment: Watching Jon sample Sammy’s canned cat food and declare it “not all that bad.”
Marin’s Most Proud Moment: Making her first pumpkin pie from scratch. We baked the pumpkin and all.
Most Clumsy Moment: The nail polish incident.
Greatest Relief: Sammy stopped sneezing
Simple Pleasure: Marin’s first bike, appropriately a Marin brand.

No More Thinking

Yesterday we were driving in the car when Marin broke through the silence to say "I'm not thinking tomorrow at all." Jon asked why not. "Because tomorrow is Sunday and thinking on Sundays is gross."

And this is the definition of non-sequitur.