2019 was a thing that happened

Heyyyy, it’s my annual this thing! Better late than pregnant, amirite?

Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I straight-up ignored last new year. This year? Nah, I don’t need no stinkin’ resolutions.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

Kelsey had a baby! I also gained a niece via my oldest brother!

Did anyone close to you die?

Enli ❤

What countries did you visit?

Just this one.

What would you like to have in 2020 that you lacked in 2019?

MOAR travel!

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Uh. Did I achieve anything this year? Just being my rad self, perhaps.

What was your biggest failure?

Weeding the garden consistently. Ha.

What was the best thing you bought?

Stand mixer!

Whose behavior merited celebration?

Maddie, for being a lake dog.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

This answer has not changed since the 2016 election.

Where did most of your money go?

Just stuff. We treated ourselves a lot this year, I think.

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

NY trip!

What song will always remind you of 2019?

Empire State of Mind, because on the NY trip I taught several colleagues about “concrete jungle wet dream tomato”

Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or Sadder?

Same?

Thinner or fatter?

Same?

Richer or poorer?

Same? Ha

What do you wish you’d done more of?

Travel, although one trip is better than none.

What do you wish you’d done less of?

Nothing. I did my best.

How will you be spending Christmas?

We did the usual. Christmas eve with my family, Christmas day with Darren’s.

Did you fall in love in 2019?

With the stand mixer.

What was your favorite TV program?

Schitt’s Creek, or Grace & Frankie

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

Nnnnnewp

What was the best book you read?

Oooooh. Maybe The Power. PS, come find me on Goodreads if you want!

What was your greatest musical discovery?

I guess 2019 was the years I started actively listening to Hozier, but that’s not a discovery.

What did you want and get?

New laptop, stand mixer

What did you want and not get?

One million dollars

What were your favorite films of this year?

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

What did you do on your birthday?

Went to work, ate donuts and bagels, came home, and ordered delivery (tacos) because the weather was garbage.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2019?

Librarian witch

What kept you sane?

Books

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Jane Fonda

What political issue stirred you the most?

Impeachment

Who did you miss?

Enli.

Who was the best new person you met?

My colleague Kaela. I think we met this year, but she (and her boss) definitely moved to Mpls from our NY office this year.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2019:

If the year starts off really badly, the rest of it is comparably okay. Not advisable, though.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

“What’s the destination? Heck if I know!”

Some good things about 2018

I only did forty. Most of 2018 was pretty good, some of it was the absolute worst (just like any other year). Here are a bunch of the good things:

1. Kate and Mat’s engagement (which was basically the first thing that even happened in 2018)
2. and their wedding!
3. CSP reunion lunch in January when Brenna was in town
4. the Minneapolis Miracle (even though I don’t care about football)
5. becoming a Broadway on Hennepin season subscriber, so fance.
6. Washington vacation/more time with Brenna
7. vacation tattoo gets its own spot
8. #mprraccoon
9. Maddie’s improving behavior and aggressive cuddling
10. my gardens
11. the State Fair, always
12. the Week of Fun
13. Pequots reunion at the WulfSpaan wedding
14. Getting a big hug from Harrison as soon as we got to my parents’ house for Thanksgiving
15. Kate’s goddess-filled bridal blessing
16. Christmas movie marathoning
17. Buddhism
18. decent midterm election results
19. homemade kombucha (does anybody need a SCOBY?)
20. The Thirsty Whale
21. fried chicken at Pearl & the Thief
22. Bobert
23. Hamilton
24. paddle boarding
25. Jaequan’s hot dog stand
26. the announcement of a live action CATS movie
27. witchery
28. dancing my face off with Kate & Mat at Kelsey’s wedding
29. having gutters installed on the house
30. NBC saving Brooklyn 99
31. the taco truck that operates outside the Columbia Heights Auto Zone year-round. Whyyy?
32. they caught the GSK!
33. birthday zip-lining
34. digging into my ancestry and finding cool stuff
35. Cloud Cult + Minnesota Orchestra show
36. hanging dad’s shop sign in my kitchen
37. talking with my dad about the Christmas movies that him cry
38. original Charmed on Netflix
39. building our collection of Chuck U prints
40. the Andy Samberg screaming GIF

2018!

Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I didn’t make any.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

A few people did have babies, but not super close.

Did anyone close to you die?

No.

What countries did you visit?

Washington state is not a separate country, alas.

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

I would like to not have any unexpected car issues/repairs.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

First real vacation in 3 years? Not having to put the car repairs on the credit card? Both.

What was your biggest failure?

Accomplishing basically no house projects.

What was the best thing you bought?

A few extra months of life for Enli.

Whose behavior merited celebration?

Enli, the eternal good girl.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Nazis.

Where did most of your money go?

Car repair.

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

Vacation!

What song will always remind you of 2018?

I don’t think there’s a song, but how about a quote?
“There’s a HORSE. LOOSE. In a HOSPITAL.”

Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or Sadder?

Sadder.

Thinner or fatter?

Probably about the same, it is eatin’ season after all.

Richer or poorer?

Poorer.

What do you wish you’d done more of?

Spending time outside.

What do you wish you’d done less of?

Thinking.

How will you be spending Christmas?

As usual, Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas day with Darren’s.

Did you fall in love in 2018?

Not with a person.

*I finally deleted the one-night stand question*

What was your favorite TV program?

Ha, I should ask Netflix about that. I watched like nine seasons of Parts Unknown, so probably that.

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

Nah.

What was the best book you read?

Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment

What was your greatest musical discovery?

Don’t know that there were any this year, TBH.

What did you want and get?

A vacation. A ticket to see Hamilton.

What did you want and not get?

Impeachment.

What were your favorite films of this year?

Probaby Coco? It was released in 2017, but I watched it in 2018.

What did you do on your birthday?

Skipped work to go Zip-lining!

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2018?

Comfort first.

What kept you sane?

Quiet time.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

John Mulaney.

What political issue stirred you the most?

Everything about the midterms.

Who did you miss?

Barack Obama, still.

Who was the best new person you met?

I don’t knowwww!

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2018:

“Don’t worry about whether you like it or don’t like it. Just do it, and your life will blossom.”

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

We are your conscience.
We thought we’d tell you,
you’ve been sleepwalking
through most of your days.

Your eyes are open,
Your body’s moving,
Your lips are speaking,
But you’re far from awake.

(Cloud Cult – Sleepwalker)

State Fair Eatin’ List 2018

Opening day of the fair was glorious this year, although we were missing Jim which was tragic. As professionals, Kate, Kelsey, Courtney, and I persevered. Here’s what we consumed:

• maple cream cold brew
• mini donuts
• footlong
• sweet corn
• jerky
• samples in the Grandstand
• shrimp avocado boat
• smoked ice cream
• cheese curds
• chocolate chip cookie beer
• fried Snickers
• sweet greek puffs
• 1919 root beer
• chocolate frozen banana
• turducken sausage
• dill pickle beer
• fried green tomatoes
• honey cream soda float
• honey lemonade
• pb&j sausage
• a First Kiss apple, newly bred at the U of MN
• frozen apple cider
• honey candy
• reuben bites
• tater kegs
• horchata
• general tso tacos
• chocolate shake
• deep fried turkey sandwich
• chocolate milk
• chocolate truffles
• sangria beer
• more coffee
• sliders
• twisted potato
• sweet martha’s cookies

On Friday I returned, this time with Darren and a couple of his friends that are visiting from out of town. It was rainy, which was just fine until the downpour started. Once your shoes are soaked through, walking around the fair is just too unpleasant. That morning’s fair fare:

• mini donuts
• coffee
• jalapeno cheese curds
• corn
• more grandstand samples
• sweet martha’s
• root beer
• Chan’s chicken on a stick
• another First Kiss apple
• more honey lemonade
• tipsy pie
• aligator
• fried Reeces
• chili cheese ribbon fries

Darren forgot our tickets at home that day, which meant a potential third trip that definitely happened. I ended up going back with the aforementioned visiting friends yesterday (Friday), and we more than made up for the previous rainout.

• footlong
• mini donuts
• coffee, always
• corn fritters
• bucket o’ cheese curds
• cinna-mini donuts
• rainbow cloud roll
• chicken-on-a-stick
• lemonade
• pronto pup
• dairy building ice cream
• cider
• sangria beer
• deep fried Twinkie
• bucket of saltwater taffy to take home

Yikes. I need a salad, stat.

updates in list form

Wow, have I been a blog slacker. Let’s talk about things! I’ve done some stuff and never got around to posting about it. Here goes…

House stuff:

• I painted the guest room grey (Magnetic Grey) & white like a year ago, and it’s been furnished. I still haven’t take pictures. Mehhhh.
• I painted the accent wall on the back porch/sunroom the same color.
• Painted the upstairs bathroom the same grey as the half-bath (Pencil Sketch)
• Changed out the kitchen cabinet knobs for these ones from Amazon
• Added some more indoor plants (referencing my Winter To-Do List). Current tally:
  • spider plant & snake plant in the dining room
  • snake plant in the entry – it’s currently growing a little baby
  • snake plant & pothos in the bedroom
  • air plants in the kitchen
• Replaced the living room rug with a larger, heavier, more neutral one. Of course I can’t find it on Target’s website. I love the old one and moved it to the basement; it just isn’t sturdy enough for such a high traffic area.
• We’re getting gutters soon, finally. It was supposed to happen this past fall, but weather did not permit.
• We have big plans for the back yard this summer:
  • new steps
  • remove paver patio and replace it with a low deck-style one, probably
  • create path from patio to back gate
  • add a small storage shed where garden 3 used to be
• I planted daffodils along the edge of the south garden (6) in the fall, and I noticed this morning that they’ve started emerging. I hope they don’t freeze.

Dogs:

• Maddie:
  • completed her basic obedience class in December.
  • She’s 14 months old now and is fully in her adolescent phase, but we’ve seen plenty of improvement from the puppy stage. Thank god.
  • She got tall.
  • She can climb over our fence, so I take her out in our fully fenced yard on a leash. Cool.
  • loves the dog park
• Enli:
  • good meatball
  • mostly gets along with Maddie as long as they’re both in the same mood
  • She’s 8 years old and has hip issues, but gets a hemp supplement that has been helping a lot.
  • also loves the park

Misc:

I randomly started digging into my genealogy, pretty much just using whatever info I can find for free. It’s fun! Here’s what I’ve found so far:

Dad’s side:
I can’t find shit on the Johnstons beyond my great-grandma’s parents. But on grandma’s side, her mom’s family (my great-great-great-great grandparents & most of their kids) came over from Germany in 1840. Grandma’s dad’s family lived mostly in New York for a very long time, but I finally traced them back to Holland and France (looks like they came to the US from France in the 1600s). The earliest record I can find is from the 1530s.

Mom’s side:
My great-great-great grandfather on grandpa’s mom’s side was born in Switzerland. Grandma’s maternal great-great grandparents came over from Ireland in 1849. I’m having trouble finding anything beyond that, but it’s a pretty good start.

Uhhhh, okay. I think that’s it? Have I been doing anything else with my life? No, because winter is terrible so I’ve been hibernating. Hopefully now that we have fun stuff planned I’ll have interesting things to write about. We’ll see!

things that made my year 2017

A bit delayed, but that’s pretty much my MO. You know how this goes by now. In no particular order, a bunch of things that made last year less of a dumpster fire.

1. our gardens
2. Madeline the pupper, even though she still has so much of the devil in her I considered leaving her off this list.
3. Enli the angel dog baby
4. Cloud Cult performing The Seeker live
5. the Women’s March
6. this tweet
7. impressively accurate tarot reading at Darren’s company party (hopefully not too accurate though)
8. Galentine’s Day
9. this amazing picture we unearthed at work during our office move
10. Nazis getting punched
11. Patrick Stewart and his foster dog, Ginger
12. basically any dog gif or video
13. Supernatural
14. What If All I Want is a Mediocre Life?
15. Father Mustache
16. house plants I can keep alive
17. “Catch him, Derry!”
18. Saints games
19. jalepeno cheese curds
20. the dog park
21. two Fair trips
22. eclipse hype
23. Zip-lining in the Dells
24. Waterpark hotel with a giant tub on same Dells vacation
25. Home Service Plus
26. The free gym my office building added
27. Getting a signed shirt from Katrina of the Waves
28. Stranger Things/MN Science Museum hoodies
29. Hating on the upcoming Super Bowl
30. ridiculous Christmas sweaters
31. getting things I really wanted for Christmas
32. Roku
33. The coziness of our house when it’s decorated for Christmas
34. This sign
35. One of our theatres got nominated for a Billboard award

2017 in Review

Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I didn’t make any.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

A few friends did, indeed, have babies.

Did anyone close to you die?

No.

What countries did you visit?

Wisconsin. Ha.

What would you like to have in 2018 that you lacked in 2017?

A democratic congress and a different president.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

My gardens!

What was your biggest failure?

We failed to get some house projects done before winter.

What was the best thing you bought?

Maybe the hammock.

Whose behavior merited celebration?

Nazi punchers.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

I will give you one guess.

Where did most of your money go?

House stuff.

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

Gardens! My rose bushes in particular.

What song will always remind you of 2017?

I really don’t think there is one this year…

Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or Sadder?

Same, probably.

Thinner or fatter?

Probably about the same.

Richer or poorer?

Richer!

What do you wish you’d done more of?

Sleeping in.

What do you wish you’d done less of?

Yelling at Madeline, but she didn’t give me much choice.

How will you be spending Christmas?

Christmas Eve with my family, Christmas Day with Darren’s. Per usual.

Did you fall in love in 2017?

With Maddie, even though she’s still an asshole sometimes.

How many one-night stands?

I should delete this question.

What was your favorite TV program?

Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

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

No?

What was the best book you read?

HRC’s What Happened.

What was your greatest musical discovery?

This year I decided I like Ed Sheeran.

What did you want and get?

A Roku? hahaha

What did you want and not get?

Impeachment.

What were your favorite films of this year?

Hmmm, probably Lion. Thanks, Netflix. it’s been two years since I saw a movie in theatres.

What did you do on your birthday?

Took the day off and hung out with Darren.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2017?

Elastic waistbands for life!

What kept you sane?

Reading books.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

my dude Barack.

What political issue stirred you the most?

lol, what didn’t?

Who did you miss?

Barack Obama.

Who was the best new person you met?

I didn’t meet many new people this year and none of them stand out, so…

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2017:

2017 was a year of getting by, and trying to find peace in chaos. We did it, I think, so hey-o.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

“Just keep swimming, just keep swimming…”

making plans

This morning, Kelsey posted a list of goals for the upcoming season(s) and you know what, it’s a good idea. Winter for me is generally a time for hibernation/TV watching, but there are a few things I’d like to accomplish:

• square off the kitchen ceiling hole and fit a patch for it (leak has still not been repaired, patch will be removable)
• paint the upstairs bathroom
• hang a plant or two in the living room
• work on Madeline’s obedience training (puppy classes start on the 30th!)
• finally post about the guest room, which has been painted and furnished for months

I didn’t actually expect most of these things to be house related, but of course they are. Cold weather is for indoor activities, and home stuff is what I default to if I’m not on the couch. Maybe having this list in the world will help keep me accountable.

Happy Sweater Season!

fifty things that made my year, 2016

Last year was Not Kind. But in the midst of the madness, I think I can come up with fifty things for this list, as I have for the past couple years (2014, 2015).

1. obviously, buying our house
2. getting my tattoo
3. hanging out backstage during Cloud Cult
4. new car!
5. Cloud Cult’s album and film, “The Seeker”
6. my fancy new coffee maker
7. Paul McCartney at the Target Center
8. seeing Dave Chappelle at First Ave during his Minneapolis takeover
9. Little Red Porkette
10. paying off one of my student loans
11. having a woman on the presidential ballot
12. voting for said woman, even if she’s not going to be president
13. Rebekah’s wedding. Table 7 for liiiife
14. growing my hair out…
15. …and then cutting it off again because long hair is annoying
16. the Chicago Cubs
17. The Crown on Netflix
18. six years of marriage ❤
19. learning how to make scones
20. the Tony-Award-winning musical Fun Home
21. hot chocolate
22. the TSA’s Instagram
23. the strange and wonderful art we bought
24. another West Wing re-watch (that is continuing into the new year)
25. a coworker gifted me a Christmas tree
26. chocolate & peanut butter brownies from Pizza Luce
27. Leslie Knope’s letter to America
28. the Bob Ross Twitch channel
29. Halloween cat onesie
30. several successful DIY projects
31. silicone baking sheets
32. Julia Turshen’s Small Victories
33. night coffee
34. all coffee, actually
35. so many HGTV shows on Netflix
36. “Delete your account.”
37. learning grasshopper pose, kinda
38. becoming better friends with our now-former apartment neighbors
39. moving out of said former apartment
40. pretty sunrise views from our bedroom window
41. my solo one-day trip to see some of my WI family
42. the super-sweet thing (about being a family) that Darren said to me on his birthday that made us both cry
43. Enli being Enli
44. Amazon Prime (34 orders in 2016, could be worse? lol)
45. not being sick for Christmas break, for the second year in a row!
46. my 11 day Christmas break
47. TV marathons
48. Harrison turned one and continues to be awesome
49. Boca Chica’s Taco House
50. that there were enough good things to make even the shortest list

2016 – the weirdest year

Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

None resolutions. I should do the burrito one again, that was awesome.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

A coworker & some FB friends.

Did anyone close to you die?

No.

What countries did you visit?

No trips this year.

What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?

A different president-elect. Alas, no such miracle exists.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Paid off one student loan and bought a muthafuckin’ house. Those things are unrelated but both super rad.

What was your biggest failure?

I was hoping it would be a cavity-free year. April’s dentist visit gave me hope, but November’s brought failure.

What was the best thing you bought?

Haus. The car is a close second, though, and has been less temperamental.

Whose behavior merited celebration?

The wonderful folks at Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

He Who Shall Not Be Named.

Where did most of your money go?

This friggin’ house.

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

Um, our house… there’s a pretty clear theme here.

What song will always remind you of 2016?

Maybe “We Didn’t Start the Fire”

Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or Sadder?

I mean, some good stuff happened this year but it has also been pretty stressful. Plus we’re about to enter into possibly a nightmare, so.

Thinner or fatter?

Fatter. Oops. My pants still fit though, so meh.

Richer or poorer?

This is a loaded question.

What do you wish you’d done more of?

Adventure/travel, but we just had other priorities. Womp.

What do you wish you’d done less of?

Stressin’

How will you be spending Christmas?

Christmas eve was in Pequot, Christmas afternoon/evening was in Farmington. Then we came home and had to smash a hole in our kitchen ceiling- blog post to come later.

Did you fall in love in 2016?

With our new car, lol.

How many one-night stands?

*obligatory joke about nightstands here*

What was your favorite TV program?

I don’t know, maybe Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. I’ve still only seen the first season!

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

Yeah, probably.

What was the best book you read?

Furiously Happy.

What was your greatest musical discovery?

Not so much a discovery, but Cloud Cult’s album “The Seeker” came out this year and it is everything.

What did you want and get?

House.

What did you want and not get?

A million dollars. This answer will never change, until I get a million dollars.

What were your favorite films of this year?

The Seeker. It’s an album and a film!

What did you do on your birthday?

Went to yoga, got a tattoo, ran some errands, then had a nice dinner.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2016?

Simple, neutral.

What kept you sane?

Netflix.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Hillz.

What political issue stirred you the most?

Um the entire election *crawls into a hole and dies*

Who did you miss?

My dad, actually. He’s been gone almost 25 years but I guess it’s been a long time since I overtly missed him.

Who was the best new person you met?

Some of Darren’s coworkers. I don’t think I can pick just one.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016:

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

There’s no use running unless you run like heck
The best things we’ve learned, we learned from the wreck…