2013: A Sort of Review

As a year, 2013 was definitely a year. Complete with 365 days. It had a beginning. It had an end. Overall I'm gonna call it a good one. Maybe not the best year ever, but it definitely falls somewhere in my top 33 years.

What follows is a series of questions that will somewhat help me to compartmentalize 2013. I stole these from Shannon over at Sitting in a Tree. If you're not already reading her blog, you should be. And now, before we look forward, let's look backward for a moment.

Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Look back at the 13 resolutions I made for 2013, I realize I should probably go over that list as its own separate blog post. Not sure if I'll actually do that or not. But, to sum up, I didn't do very well with those resolutions overall. I have no plans to make resolutions in 2014.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

My oldest friend in the world, Jessica, gave birth to her second child. She and her husband welcomed a son into the world. He may be he only newborn I've met this year.

Did anyone close to you die?

Sadly, my grandfather passed away just before Christmas. In spite of that, it was great to see so much of my family when I traveled to Nashville for his funeral and it was an incredible opportunity to celebrate his life.

What countries did you visit?

Having just read the previous answer, it should be obvious that I went to Tennessee.*

What would you like to have in 2014 that you didn't have in 2013?

A vacation.

What dates from 2013 will be etched upon your memory and why?

March 6 - It was my 33rd birthday. I had an awesome birthday party. It involved laser tag. Please contain your jealousy.

April 4 - I don't know why this date is so stuck in my head. It snowed a lot. And I think that's why it's there. We should have been beyond the big snowstorms by that point of the year. They weren't calling for it. It just suddenly came. Good times.

August 7 - I found out that The Mary Tyler Moore Show is available to watch on Hulu. Awesome.

August 21 - Remember that time I destroyed my car? It's the day that totally reinforced my whole "unbreakable" theory. I walked away with nothing broken, barely a scratch.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I didn't fall when I went roller skating for my birthday. That's a pretty good one. I didn't die when I had my car accident. I consider that a huge achievement.

What was your biggest failure?

Ha... please.

What's the best thing you ate?

I'm not sure. I ate a lot. I mean, we're talking approximately three meals a day for 365 days. I have a hard time remembering what I had for lunch yesterday. I don't know that food made that much of an impact on me this year. If it's not the best thing I ate all year, it's pretty close. And that would be Mamaw's Macaroni and Cheese. Got to eat it a couple times recently. Excellent.

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

I don't generally get excited. I don't generally do emotion. I even joked about it on Facebook, saying that "too excited" for me is like everyone else's "regular excited." Jen then pointed out that my "too excited" is like everyone else's "mildly amused."

Compared to this time last year, are you A) richer or poorer? B) happier or sadder? C) thinner or fatter?

A) I'd say things are about the same. I mean, my savings account is in better shape than it was a year ago, but I don't think that makes me richer by any stretch of the imagination. B) I think I'm happier. I'm definitely in a better place, emotionally, than I was last year. C) Roughly the same, which is not where I'd like to be. I quit running for a while and need to get back to it.

Did you fall in love in 2013?

Can't say that I did. That's not to say there hasn't been a crush or two that's crossed my path. But love didn't enter the equation.

What was your favorite TV program?

I really, really got into Doctor Who.

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

I feel like I already answered this above. I went skating and played laser tag with a lot of new friends. I turned 33.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2013?

I don't think I have a fashion concept. I'm typically a t-shirt and jeans guy.

What kept you sane?

Not sure, really. I'm pretty laid back and don't get stressed or anxious about things. That helps a lot.

Tell me a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.

I think I learned that I can be an introvert and enjoy my alone time, but it doesn't mean I have to completely close myself off from people.

*Please note, I realize the question above asked about countries. I also know that Tennessee is a state.