2015 in Review

January

• Published a poem
• Started my 100 Words writing project
• Rented two movies at once from a Redbox in a probable snowstorm
• Continued (over from Dec ’14) sewing purses for ca$h money
• Experimented with midi rings

February

• Upgraded the kids to a bunk bed!
• Oliver raced “Science Car” at his Boy Scout pinewood derby
• Bought a fitness tracker and got obsessed with Daily Steps Totals
• Ate my once-yearly (and no fucking more) box of Chicken in a Biskit
• Was featured on the Mother Artist Project
• Netflix binged Broadchurch Season 1 to the detriment of my sleep

March

• Took my purse making to the next level and launched Helen Bright
• Went to Voices of the Middle West ’15 in Ann Arbor and basked in the glow of the brilliant Stuart Dybek
• Refused to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day
• Glutted myself on Purity Ring’s another eternity

April

• Realized six years have passed since learning about Oliver’s food allergies
• FaceTimed a lot with my magical niece, Violet
• Enjoyed a spa-like hand steam treatment when I removed a warm Subway sandwich from its bag
• Gardened ❤ ❤ ❤
• Forgot to bring my headphones to the gym and had to listen to my own thoughts for over an hour
• Sat on the porch with Margot and colored pictures

May

• Celebrated two years with my amazing writing group!!! Developed the following possible WG tagline: “getting real not raggedy”
• Played at Holliday Park with the kids every possible chance
• The Back Troubles Began / Converted to Chiropractorism
• My nephew was born!
• Took an impulse trip to the Indiana Dunes
• Sold Helen Bright bags at the Mother Artist Market at the Harrison Center for the Arts on First Friday
• Authored this piece about another significant facet of my life

June

• Discovered “Lifesaving” by David Shumate
• Held A Pony Party // Margot turned 4
• Oliver graduated from 1st grade and uttered wisdom after the candy-themed class awards: “But you know, Mommy, everyone should have gotten Nerds because everyone is a nerd about something.”
• Saw Inside Out // cried all the tears
• Oliver left town to spend the summer in Michigan
• Sat for two hours on my front stoop in the dark, marveling at clouds that float across the sky and flowers that grow in the dark
• The Radio Dept. made music magic with the Laura Palmer theme
• Monkeyed around with clean eating
• Learned to throw an atl atl
• Found out that you can make meringue from chickpea liquid
• Ate the most perfect nectarine
• Completed the Very Important Life Goal of reading every Poorly Drawn Lines comic

July

• It was once in a blue moon
• Oliver started 2nd grade! Lockers!
• Quit FB for half a month bc depression
• Waterskied! Sort of!
• Lost weight while clean eating for nearly a month; gave it up anyway
• Took that Buzzfeed Check Your Privilege quiz thing and learned my privilege was quite in check
• Margot held her first runway show at a 4th of July party (sidewalk runway)

August

• Climbed a tree with Oliver
• Consumed a popsicle
• Took a part-time job at Marian University tutoring writing students
• Margot started pre-K (sobbing)
• “Tokishaunish”–Margot said Pocahontas
• Oliver ate his first-ever-in-his-life bowl of dairy macaroni and cheese
• Went on the Butler University High Ropes Course in a stupid, stupid, stupid attempt to Stretch Myself and Grow as a Person (terrifying)
• Dyed my hair red bc “why not”
• Celebrated nine years of marriage

September

• Defied the convention of resumes, made a silly Google Slides presentation to submit instead and landed myself a sweet new job
• Covered my fridge in decorative contact paper
• Accepted the existence of Halloween and purchased a light-up ghost for my porch
• Mourned the loss of Catherine Coulson (“the Log Lady”)
• Supermoon
• Took a nap on my porch
• Ate a bag of caramel creams (one day)
• Margot included “going to writing group” in her imagination play
• Roadtripped with my mom to WV to meet my niece Violet
• Went to the Colts v. Bengals at Lucas Oil Stadium (Colts lost, womp womp)

October

• Received a lecture from Margot about everyone’s “mean finger” and why I shouldn’t use it
• Went public with my love of candy corn
• Turned 32 years old/young // bought an old/vintage ring at Midland to celebrate
• Oliver and Margot made clay pumpkins at the Fountain Square Clay Center (and charmed fellow clay pumpkin classmates in the meantime)
• Oliver turned 8 and officially declared his intention to work for NASA (or possibly SpaceX) someday
• A quiz circulating FB confirmed, yet again, that I am an INTJ
• Oliver passed his egg food challenge and wiped another food allergy off his list
• Queen Elsa and the Ninja trick-or-treated the crap out of our neighborhood, ensuring pre-diabetes for everyone in our family

November

• Baked my first persimmon pudding
• Mourned the unwanted end of my marriage
• Dreaded the holidays
• Posted a lot about my gratitude for my children and family and friends
• Discovered Nathan For You
• Took it one day at a time
• Was constantly lifted up by people showing me that they care about my life and that though I may feel alone, I’m not
• Changed my profile picture to an Etch-A-Sketch drawing of me with a cat on my head

December

• Bought and trimmed the ol’ Christmas tree, this year at my dad and stepmom’s, where I now live
• Binged Broadchurch Season 2
• Received a Hello Kitty sticker from a random little girl in Target
• Made cut-out cookies and caramel corn
• Celebrated the one year anniversary of Margot making an art installation out of a cat blanket and some cat pillows at the house of friends
• Learned I’d spent 39,000 minutes in 2015 listening to Spotify (27 days!!)
• Ate Chinese buffet on Christmas
• Went to the Fashion Mall the day after Christmas (idiot)
• Ate my first Casey’s General Store pizza in 14 years (since leaving Iowa)
• Decided all I could do was try to claim my life and make the best of it
• Looked forward to starting over in 2016

—

This post is part of Think Kit by SmallBox. Today’s prompt: Your 2015, reviewed–Give us the 30,000 foot view. Or, hone in on a few highlights. Let’s bring last year to life before moving on to what’s ahead.