Friday Five

I'm updating like a madwoman all of a sudden! What's up with that?! Anyway, I liked this Friday Five, even though it's last weeks. This week's isn't up yet.

1. What was your biggest accomplishment this year?

Definitely finishing the first draft of my novel. It needs a ton of work and I am pretty sure I'm going to scrap the last half and completely retool the thing, but it's there. The clay is on the wheel, I just have to shape it, refine it, fire it, paint it, and then hope somebody will buy it!

2. What was your biggest disappointment?

Unfortunately, this one's equally easy (though more complex). Having to leave England is definitely the big downer of '03. Along with it came a ton of heartache - being away from Andrew for 3 months, losing tens of thousands of dollars having to move back very early with no job or plans (money we'll be paying off for many years on TOP of the $40k in student loans we took for the year we spent there), losing my full-time writer status, being thrust back into American culture (I literally cried the first time I had to go into a WalMart this year), being thrust back into teaching, being taken away from some awesome people I got to see often, leaving a place I was just learning to really love. ::sigh:: It's something I'll probably always wonder about and mourn a little.

3. What do you hope the new year brings?

Balance. I want to feel relaxed and feel like I have time to do the things I want to do. I want to not work such long hours or feel so much pressure (which I admittedly put on myself) to be the perfect teacher. I want other areas in my life - particularly as a wife and writer - to bloom, even if it is to the detriment (to a certain extent) of my teaching career.

4. Will you be making any New Year's resolutions? If yes, what will they be?

I'm really not too much of a resolution girl because I don't keep them very well. One year I resolved to stop cussing and I really tried, but failed. Now I feel terrible about that, but I also use cussing as a release a lot, so it sucks all around. That taught me not to make resolutions. That and the umpteen "I'll lose weight/get in shape/read more" resolutions I made over the years. That said, this year I would really like to get in shape, spend a lot more time writing (also read, knit, and hang out with friends more). I'd like to make more time for things I enjoy. I'd like to find a church I enjoy, too. The search for that illusive bugger continues. Once you've attended an Oxford University chapel service, there's just no comparison. No resolutions, though. These are just personal goals, and they've been there for a while.

5. What are your plans for New Year's Eve?

Well, since it was last night that's easy. I stayed home. Two friends came over and played video games. They were over until 6:30 and 10:30 this morning. It was pretty fun, but mostly they played a game I didn't like, so that kind of sucked. Midnight was fun, though, and, most importantly, I got to spend it with my wonderful husband and three sweet kitty cats. That makes it very, very happy because last year my kitties were on another continent.