I have been filling out this meme for over 10 years and it is still something I find worthwhile. 2016 has, on the whole, been a great year, espeically after the few years before it. I suspect the big difference is how I have chosen to deal with setbacks.

1. What did you do in 2016 that you’d never done before?

Visited Nepal with CQUni

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

I am not a resolution maker, however I have made some craftolutions (see previous post to this!)

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

I knit two baby blankets for friends :)

4. Did anyone close to you die?

It was sad being at the funeral of a uni colleague. Cancer sucks.

5. What countries/states did you visit?

Melbourne for Mum’s 70th and to settle Immy into college/uni life; Bendigo for Spendi wool show, Nepal with CQUni!

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

2016 has not really lacked in very much at all!

7. What dates from 2016 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

No dates as such but some wonderful memories were made on my trips to Melbourne, Bendi and Nepal

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Achieving great marks at uni, getting a casual job as an AIN at the hospital and being awarded champion item in the Cairns Show!

9. What was your biggest failure?

I could have eaten better and walked more.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I had the occasional cold and came back from Nepal with a intestinal bug, but nothing serious, no!

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I didn’t buy a lot this year really. There will always be skeins of yarn that enter my stash that I feel I can’t live without!

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

I have amazing kids and an amazing partner.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

I’m trying not to talk politics on here!

14. Where did most of your money go?

Bills

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

Nepal!

16. What song will always remind you of 2016?

I think I have reached an age where I could not tell you any song that was released this year!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:?

a) happier or sadder?
happier

b)thinner or fatter?
probably fatter

c) richer or poorer?
richer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Walking. I felt the healthiest in Nepal when I was walking 15-20,000 steps per day and eating unprocessed foods.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Stressing over assignments!

20. How did you spend Christmas?

The kids were home for the first time in a few years! I worked Christmas Eve, came home, put the turkey in the oven, went and slept and then cooked for us. Cooking does put me in my happy place!

21. Did you fall in love in 2016?

Over and over again with the gorgeous MIML™

22. How many one-night stands?

None! I think I might actually remove this question…

23. What was your favourite TV program?

Game of Thrones, Outlander, Call the Midwife… I also watched all of Gilmore Girls including the November special!

24. Did you make a friend with anyone that you didn’t know this time last year?

I am still meeting some wonderful nursing students, especially those who came to Nepal :)

25. What was the best book you read?

Fight like a Girl

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?

I have just seen the discovery I made last year- I thought I had made it this year! I still love listening to random 70s and 80s hits!

27. What did you want and get?

A paid job!

28. What did you want and not get?

More hours in said job- however it is swings and roundabouts and some weeks there are lots of shifts going and others not so many- it is what it is!

29. What was your favourite film of this year?

I did enjoy the Ghostbusters remake!

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

I was 44. It was not that memorable!

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

I have had a satisfying year. This is the first year in ages I can say this!

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2016?

Comfortable.

33. What kept you sane?

Knitting.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Ewan McGregor still does it for me!

35. What political issue stirred you the most?

Asylum Seekers, US election.

36. Who did you miss?

It was lonely with Immy in Melbourne- I hope to visit more often next year.

37. Who was the best new person you met?

Hard to single anyone out specifically, however Caitlyn and I had such a blast as roomies in Nepal!

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016.

It is hard to listen when your mouth is open!

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Roll on 2017!

So 12 months ago I made some craftolutions. Some have been met, others not so much! I am almost finished my twelfth self-0striping project for the year and I knit a baable hat. I did finish or frog quite a few WIPs and my stash didn’t grow that much (that I am willing to admit, anyway!). I decided early in the year that there are so many wonderful podcasts out there that me adding to them was not really adding anything new.

For 2017 I want to focus more on garments. This year I knit two sweaters- well one still needs buttons and I have three WIPs- all of which were WIPs at the start of the year too… I also want to get back into spinning more regularly. So I have decided to try and keep goals simple…

• 6 garments (including the three on the needles!)
• 12 bumps of fibre (might even sign up for Spin the Bin I think!)
• 12 self-striping items- but look at more worsted weight items perhaps!
• Camp Loopy
• 4 new sock patterns. I feel a lot of the time I am knitting vanilla Fish Lips Kiss Heels or Mystik Spirals and want to branch out- I have heaps of ideas in my queue!
• Attend Spendigo and go with a list of plans and purchase for plans!

I am fortunate in I have a job where I sit with patients and some of the time I can sit and knit. This works so well as sometimes patients get anxious when you sit there and look at them and doing something can put them at ease, plus it gives us something else to talk about! The plan is in 2018 to be working as a RN and I will not be in the position to sit and knit at work.

In years past I sent out Christmas Cards, usually with a ‘newsy letter’ included. One of the joys of the digital age is the ease at which I can produce an epistle, and put it up for those who want to read it to read it and those who don’t can skim over it or ignore it altogether!

Overall 2016 has been a great year and this is the first year in a while I can actually say this. I am not sure how much is me choosing or being able to ignore the not so pleasant parts or if I deal with them in a different way, but the good seems to certainly outweigh the bad. My studies are going really well and I am achieving great grades. I know it is not all about the grades so it is also great to have amazing placements and to receive some very positive feedback from this work based practice. In April I started working as an Assistant in Nursing (AIN) for Queensland Health. Usually I sit with high acuity patients who need someone with them to ensure they are safe. I have met some amazing people in this work and I really love it. I think that one of the things I will miss as a Registered Nurse is being able to sit with the same patients for 8 hours and listen to them.

In February the four of us travelled to Melbourne to celebrate Mum’s 70th birthday. Only three of us returned home! Miss 18 stayed in Melbourne as she was accepted into Melbourne Uni to study Arts. She is majoring in Communication and Japanese and would like to become a journalist. She has had an amazing year. She received a scholarship to the same residential college her parents attended and has taken to college life like a duck to water.

Mr 15 has also had a great year. He has just finished year 10 and is ready to start his senior years. He will be glad to be rid of science subjects and taking Maths A which is the life application maths stream that looks at interest and budgets and has more practical application in his life. He is yet to look for a part-time job but had an amazing week’s work experience at a local web design company. He fluctuates in his ambitions, however he is determined to head to uni. Whilst he loves his drama still he is not sure he wants to pursue an acting career and is now wavering on game design instead looking at following his sister to Melbourne to study Arts majoring in creative writing. He is yet to secure a part-time job, however has had some acting/entertaining gigs that have boosted his bank account a little! In September he went with school to the USA for a fortnight for Space Camp at NASA. He had a wonderful time, despite his so called disinterest in science. Go figure!

MIML™ has spent a great deal of this year restoring an old 1970s Landrover Series II. I keep being told about it and I nod, but really am none the wiser about the diff and the gaskets! After joking that I would prefer it to have power steering and air-con, he has found a wreck that has some form of power steering which he is going to try and fit. Air-con is a fair way off I think!

Ninja the black lab is getting older but still acting like a puppy. She enjoys her evening walks with MIML™ and I and every so often we think she has stopped digging. Alas I don’t think she has yet to extinguish this trait! Max and Leo the ragdolls still lounge around the house and occasionally disgrace themselves believing someone’s bed is the litter tray. Bad kitties!

Both spawn are home for the holidays this year which will be lovely. I am not sure if I am working yet so will see if we have Christmas lunch or dinner! Miss 18 has a job at a local hotel in the food and beverage department so she may be working Christmas Day too.

So there you have it. A brief update on where we are at and so much easier than printing things out, stuffing envelopes, finding addresses and mailing them! Wishing you and yours a happy and safe Christmas and an awesome 2017!