2024 Year in Review

Last year (2023), I tried a new "Year in Review" format. It was shorter and easier to write than what I had done in previous years, and felt fresher -- so I decided to keep it for 2024.  :)  The format/list of questions came from the long-gone scrapbooking magazine Creating Keepsakes, January/February 2013 issue (!). 

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1) What was the coolest thing you did or that happened to you last year?

Getting to meet and have dinner with Mel and her family in August. :)  

Having a patio lunch with five other childless/free women from the Childless Collective on a lovely Saturday in mid-September. :)  

Appeared in a World Childless Week webinar with Michael Hughes, chatting about our mutual love of genealogy and why we as childless people might find their family trees interesting. (You can view it here!) 

Read  "War & Peace"!  :)  One chapter a day for an entire year! (Check out the link for details -- you can do it this year too!)  

Connecting with a new friend via Ancestry -- not a relative of mine, BUT we share a family connection and distant cousins through marriage. We were born in the same town, a few years apart, my parents knew her parents, she knows several of my aunts, uncles & cousins -- AND she now lives in the same town where my parents live!  We met for coffee a few days ago & had a lovely chat about genealogy and people we both knew. (The world is much smaller than we think sometimes...!) (Bonus:  she's childless too!)  

2)  What major milestone(s) did you or a loved one experience last year?

My dad celebrated his 85th birthday in July -- and we got to be there to help celebrate!  :)  (See #3, below.) 

My sister got a new job (one with a significant pay hike) -- just before her 62nd birthday!!  Go, Sis!! 

Little Great-Niece celebrated her first birthday with a big party last spring.  :) 

AND -- we got a brand-new great-nephew just before Christmas!  A little brother for Little Great-Nephew (hmm, I'm going to have to rethink those pseudonyms, lol -- LGN #1 & #2?  Older & Younger??).

3)  What was your favourite celebration last year?

My dad's 85th birthday party. We just had a few neighbours in my parents' back yard for cake & coffee, and it was horribly hot, but (after not being able to spend time there or be present for any of his birthdays for the previous five summers) I was just so happy to be there!  (Also: thankful to celebrate another year with him, when so many of my friends have already/recently lost their parents...) 

Also: 

• Little Great-Niece's first birthday party (in early March) was fun. :)  I got some cute photos, especially of her and Little Great-Nephew sitting on the sofa together! (One of them has been my cellphone wallpaper since then!)  
• We had a "sprinkle" on Nov. 9th to celebrate the impending arrival of Little Great-Nephew #2/Great-Nibling #3 (who was born just before Christmas -- see #1). Great food, good company, fun spending time with Little Great-Nephew #1 (his older brother) & LGNiece. :) 

4)  What was your most memorable holiday of last year, and what made it special?

Christmas with my family is always memorable. I am well aware that my time with my parents is not unlimited, and so I appreciate the opportunity to spend time with them while I can -- especially for holidays like Christmas!  (Even when they drive me nuts sometimes...! lol)  (We're still here, and they've been bickering a little less than they were this summer, which has been nice...!  lol) 

Easter and (Canadian) Thanksgiving with BIL, SIL, the nephews and their families, were very special too. It's always fun just to be together, eat good food and see the kids. 

5)  What family vacation or activity was the most memorable, and why?

Being back "home" to visit my parents (and help celebrate my dad's 85th birthday) in July was memorable, particularly because I hadn't been there in the summertime since 2019!  

Our annual cottage weekend in September with BIL, SIL and dh's cousin & his wife was fun (as usual), even if with weather didn't co-operate. 

Here's to (hopefully!) travelling further afield in 2025...!! 

6)  What big goal did you or a loved one achieve or work toward last year?

We had new vertical blinds installed on all of our windows this spring!  (I know -- not really a BIG goal, but something we've been talking about doing almost since we first moved into our condo -- and we finally got it done!)  

7)  What's something that changed in your life last year?  (something new, a loss, etc.)

Both dh & I were told in late October by our family doctor that our cholesterol levels had reached concerning levels. (I'd been warned last year that my numbers have been trending upward over the past few years --but dh's ratio was actually higher than mine!)  We've been trying to eat better and get a little more active since then (although our exercise efforts have been derailed lately by colds, etc.). We'll redo our bloodwork in January to see if there's been any movement in the right direction... fingers crossed and knocking wood! Neither of us wants to add yet another prescription to our daily meds. (I'm already taking prescriptions to address my sluggish thyroid and high blood pressure.) 

8)  What was your favourite movie, book, album or song from last year, and why?

Haven't been to the movies (in theatre) since before the pandemic  :(  and I don't follow music the way that I used to either. I will be posting my 2024 Reading Year in Review shortly, and as I say there, it's hard to pick one favourite book -- but I've listed a few! 

9)  What world, national or local event or news story affected you most?

World:  The U.S. election. (Yes, I'm Canadian. It still affects us, big time.)  'Nuff said.  :p  

National: There will be a federal election in 2025 -- which the Conservatives are heavily favoured to win. I'll admit the current Liberal government has been disappointing in many ways -- but I am not (at ALL!!) convinced the Conservatives (whose current slant is MAGA Lite and whose leader I absolutely loathe) will do any better.    

Local:  I'm (still) furious about our provincial government's decision to close (and eventually move)  the landmark Ontario Science Centre (where dh spent hours & hours as a kid), then raze the original building (!)(no doubt to build more condos on the prime real estate) -- and the related push to redevelop the prime parkland/public space of Ontario Place, including a new/downsized version of the Science Centre and add a luxury spa with a massive underground parking garage (!). Dozens (hundreds?) of trees, carefully chosen & planted by the original site developers more than 50 years ago, have already been cut down. In general, the indiscriminate destruction of designated greenbelt lands, heritage buildings and well-established neighbourhoods in the pursuit of growth (and development dollars) has been a disturbing feature of the past several years.   

10)  What life lesson did you or a family member learn and take to heart last year?

Same as I wrote last year:  Life is short, and tomorrow is not promised. I am more aware of this with each passing year...!