list 43 things that made 2008 a good year

1) moved back home from edinburgh
2) renewed my relationships with my friends
3) iv started to get on better with my brother
4) i also get on better with my parents

40. Spent some quality time in the movie theater. Sometimes I get a hankering for some nachos, a cherry Slushee, and a cool, dark theater. Yup. And in 2008 we saw quite a few good movies. I especially liked Mamma Mia! and Death Race, neither of which I would have EVER thought I’d like. And we saw Step Brothers! baha…good times.

41. Stepped out of myself a bit. I pushed my boundaries, especially this summer. Hubby and I spent a day with a random couple. It was fun but we’re not best friends, and that’s okay. I’m just proud that I overcame my shyness and did something unusual and got to know new people.

42. I resisted temptation. I don’t want to get into this, as it makes me uncomfortable, but…let’s just say that my marriage vows were tested. Not strongly, but tested. And I knew where I belonged, who I belonged with, and I politely backed away. I never realized that even the best relationships..happy, secure, fun ones..are tested. I learned. And realized I’m quite happy thankyouverymuch.

43. I survived.

1. meeting the people who i am really good friends with now.. last new years 2008.
2. cut my hair short, which i wasnt pleased with but im glad i still did it.
3. moved to caledonia, canada to finish school.
4. i started a journal to remember the little things
5. go to toronto more often to see concerts and shop
6. took a trip back to paris france and also went to italy
7. became closer with my dad
8. became more indipendant and grew.
9. met my best friend
10. became closer with my grandma and grandpa
11. he means so much to me. he accepts me for who i am and i dont have to be someone else around him. we are the exact same in humour and its awesome. he thinks im beautiful and he cares about me.
12. lost weight!
13. learnt how to make a dream catcher
14. turned 18
15. applied to college
16. finally changing my room colour after dealing with the other ugly colour for waaay to long.
17. reading more books
18. came out of my shell and was more outgoing around new people.
19. learned a rap song word for word lol!
20. bought chanel mademoiselle perfume in paris france
21. became more confident in my appearance, and it was notcied by others.
22. stopped eating meat, cept turkey! :)
23. became more organized
24. got out of a crappy school and placement.
25. got an amazing pair of real UGGS.
26. started to drink more water instead of sugary pop or juice.
27. hung out with friends more.
28. cleaned my room and KEPT it clean.
29. took LOTS of pictures or everything and everyone.
30. helped saved someones life.
31. lost my cell phone and adapted with out it haha.
32. got in contact with family across seas. and talk to regularly.
33. finally went to disney land. wasnt that great, but still.
34. i gave up the dramma and gossip
35. started defending myself better when others tried to knock me down.
36. gettin back in touch with old friends.
37. yahh boii!!, sry do’it gen?!—creating more stupid but funny jokes and sayings with friends!
38. finding this site, so i can express myself and get my hopes and dreams out there for others to connect with too
39. modeled for my friend who needed a photography portfolio for college. it was awesome it makes you feel so beautiful! and they are posted professionally on a site! :)
40. this one is werid.. but i slept in a car with a bunch of my friends after a party and we just had the best time! i would totally do it again.
41. bought a laptop
42. not being to serious and laughing when things got difficult. and helping people do the same.
43. looking back on everything. remembering the funny stuff.. looking at the pictures.. and just laughing.

• <3

39. We got a new couch! We’ve never had a new couch before. When we first moved in together it was an old one from the neighbors, and when we moved to this place we just left it and used our chairs. But this fall we finally plunked money down and got a new couch. It folds down into a bed and the seat lifts for storage. Love it!

11. Ate tons of new food
12. hit the one year mark of being off cocaine
13. good shows and good music
14. finished goals on 43things.com
15. finally got dreadlocks

1. Went to key largo
2. Graduated high school
3. Had the best 18th birthday
4. Got my nose pierced
5. got a 4.0 fall semester freshman year
6. saw Amanda Palmer live
7. Amanda Palmer kissed me!
8. Loved a lot of people
9. Made new friends
10. figured a little bit more about myself

35. went on vacation in florida, which i haven’t been to in years!
36. saw some of my family on my dad’s side i haven’t seen in years.
37. my brother and i actually talk on the phone now. :)
38. having good friends
39. actually connecting with my Uncle Robbie on the phone. Even though he is quite messed up, he is possibly the only Uncle on my dad’s side that seems to care about me.
40. accomplishing goals on 43t without realizing it
41. learning about people on 43things by asking questions. i love how everyone here doesn’t care what anybody else thinks :)
42. my friend getting prayed for before the new year came to a close, he was very depressed and God spoke a word to him through someone else which is what he really needed.
43. making it through a tough year.

1. Cirque Du Soleil – Alegría in January – that was when I decided that some things don’t really matter
2. Trip to Barra do Furado in January – never had so much fun
3. My birthday – The first time I can remember I had a birthday when nobody fought or made me feel bad. I had an awesome time.
4. Sending a message in a bottle – things happen for a reason
5. Carnival – ohh who would imagine I would enjoy funk? Awesome!!!!
6. Studying Psychology – Finally found what I wanted to study, feeling very comfortable with my decision.
7. Getting rid of bad relationships – all I grew this year began right here
8. Jéssica, Le, Léo. No words to describe the importance of these people.
9. Leandro. A caring person who accepted me with all my flaws and who sees the best about me. He makes me feel less alone in my existence, I love him.
10. Get Inspired ;) a community created by Indians on orkut which has the most inspiring stories ever
11. Laughing when things got hard – sempre sorrindo =]
12. Respecting myself – being able to say no, not caring what other people who didn’t give a damn cared to think, not getting involved in gossip, respecting my body, values and my alone time even when people could understand it
13. My sister moving just two houses away. I was happy that she was finally able to move in with her fiancée but I was scared at the idea that she would move and now distance won’t be a problem. Also, now the room is just mine =]
14. Traveling by myself for the first time and having people picking me up when I came back
15. Broadband – it was about time =] No more dial up for me! I’ve never done this many downloads before =] crazy
16. My hair – it has never looked better
17. Psychology Journey inspiring and great company
18. Trip to Barra do Furado on October / splits at the beach
19. Bob Marley – inspiring
20. Vacation courses – nothing like great teachers to get you out of bed
21. Started my dvd collection
22. Donating Blood – helping save lives
23. Got a Organ Donor card
24. Found a library near home and met the most helpful person: Tia Augusta
25. Splits – Yay!!! This makes me so happy
26. Circo Di Napoli – this was such a fun day… building good memories with friends
27. Going to parties without feeling out of place
28. Anatomy classes
29. Good books
30. Helping people
31. Patience – much appreciated
32. Mau-Mau – everywhere in the beginning of the year
33. Playing ball at the beach – although most times I remember more the wind than the game itself
34. When my rat learned to drink water by himself =]
35. The Big Bang Theory – great laughs
36. How I Met Your Mother – Legen…wait for it…dary
37. One of my wisdom teeth is growing – I don’t know why I’m happy about this, but maybe because it isn’t hurting like people say it does, at least not yet
38. Mc Dia Feliz
39. Parmê
40. My dog’s operation went well
41. Watching people parachuting
42. Bought tickets to see Damien Rice perform –Yay!!! I’m gonna travel to Saõ Paulo to see in and on my birthday =]
43. New Years in Copacabana Beach – with my best friend and my cousin! Beautiful… Best New Years Eve ever!

2008 was a great year for me, I had much fun with my friends and felt more at peace with myself than ever… I’m in college studying the thing I love, building my purpose and it feels awesome. No regrets.
Now for this year one thing I miss is falling in love ;]
So: welcome 2009!

26. My country elected a president that I actually have some confidence in.

27. Holiday get-togethers were free of arguments and complaints. We made some nice memories and got great pictures of everyone.

28. Some new recipes were tested in my kitchen—and many found a permanent spot in my recipe book.

29. My husband opened his own checking account. We’ve been together since we were young and he never had the chance to do it. It’s time.

30. Tried new things with my personal appearance: cut my own hair and I actually like it…tried different colors for my eye makeup…learned how to get my hair up into a cute messyish bun…bought different kinds of clothes. It feels good.

31. I decided to make it official: I want to write a book.

32. Faced my childhood abuse, shared my story. I’m healing quickly; I can feel it.

33. We got to put holiday lights up outside for the first time! Yay for twinkle lights!

34. Spent more time with my brother and his fiancée. We’ve never had the chance to hang out much, but this year we are closer to them than ever. They are friends now, not just family.

35. This summer was the happiest I’ve ever had! Our new yard was great for tanning and grilling and entertaining. It was the perfect summer—relaxing, fresh, and warm.

36. This year has made me more grateful for what I have. My 43T goal forces me to reflect on what I appreciate. It helps me a lot. Something happens during the day and I think, “Remember to list this!” Now I can see the small things that make up the big picture of my life.

37. We carved pumpkins and got to put them outside—a first for us!

38. Passed all my classes this year with excellent grades.

I almost forgot about this..
Anyway, like all my 43lists, I’ve struggled with the last 10-15 things. I have to say some of them I wrote just to fill the list although they are actually nice enough. And now as i read it again, it’s obvious that my43 could me summarized into just 3: healing, creativity and money.

It’s pretty amazing – the range of emotions I had to go through this year. I think it was inevitable because of my operation last year – it was not really risky – but it was then that I started looking at my life and wanting change in some areas.

The first 2 months saw me struggle with the silent wish I made 10 years ago. And maybe that was when the healing started, I’m not really sure. But let’s just say 2008 has been the year of me letting things go and figuring out my stand on love and other things. I guess I grew up a lot emotionally this year huh? Anyway, I was also able to try and do a lot of things to express my creative side. They certainly made this year fun and spontaneous. I would’ve have liked to travel more but, well there’s next year. As for my professional life, I know I’ve been very fortunate and I was able to afford the things I’ve set for myself for the year, and help others as well.

Yea, I think this year has been very good to me.
And one of the things that helped is 43Things.
So in case this entry catches The Robot Co-op’s attention: Thank you.