Looking Back

A Look Back at 2008...

Where did you begin 2008? Apparently nothing exciting because I don't even remember. I think I spent New Year's Eve day driving back from my parents in Houston. What I did that evening...no clue.
Were you in school this year? Did I take classes myself, no. But since I'm a teacher, I went to school almost every single day.
Where did you go on vacation? I went up to Pennsylvania for a family reunion over the July 4th weekend and took a scenic drive back with my parents. I went tubing in New Braunfels with a group from my singles group and went to Texarkana to see my friend Kim.
Favorite Books from 2008? I reread a couple books from high school and found that I enjoyed them more the second time around, such as: Diary of Anne Frank and Catcher in the Rye. I always read a lot in the summer - something like 40 books this past summer. I don't remember half of them.
Did you know anybody who got married? I knew people that got married, but I didn't go to any weddings this year. I have several coming up in the first few months of 2009.
Did you move anywhere? Thank goodness, no.
What sporting events did you attend? I went to my first Mavericks game in April and my first Stars game on December 29th - I had so much fun!
Describe your birthday: Emily took me shopping at Sam Moon, we went to eat lunch at Red, Hot and Blue and then we drove around taking pictures of me with random letters and number to spell out "Melanie is 29". See the post from April for the pictures. We had fun and get got the 9 at one the of the Irving Fire Stations - they were really cool.
What's something you learned about yourself? I learned and admitted to myself that for the time being, getting out of debt is more important than focusing on meeting someone to spend my life with.
Any new additions to your family? My older brother Chris and his wife Amanda had a baby boy. My nephew Pierce was born in April.
Favorite Night out? It was very recent, when Emily and I went to the West End for dinner at Gators and then to the Stars game is ranking pretty high (that was last Monday - Dec 29th).
What do you want to change in 2009? I spend way too much time at home by myself. I need to get out and be more social.
What would you change about 2008? I don’t think I would change much. Parts of this year were really fantastic…and even the parts that weren’t a lot helped me to grow and mature. Everything that happened helped me learn a more about myself and what I want from life and want I want to do with my life.
What random cool things happened in 2008? I'm sure there were some, I'm just having trouble remembering them...
Other than home, where did you spend most of your time? Probably work...not exciting, but I don't do much other than go to work, go work out and come home and spend time with the dog (what a boring life).
Do you have a New Year's resolution? I haven't decided what my New Year's Resolution will be - other than to be more social.
Do anything embarrassing? I try really hard not to do anything that will cause me embarrassment because I don't like drawing attention to myself. I'm sure I did do something, but I've mentally blocked it out and refuse to remember it. What was your favorite purchase? I PAID OFF MY CAR!!!! And I bought a Dyson vacuum - the purple one for animal hair. It was a floor model so it was scratched up, but I got it at a great discount and it does a great job of sucking up the dog hair out of my carpet.
Did you get sick this year? I get sick a lot - mostly just with sinus infections, but during the spring I battled pneumonia.
Start a new hobby? I started making jewelry and selling it. http://www.melodesigns.etsy.com/
Are you happy to see 2008 go? Absolutely. I'm always ready to see a year go and a new one come - you never know what it will hold.
What are you wishing for in 2009? I turn 30 in April - I'm hoping to take a trip to celebrate. I'm still working on paying off debt. I've come a long way and paying off my car was a big step - I'll keep on plugging away at it until it's gone.

Reviewing this, I've determined that my life is pretty BORING. I definitely need to take steps to make it more exciting. If you have any suggestions that won't cost me a lot of money, send them my way!
Now, my blogging friends, it’s your turn. Tell me about your year in review… I can’t wait to read it!

Pink Eye

Bella and I posing for our Christmas card picture.

Last week I took Bella to the vet because her right eye had a gross green discharge and was pink. Lo and behold, my dog had conjunctivitis, otherwise known in the people world as pink eye. The vet gave me some ointment to put in her eyes several times a day for the next 10 days to get rid of the infection. He told me to be especially conscious about washing my hands after messing with her eyes, and I have been.

However, I didn't think about where she sleeps when I'm gone at work all day, which is usually on my bed, either on my pillows or on my pajamas if they are laying on the bed. Yesterday, I woke up with a red left eye. It itched and had some gunk in it, but most of the redness went away when I used my allergy eye drops. Throughout the day, my eye continued to bother me. The nurse at school said it could be allergies or it could be pink eye - she told me to wait and see what happened overnight and if it was sealed shut when I woke up. It sure was. So off to the doctor I headed first thing this morning.

I ruined my perfect attendance record for the school year because I got pink eye from my dog! Who would have thought. I guess I need to start shutting her out of my bedroom when I'm gone.