2009 in Review

Happy New Year Everybody!

Last year, I did a blog post in which I reminisced over the previous year by posting one picture that I felt described the month. I really liked going through my pictures and doing that, so I decided to do it again. It was hard to pick just one picture since some months we had a lot of things going on. I really liked 2009- it treated us a lot better than 2008 did (not that 2008 was bad...). Here's the year in review!

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January

Here is a rare family shot from the month of January. I started working for Wal-Mart in the HR department, which turned out to be a pretty short stint. I worked for 7 weeks, but got paid for 4 months. It was AWESOME! Anyways, this was a good month because it taught me to be grateful for the opportunity that I have to stay home and be with Noah. I was not very grateful before I realized what it was like away. Also, I lost the battle with myself that I was "meant to be a corporate business woman." No. I'm not. And I'm glad I finally realized that. It makes me much happier.

February

Honestly, February is typically one of my least favorite months. It is so cold and Valentine's Day is the only 'sunshine' that I look forward to! Anyways, February was the month that I got laid off at Wal-Mart, but I still had my editing job at the University of Arkansas. This picture is me with my class of high school seniors that I taught every other Saturday.

March

Drizzly March. Here's Noah wishing he could play outside. I really can't remember any big highlights from this month off the top of my head. We just did normal day to day things.

April

Noah and I had fun spending tons of time together. We loved taking trips to the library, going to Storytime, taking naps, watching Toy Story and other Disney Pixar favorites, cooking, etc. Jared also turned 26 and we had a fun easter themed party for him.

May

Jared and I took off for Cancun (at the height of the Swine Flu scare) and met up with my family for some rest and relaxation! This picture was taken at Chichen-Itza. We had such an amazing time. At the end of the month, my little sister moved to Arkansas and lived with us for the summer. My mom came with her for a few days and we did some pseudo touristy things, such as day trips to Eureka Springs and Fayetteville (UofA).

June

In June, Jared, Kallie, and I ran a half marathon in Joplin. It was fun to run it together and I especially liked training for it with Jared. I was happy and sad when it was over. Noah and I spent a lot of our summer days swimming and going to the park. The weather was really nice. Jared and I also took a trip to St. Louis for fun.

July

A real miracle happened to us in July. We got a phone call saying that we had the opportunity to housesit for a family that is living in India. We could move in right away. As you can see from pictures, it's a beautiful house and we absolutely love it. Major upgrade from the apartment living!!! We spent the last week of July moving. It was fun watching Noah adjust to the new house. It was so much bigger than what he was used to and he got scared at first because he couldn't see me from every spot that he was in! Of course, he soon got used to it and loves all the room to run around and play. Noah also turned ONE!

August

Kallie made a decision at the last minute to move back to Provo instead of staying here, which brought my mom back for another visit. We had fun eating junk food and watching movies. I also started teaching piano lessons for 10 people. I LOVE it. Jared and I spent as much time together as possible before he started another semester of school.

September

Jared began a killer semester in an effort to finish his bachelors degree before his 10 year high school reunion! (ha ha) He took 15 credits, in addition to full time work. I am proud to say that he got all A's and one B. Good job Jared!!! To compensate for his absence, Noah and I played A LOT. We started doing tons of playgroups and get togethers. I think this is when we started getting and enjoying Netflix. I watched lots of chick flicks while Jared was in class.

Jared and I also celebrated our 2nd anniversary by going to Dallas- Six Flags, Rangers game, Mexican food, Ikea, the Galleria mall, etc...

October

October was a great month. It's always a great month. Why? Because the month contains my birthday! If you recall, Jared surprised me with a day trip to Chicago! I also enjoyed some good shopping the week after my birthday. We all enjoyed Halloween and the 3 or 4 parties that went with it! I also handmade some Halloween crafts with some friends, which was a first and also really fun!

November

Thanksgiving is what sticks out to me most about November- and spending lots of time with Jared's family, who all moved out to Arkansas. We spent a few days in Memphis for the holiday, experienced Black Friday, went out to eat a lot, to Graceland and Beale Street, and had some good family time.

December

And finally, (do I have any readers left?!) December! The craziest, best month of all! I put a picture of us baking, because I feel like I ate/baked more food than in the rest of the year combined! I love the holidays! We spent a lot of time with Jared's family and with friends, and attending different Christmas parties. I also had my first piano recital, which I need to do a separate blog about. Like the half marathon, I was sad and happy for December to be over.

And there you have it. 2009. Over. What a great year. I'm looking forward to 2010 and the exciting things each month has in store for us. Thank You for sharing the highs and lows with us!