Very Thankful

A friend of mine did a list of things they were thankful for this year, and I was going to do this last week but time got away from me. So better late than never - you can look at it as what we are thankful for and an overview of 2008!

We are very fortunate and feel thankful for everything we have. It has been a little bit of a rough year, but it has made us stronger than ever.

1. Family

We have the most amazing family a couple could ask for. They are so loving, and caring. We know regardless of what happens, we have them and couldn't ask for much more.

2. Health

This year has been rough for health for our families, but we are fighting through it. Karen is fighting as hard as she can and is winning. She is very positive and has so many people praying for her. She is almost done with part 1 of treatment, so that is very exciting. My dad has had some health issues this year as well, and he is slowly getting back to normal. He also is a tough one, and knows he has no other choice than to get better. It is amazing how a family comes together during these times, and words can't even describe how ours has reacted.

3. Friends

We are lucky to have a small group of amazing friends. The older you get, the more you realize who will be in your life forever. You grow apart from some, but don't forget them, and grow closer to others. Priorities and people change, it is part of growing. We are at the age where many things in our lives begin to change and you begin to have less in common with some and more with others. It is a hard realization but one we all must face.

4. Celebrations

We had many things to celebrate this year, babies born, people married, couples engaged, and new beginnings for many. We feel very grateful to have been a part of many of these celebrations. Some highlights are:

• Wedding of Jen & Ryan
• Birth of Jack, Wilson, Payton & Isabelle
• Engagement of Emily & Dan
• Expecting Baby Shirley
• Priti's 21st Birthday
• Jaya & Tre's Wedding
  
• Isaac & Kristina's wedding

5. Our One Year Anniversary

This year H and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. We went to Las Vegas to celebrate this occasion. It has been a wonderful year. I'm not going to lie, there were many adjustments, but we made it and I wouldn't change a thing. The biggest adjustment was living together. H moved in the week of our wedding, and I had not lived with anybody for over 4 years. Needless to say, there were some growing pains. Other than that married life is wonderful. It is amazing that we dated for so many years, but have learned so many new things about each other over the past year. I know it sounds completely cheezy, but it is completely different being married.

6. Fun, Fun, Fun

One thing H & I made sure we did this year was to live our life to the fullest. We did so many new and exciting things this year, here are some of our activities and accomplishments this year:

• The Mayor's Ball
• California Trip
• H was promoted to the Downtown Regions Bank
• I began a new position at the Belleville Family Health Centers
• Had date nights every couple of weeks - where we found many cool festivals through out the city
• Winery trips
• Chicago Trip
• Michigan Trip
• Visit from Lianna
• New York Trip
• Sex and The City Movie Premier
  
• Colorado Trip (H)
• Jamaica Trip for the Reimer/Shirley Wedding
• CHS 10 Year Class Reunion
• Ozarks Trip
  
• Sand Volleyball
• Las Vegas
• Fashion Week
  
• Stache Bash

The list could go on and on, but those were our highlights - I think!

I am not even going to attempt to post pictures, it would take me a whole year to choose them. But you can go here to view the pics from 2008 so far. I think I covered most of it.

We are very thankful for everything we have and hope to be able to give back even a little of what we are so lucky to have.