last call 2008!

on a whim I've decided to write a very quick reflection of the past year of my life. here 'goes.

In the past year ...
- I got engaged (which was the biggest surprise I've ever had in my life! and has brought me the most joy!)
- my paternal Grandmother passed away.
- my maternal Grandfather passed away.
- I worked side by side with Amanda on a pretty intense literary/art journal...about 80 pages if my memory is correct. for free. Certainly my biggest publication to date that I was so very involved in.
- my Mother remarried.
- I smoked a pipe.
- I planned a wedding 3 states away.
- my baby sister went to Iraq (is still there, but not for long).
- I witnessed one of my oldest & best friends grow a beautiful baby in her tummy...which is, indeed a crazy & miraculous thing to witness!
- I made 200 (or so) of my own wedding invitations almost entirely by hand.
- We purged ourselves of our possessions, probably by 60%, via yard sales, craig's list & goodwill.
- I packed J's house, and put him on a plane to NYC for 5 weeks of training (for Teach for America) the 5 weeks before the wedding!
- I spent July 4th alone in a sweltering apartment (the neighbor across the street even brought me a beer, I think she felt sorry for me!)
- packed all of our possessions into a giant locker, and put it on a truck bound for NYC!
- sold my Isuzu Rodeo.
- packed J's Volvo with the rest of my life and headed to Mississippi for the wedding. J got there at about 2 am the morning before the wedding day.
- married my best friend, in the rain, under beautiful pine trees in front of (most) of our dearest friends & family!
- watched all of our friends go through huge life changes of every kind.
- got on an airplane to New York City the next morning, spent the following week living with people I had never met (they are now good friends)...while J had one more week to finish his job training, living in a dorm.
- started a blog.
- I saw my designs completely cover a bus.
- moved into a 4th floor walk up...in August (which almost landed us in the hospital from exhaustion!).
- spent 2.5 months unemployed living in Brooklyn.
- was in the wedding of a dear friend.
- spent 2.5 months working at a bakery.
- I pretended that I had a mustache.
- I celebrated the election or our nation's first African American President.
- I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, twice.
- I saw a fashion show where everything was made of chocolate.
- spent Christmas in Boston.
- I ate sledgie. (which I do not know how to spell, but I do not recommend.)
- I started my own business!

This year has certainly had some rough spots for us & it's been a whirlwind for sure. But I can't think of a time that we've felt more supported & blessed in every area of our lives.

2008 will go down in the books for us but to 2009 we say, "bring it on!"