Thursday, January 14, 2010

2009 In Review

2009 was a big year of change & a big year of travel for us! Here's a review of some of the highlights of 2009:

2009 started with us hosting a New Year's Party at our house. Luke's parents, Amanda & Tol & Matt & Emily came and stayed with us & The James' & Glasgows joined us also. It was a great time--maybe not as rowdy as our many New Year's in Billings, but a great way to start the year.

Calving started in February and it was especially neat to see the AI calves out of our heifers. I always really enjoy calving season--we don't have enough cows to make it super stressful--it's mostly just exciting.


March brought a new adventure for me & Lynmarie. We went on a cruise from Florida to the Bahamas and had a fabulous time. It was full of gorgeous beaches, warm weather, fruity drinks & much needed "catch-up" time!


In May, I saw my first tornado & the damage that it brings. NOT COOL!

Starting in June I had quite the fiasco with my job which resulted in me quitting. It was a really rough couple months after that as I tried to get over what had happened & started to look for a new job. But, the upside of being out of work was that I had more time to spend with Luke & to travel to see friends & family.

In June, Luke & I went to Branson for the Berry Family Reunion & spent lots of time visiting with family, fishing, swimming & relaxing in general. It was a really nice break.

In July we flew to Billings and stayed with Mandy, Tim & Tucker for a few days, while traveling to Wisdom for Erik & Courtney's wedding. The wedding was so pretty and so much fun. We are so happy for them!!



In August I started a new job as a graphic designer for a print shop in Kirksville. It's taken some adjusting to, as I have a 40 minute drive each way, but I'm very thankful for it. Also in August I was able to spend some time in Kalispell with my family for the first time since the previous Thanksgiving. There is nothing like spending a couple days horseback, moving cows on the ranch to make me feel better about myself & more grounded. It was a much needed boost to my spirits.



September brought another wedding--this time it was Mariah & Lyle. Once again, we got to spend time with Mandy, Tim & Tucker as they were gracious enough to let us crash their house once again. It was so fun to see how much Tucker has changed since we had seen him in July! Mariah's wedding was absolutely gorgeous & it was such an honor to be a part of it.





2009 also brought changes for Kelly Jo. She hasn't enjoyed my new job and the amount of time she is alone because of it. She had a rough December after she had some "extra parts" removed. This led to having to wear a cone for several days--which she despised (and smashed). Unfortunately, the incision still hasn't healed and we are still dealing with this...but she seems to be doing okay with it.


Another big change for us was that my body went from being normal to this in 18 weeks:



Which also resulted in me being extremely ill for most of October, all November & much of December--NOT FUN. But, I'm starting off the new year feeling much better & in much better spirits!


This also led to the decision to trade in the Neon. After over 8 years & 80,000 miles I traded my car in for a bigger, more "family friendly" vehicle, with 4 wheel drive.






It's a 2004 Explorer & it has already been really nice to have (although I still miss my car sometimes--just so many memories)!

We ended 2009 with another trip to Montana. This time to Kalispell to spend Christmas with my family. It was exciting to show everyone my "belly" and really nice to catch up with family & friends. On New Year's Eve we hosted a get together again with the James' & Glasgow's and had a really nice night playing cards, eating & drinking (well, water for some of us).

I'm really looking forward to 2010 and the many more changes that the year will bring. The baby is due June 11th & I'm pretty sure life as we know it will also change forever once the baby is here!

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