Happy New Year!

The Christmas decorations are put away. There is a fresh coat of snow on the ground. What do we have to look forward to in 2010? What did we learn from 2009?

2009 was a year full of completely amazing experiences. One of my constant resolutions is to always try and live life in the fullest way possible. I don't want to look back and realize that I sold myself short or regret missing out on things. I want to continue to grow and love and eat up every experience that I possibly can. 2009 was epitome of growth. Tim and I traveled and saw other cultures, bought our first house, and spent as much time as possible with our family and friends. We discovered our love of home renovating. We gave our all to our jobs, working hard and trying to make ourselves indispensible during these tough economic times. We sat entranced with the rest of the country and cheered with them as we elected our first black president. It has been a year of possibility.

It has also been a year of great struggle for many as the economy failed. In my own world, our family lost a very close friend, someone who taught me to live fully, dance often, and to love much. She will be forever missed but I count myself lucky to have known her and to have been loved by her.

What will we tell our children about 2009? We will tell them about Obama's rise to the Presidency. We will tell them about the fears of the collapse of the financial system. We will force them to look at all of the pictures of our amazing trips, and I'm sure they'll make fun of our clothes! I want to thank my wonderful husband for sharing this year with me and for sharing the better part of the decade with me. It's been quite a ride so far and can't wait to see where it takes us next!

Our top 5 from 2009, in order!

SuperBowl weekend in the Dominican Republic. This will be an annual trip. We're leaving again in 5 weeks! This time we're bringing friends. Hopefully we'll bring the Patriots along too.

Our first wedding anniversary! We celebrated with a weekend in NYC.

Do we look like Homeowners? We just signed the papers and officially closed on our first house!

Dream trip to Italy. We ate and drank our way through Rome, Florence, and Venice for 12 blissful days with the Kibbe-Collins.

We celebrated Christmas with the Holmbergs December 14th and had my in-laws to NY for Christmas weekend. I cooked my first Christmas dinner and it came out better than I had hoped. Maybe next year, we'll have both families here!

So long 2009 and thanks for the memories!