Top 10 of 2008

I wish I had time to write an in-depth meaningful commentary about 2008, but I will give you the top 10 highlights of the year.

10. Completing 365 days of marriage with Brent. They say the first year is the hardest, but I think it's because there's nothing to compare it to. I would have to say that this year has been pretty hard though, but not because of him. He actually made the hard parts manageable.

9. Traveling to Phoenix to visit family. We have our first niece Caitlin and it was so much fun to play with her. Oh and seeing the Grand Canyon and Sedona was pretty awesome too.

8. Buying and selling cars. I could never be in the automobile industry as a salesman. It was hard enough selling the Pontiac ourselves. But God provided a buyer, and we also welcomed the Honda Civic into our lives. Long live the 30 MPG.

7. Seeing gas top $4.00 and then plummet to $1.20. I realized that during the most expensive time was when I had no control over things - but I knew the One who did. But filling up the Civic for $13 sure does tickle me each time it happens.

6. Making new friends. I really wanted to feel like I belonged to a church, and have found my spot. Our Sunday School class friends are such a blessing and I know they are Heaven-sent. God asked us to go to church and this was our reward.

5. Saying goodbye. I never realized what an impact my grandfather had on my and my family's life until after he was gone. I will never forget the moment when I walked in the funeral home and in my mind heard him saying "Hello Blue Eyes" like he did when I used to walk in the living room. I will continue to miss him, but look forward to passing along the stories of him to my children.

4. Seeing New York City at Christmastime. This is one of my favorite cities in the world. There's so much to do and see, although I am glad that I don't live there. Being in front of the Rockefeller Christmas tree in the snow was pretty special too.

3. Pretending to be on HGTV. This year we added the back patio, a partial fence, and a storage building. There's still work to be done on the kitchen and a storage room to be cleaned out, but I'll leave that for 2009. I will say that both Brent and I have learned to call and get an estimate for work being done before we do something ourselves. I.will.never.mix.concrete.myself.AGAIN. (Especially during hurricane season).

2. Figuring out our future. With the Alltel merger announced in June, we have learned that Brent will keep his job through May or June of 2009. This will make a complete year of "What ifs". It's a lot of potential worry that I have learned to let go. God has always taken care of us and will continue to do so in the future.

1. Learning about the power of prayer. I was at the gym when my mom called to tell me they found a mass in my dad's colon. And then I lost it. But after much prayer from a multitude of people, I have witnessed God heal my father. Don't know why we had to go through all of this, but I do know that we are committed to claiming the victory for Jesus. I will never forget praying with the anesthesiologist before his surgery and praying with my mom and sister after the surgeon told us what they found. Those were a hard two weeks, but God was with us every step of the way. I look forward to watching my parents love each other for many years to come.