Saying Goodbye to 2008

I know I say this every year, but this time it’s REALLY true: I have no idea where the last year went!  So much has happened, but it seems to be fading into a distant memory already.  So, before starting fresh tomorrow,  I’m going to do a little month-to-month recap of 2008.  I like to think of it as a way to celebrate this past year’s events before concentrating on upcoming adventures.

• January - We made a quick trip to Las Vegas, NV and St. George, Utah to check out the city (first time for me) and to visit the CPA’s folks.  Unfortunately, I can’t find my pictures from that trip.  But trust me when I say that we went.  And we had a nice time too. 

 

• February – I started to get sick from various foods, which caused me a lot of difficulty in working or just leaving the house, for that matter.  By March, my doctor and nutrionist had put me on a strict elimination diet to see what was causing the problem.  It was the beginning of a big change in my life, one that included a complete overhaul in my eating habits.  And now I am forty-five pounds lighter and feel better than I have in years.  (Visual: the picture on the left was taken in March, 2008.  The picture on the right was taken in November, 2008.)

• March - It was a big month for our family – my sweet brother got married to his lovely wife in Georgia.  Even though the weather was bad (there was hail the size of golf balls) everything went smoothly and was beautiful. 

• April - All the girls in the family met in Greensboro, NC for a (belated) wedding shower for our new sister-in-law.

• May – After months of preparing, I reached my goal to raise $2500 for the Avon Walk Foundation.   I then walked 20 miles in the Avon Breast Cancer Walk. 

• Also a big event in May was the completion of graduate school.  Oh what a day for celebration – to be finally done with school!  Trust me when I say that I had been counting the days.

• June - We made a wonderful trip to Lancaster, PA (Amish country).  If you’ve never been, you really need to go.  It’s such a peaceful and beautiful place. 

• July – My little sister got engaged and we began shopping for wedding gowns (no easy task).

• August – This was the first anniversary for the CPA and me.  We celebrated by staying at the Bedford Springs Resort in Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania. 

• August also included the wedding of the CPA’s son to his lovely bride. 

• September – We made another visit to Greensboro, NC, this time for my sister’s wedding shower.

•  October - We celebrated my birthday by making another trip to Bedford Springs, PA, this time to see the changing of the leaves.  Who said getting older isn’t fun?  (Oh wait, that was me!  Well, forget I said that.) 

• October was also the month that my husband and I started attending the temple.  Basically what this means is that we committed to making various changes in our lives such as going to church, praying, etc.  Considering that we had not been attending church at all a couple of years ago, it was a big change for us and a good one.

• November – My beautiful sister became a bride and we gained a new brother.  (And my mother breathed a huge sigh of relief – no more wedding planning!) 

• December – We made the long trek down South to spend Christmas with the family.

I think that pretty much covers the big happenings in 2008.  As you can see, it was a very eventful year, one that had its share of challenges and trials, yet was filled with a lot of joy and satisfaction.  That’s why I’m not quite ready to let go of it just yet.  Give me another few hours at least, then I’ll start thinking about 2009. 

What about you?  What did you do in 2008?