2008

I can't say I'm sorry to see the end of 2008. I hope this new year brings happiness and good health to all despite all the crazy American financial situation. Hey, it's still January. I can still be optimistic. :)

My mother always used to ask my sister and I to write a year-in-review every year. They were typically about a page long and written in pencil on lined school paper when we were little and in strange-colored pens when we were older. I usually was working on mine frantically up until the stroke of midnight on Dec. 31. (It might have helped that Mom bribed us with a small amount of cash so that we did this every year.) They are so fun to look back and read now that we're a bit older.

I won't bore you with a whole page of details, just a little list of some things I'll probably never forget about 2008. And yes, it's already a bit into 2009, but some things (like me being late) never change.
Without further ado, 2008 in review:
*Moving to Australia in January with just 2 suitcases!
*Our puppy Roland snapping a tendon in his leg *groan*
*Getting involved with the wonderful church here in Australia
*Moving into our very first rental house
*Hosting my first Australian BBQ -American themed!
*Celebrating our first wedding anniversary
*Getting my first "real" job in Australia
*Flying back to the USA and seeing all my beloved family (Parents, Sister, Grandparents, Aunts, Cousins, etc. you know who you are) and heaps of friends!
*My best friend finally got married
*Meeting 2 new little cousins for the first time and being with my cousin after his open heart surgery
*Walking along the beach with my husband and dogs
*Camping trip with my husband's cousins
*Moving into our second rental house, and 4th house lived in during 2008.
*Worrying about my family back home, especially my grandparents health and happiness
*V's work-injury surgery
*Buying our first car together (and my first non-Mustang, sniff!)
*Planting our first garden
*My sister's beloved Moonshadow passing on to kitty heaven
*Choosing our first Christmas tree and decorating our home for the holidays
*Spending New Years eve at the Sydney harbor fireworks where V proposed to me 3 years ago

Happy 2009 everyone!