What a year

And 2009 comes to a close. What a year it's been.

In January we lost Grandma and Johnny A.

In February Adam lost his dad Pete and through that we were reminded of God's awesomeness.

In March we mourned 5 years that we have been without Ryan.

March also saw Chase's first haircut.

In April we moved out of an in-law suite and into a home.

In May Adam and I celebrated 5 years of marriage.

In July Adam changed jobs and I started one (working for the in-laws... happily might I add ;~)

In August we finally, after many impatient years, took the plunge and bought iPhones.

August also marked an entire year that we have lived in Hagerstown.

Also in August we went to Hershey Park, Adam turned 30, we spent a weekend visiting friends in Pittsburgh, we visited my Dad and Stacie in SF... (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 if you want to tie up an evening) and I turned 31 (*gasp*).

Whew, August was a busy month.

October 5th marked 13 years sober for Adam

I also met and spent time with my birth father in October.

I raised $2,425 and completed the Breast Cancer 3-day... every single step of the 60 miles. I also lost my sweet dear camera and all my precious pictures in the process.

October 19th we celebrated Chase's second birthday.

In November I mourned 5 years that I have been without my mom.

In December we watched as our son was old enough to place ornaments on the tree and countdown with the Advent calendar.

December also saw my dad making it out to Hagerstown to celebrate Christmas (unlike last year). Unfortunately it also saw him getting stuck in Baltimore over New Years because of MD's propensity for snow this year.

I've reconnected with several members of my family... and some connections are developing into friendships.

I've become more willing and adventurous when it comes to cooking... even seeking out and trying new recipes on my own!

I've watched Chase go from happy squeals and frustrated cries to full blown sentences. I've watched reason and concept fill his mind. I've watched him learn things right in front of my eyes.

I've discovered half a dozen local parks, been to the National zoo, swam (or at least waded) in a lake, played in a pool in our backyard, been to Port Discovery, had countless playdates, road-tripped many times to visit friends, watched Chase take his first swim lessons, been to an American Idol concert, enjoyed watching Chase love music class, sent out Christmas cards for the first year ever and even let play doh colors run together.

We've built and maintained a garden, celebrated the fourth of July on a boat, ridden on a train through Western MD, walked through a corn maze and watched as snow piled almost as tall as Chase. We've discovered that laughing and loving your best friend is the best marriage out there. I've learned that my life will never be dull with Adam and I will be laughing for the rest of my life.

I've watched 3 children turn 1, 11 children turn 2 and witnessed 7 loving families be blessed with beautiful healthy babies.

I've been shown God's grace and love over and over again this year.

2009 was full of ups and downs... as I am sure 2010 will be.

However, we are starting off with an up.

As of tomorrow Adam will officially be a partner at his law firm. There are no words to adequately describe how proud I am of him. With all that the job market threw at him, he has been patient and worked extremely hard. He definitely deserves this. It isn't without some fear but as we have done in the past, we are going to set aside the fear and put our faith in Jesus.

Happy New Year!