January
Counted down to New Year's in Atlanta before B headed back to law school. Celebrated the start of our final semester apart!
February
Visits to law school, adventures in addressing wedding invitations, and lots of on-phone bonding with Mom as we discussed everything from hospitality suites to hotel rooms to floral arrangements. Met with cake decorators, florists, caterers, and more.
March
Wedding invitations go out! The dress comes in! Wedding planning surges ahead. Enjoyed a weekend with my girls as a bachelorette hoorah, marked with delicious dinners, fun dancing, and a delightfully entertaining lingerie shower. B and his buddies hit the beach in Florida for some charity work, or at least that's what I was told...
April
Spent a weekend with my Birmingham ladies at the lake, made our wedding favors, and baked for the hotel's welcome bags. Weddingweddingwedddingweddingwedding! Took a weekend off to cheer B's softball team on in the big law school tourney at UVA.
May
B finished his exams and just days later we enjoyed an amazing four days of wedding parties, celebrations, vows, and more. We took ~3000 pictures, ate probably double that in terms of calories, and danced the night away as man and wife. We honeymooned in Virgin Gorda, our own little glimpse of paradise, then returned to Atlanta. I was in Birmingham with Mom when Dad passed away. We planned a funeral, remembered a loving father, and did our best to keep moving forward.
June
We survived. Went to Florida for a clerkship interview, spent time at the lake house in Blue Ridge, and tried to work through unfamiliar territory in terms of dealing with loss, love, and whole lot of change.
July
Move from Atlanta to Birmingham to enjoy a few weeks of Birmingham law firms, in-office work, and catching up with my girlfriends, plus trips home to organize the wedding presents and arrange a few returns.
August
Moved out of the Birmingham apartment, which had been occupied by someone in my family for over seven years. Farewell 524! On to Durham! Started working long distance again, flying to Birmingham once a month. Baby Carolyn is born!
September
Turned 26 and celebrated in Hilton Head with a bunch of B's high school friends. Spend the entire month on the road. To Hilton Head! To Charleston! To the beach house!
October
Carved our first pumpkin. Celebrated Halloween with the monkeys, bowing to their princess beauty. Spent fall break cruising Sonoma, Berkely, and San Fran before returning home to get started on the holidays.
November
Double Thanksgiving! We cooked in Durham then headed to Atlanta for the official day. Cried in my turkey, tore a ligament in my toe, and spent the next month in a boot to keep it flat. Got our wedding album (love it!) and took my last long-distance work commuting flight from Birmingham.
December
Decorated (and undecorated!) our first Christmas tree. B finished his 2nd to last semester at law school (yea!) and we celebrated early Christmas in Durham with all seven (and a half!) monkeys. My dear friend Emily from college got married to an Atlanta boy (they do grow them well down there!), and we enjoyed a whirlwind trip from Durham to Florence (movies! catfish!) and back to Atlanta where we enjoyed Christmas dinner and a wonderful New Year's Eve at one of B's high school friend's home.
Now the hard part... what to wish for for the New Year. There are the "knowns" (a new niece or nephew, a few friends that are having babies, B graduating law school, B taking the Bar, us moving once to Atlanta and again to Florida, rental house hunting, a vacation with B's parents starting tomorrow, a vacation with my family in February, losing my job in t-minus 14 days, starting a new job in t-minus 11 days, our first anniversary...) and the "unknowns," or as I like to call them, the specifics. Where does God want us to go this year? Where will be live in Florida? What unexpected emotions will the year bring?
I think 2010 will be the year of trust. Trusting that God will lead us where he desires in Florida, direct us in decisions ranging from health care to jobs to investments, and pat us on the head when we stomp our feet and need to know more or, worse, why.
So I'll resolve to trust. And, of course, to bake more.
3 comments:
A, you are awesome. Your blog is my new favorite. :)
i prayed for you in church this morning! loving the blog, love you... have you bon voyaged yet?
Sounds like you had an amazing year! Even though I don't know you, you blog so we have something in common and with that, I hope all goes well for you in 2010!
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