2009 In Review

In keeping with tradition, I have spent the day reflecting on our 2009, so here it is for you to review with me:

January was a pretty laid back month for us. We started off the new year at our favorite restaurant Yard House. I got a surprise visit from one of my best friends Michelle who plotted with Spencer and we had a blast and we excitedly watched with friends as President Obama was inaugurated!
February brought a celebration of my 29 years of life with a trip to L.A. where we visited the Aquarium of the Pacific and Disneyland! Spencer and I celebrated a romantic Valentine's Day with a delicious steak dinner on the strip. I got a visit from Uncle Jerome, Aunt Shelly, Aunt Jackie and Uncle Doug. And on February 28, Lauren welcomed home her 2nd baby and my 5th nephew Mason Ryley.

March is a blur for me because I was sick for most of the month. But a lot happened. Spencer and I celebrated St. Patrick's Day by saying goodbye as I left to go to Illinois to meet Mason. While I was there I got to have coffee with my cousin Kristi and celebrate birthdays with Tiffany and Jenny with a girls night out. The month finished with a relaxed celebration of Spencer's 26th birthday.
April included walking to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis research in which we raised $551 thanks to many of you, decorating eggs together on Easter, and hugging trees on Earth Day.
May was an important month for us because we took a quick trip to Oregon to finalize all of our wedding plans in Newport. I also got a visit from my friend from Tampa, Amber and Spencer and I saw the Lion King at Mandalay Bay. We also went to a Fleetwood Mac concert which was amazing because they are one of my favorite bands and I had never seen them before!

June included a little bit of wedding planning stress, a 25th anniversary celebration with Cirque du Soleil and, a visit from an old high school friend, John Bily.

July was when our wedding flowers in Tricia's garden started to bloom which meant the wedding was coming SO SOON! Anthony and Drew visited us, we saw my friend Ian in Dirk Arthur's Extreme Magic show at Tropicana, and on July 30, our sixth nephew, Jackson Joseph arrived for Jason and Sara!

August...as if I can remember anything that happened in August besides the best day of my life! I married the man of my dreams on August 15th! The rest is just details....But here are the details: In addition to getting a chance to visit with tons of family and friends that we don't see very often before, during, and after our wedding festivities in Newport, I went whale watching, we visited the Oregon Zoo, we went to Cozumel, Mexico for our honeymoon, we visited Salt Creek Falls, and upon our return home we got a visit from Sarah and Mike!

Did I mention I got MARRIED?! YAY!September was a pretty laid back month in comparison to August. Spencer and I used our wedding money and bought ourselves a new bedroom set, I became an official O'Neill when I changed my name legally and we had visits from my friend John and my Grandma and Grandpa! Our nephew Parker also celebrated his golden birthday on September 4th, turning 4!

October included a visit from Bryce and Erin Silvey, going to see Peep Show at Planet Hollywood (YIKES!) and a very low key Halloween which involved a day at work and a night of Oregon Ducks, apple pie and 2 trick-or-treaters!

November was a busy month! I flew to Chicago to go to my cousin Beth's beautiful wedding. While I was there I also finally got to meet Jackson, saw a good friend Tony, and had dinner with Kari, Jenny, and Tiffany. Then I got to see Tiffany again at the end of the month when she came to Las Vegas to share Thanksgiving with us! While she was here we saw Blue Man Group at The Venetian and Ka at MGM Grand and had a great time just hanging out!

December seems like just yesterday....oh wait...its STILL December (I think I used that joke last year...ahahahaha!) This month we went to the Transiberian Orchestra holiday concert and a Love Christmas Party on Freemont Street. Then we had our own little Christmas before heading to Eugene to spend Christmas with the O'Neills! While were in town we also got to spend time with Alan, Christa, Adam, and Matt and were even there to celebrate Adam's birthday with him!


So overall, 2009 was a great year for us! We accomplished a lot and had tons of excitement and fun in the process. As I reflect on the past year and look ahead to the new one, I have a hard time not getting super anxious and a little impatient for all of the dreams and goals we have for 2010, and let me tell you there are A LOT! It is inevitable that we will have to latch on to some of them and let others go in order to survive the year, but regardless, I am excited! I feel so lucky that I have a great partner to go through this next year with and that we make a great team and teach each other important lessons along the way of all of our journeys. In 2009 I was faced with many circumstances in which I felt the need to be in control and with everything coming up for us, I know that won't always be a possibility, so this year, my goal is to be more adaptable in all situations big and small. I hope to accomplish even more and have more fun doing it with this attitude and I look forward to seeing what everyone else accomplishes in this new year. On that note, I say goodbye 2009 and hello 2010! May it be a wonderful year for everyone!