2008 in review!

As I reflect on the year 2008 I am filled with joy. Although it was tough at times, God was so good to me. I am thankful for all the opportunities I had this past year and the AMAZING people that made life so enjoyable. Despite school and work dominating 2008, here are some of the highlights of 2008:

Life was boring until May so I will skip the spring.
In May, I rode 53 miles on my road bike in the Elephant Rock Ride. I am not sure how I did it!
On May 6, my friend Shannon gave birth to her first child: Egan Koenig. I was at the hospital all night waiting for little Egan to arrive. This was such an awesome experience for me! I was sitting right outside of the delivery room when Egan first cried!


Also in May I got my nose pierced and I LOVE it!

Summer:
By far the highlight of my summer was my trip to Chicago to visit Hannah and Landon and then my trip to Valpo, IN for the Braham wedding. It was a short trip but a HUGE confidence builder for me! I am so blessed to have both the McBrayers and Brahams in my life!


My big purchase of 2008 was a NEW mountain bike! A friend from work built me a sweet bike and I spent all summer and fall riding it. So much fun!


Fall:

Brandy and I started doing therapy work at the Life Care Center in Littleton, CO. About once a week we would visit this nursing home simply to uplift spirits. Brandy loves people so much and it is fulfilling to see the smiles on these people’s faces when she walks into their rooms.

In September my brother moved to North Dakota to work on oil rigs. This was HUGE for him! He really needed to get out of Monument and grow up a bit. As I sit here and write this he is doing very well and making lots of money!

Also in September one of my high school friend’s moms passed away from a brain tumor at the young age of 52. She had touched so many lives and she is dearly missed! I continue to pray for her husband and three children that have many unanswered questions.

In November my car got broken into and my purse was stolen…boo! It was such a hassle to cancel all my bank accounts, contact the credit bureaus, and get a new DL. What a pain!

November and December…WOW! I cannot say enough about these past two months and only because two people unexpectedly came into my life! Allow me to introduce you to two people who have very quickly become such good friends:

-Gina was hired at REI at the end of October and she has since become my best friend at REI. She is from Pennsylvania and came out to CO to intern with the Olympic Training Center. She has her MA in Sports Management and dreams of working with the Olympic movement. She is also quite the runner…D3 National Champion in the 1500 her junior year of college. She is now focusing on trail running and is currently sponsored by Inov8.
She considers herself a Catholic. We have had many spiritual conversations and she has agreed to come to church with me sometime. I pray for her daily!
Okay, so if you don’t know Gina, I must say that with her there is never a dull moment. I have never had so much fun hanging out with someone in my life! She entertains me…which is good since work can be sooooooooo boring! This is one awesome girl who means a ton to me!



-Tjasha and I met and worked at Ted’s Montana Grill together way back in 2006. We were friends back then although she was intimidated by me…WHAT? Am I intimidating??? After 2006, life took us in different directions. I started at Famous Daves and she no longer worked at Ted’s. Although she and I were both in the Springs, our paths never crossed. However, we stayed in contact (kinda…but not really) via facebook through 07 and 08. Then in November of 08, for some unknown reason, we reconnected on facebook chat. She has since become one of my best friends! Also, reconnecting with her has brought me back to God. This past fall semester I felt so sick of church (so I never went) and so complacent. God was missing me and I was missing Him! I don’t know how but my friendship with Tjasha has brought me back to God. My spiritual life is healthier right now then it has been in the past six months…praise the Lord!
All in all, these past two months have made me regret being absent from her life for almost two years. She has been through A LOT and I feel so bad that I could not have been there for her! But, hey, I am here now and I ain’t going anywhere! Love her so much!
Sadly, I do not have one pic of Tjasha and I...don't worry that will all change tomorrow.

Having both G and T in my life, as well as my other friends, have made me realize how blessed I am! So, I leave 2008 on such a high note feeling so loved and blessed! Also I say good-bye to 2008 remembering how far the Lord has brought me and how much I have grown! I am excited for this New Year…excited to see what the Lord has in store for me! However, I am also very very very scared. I will finish my MA this year and have not a clue what is next. I also hope to move out of my parent’s house this year…this freaks me out! So I go into 2009 with hope and fear!