2009 Recap

December was a crazy month...which is quite fitting as 2009 was a crazy year...

As I reflect on the past year, I decided to do a quick recap of the exciting events (pictures included for your enjoyment):

1. January - I started off the year getting engaged to a very handsome and wonderful man.

2. January - The Ponca City crew came down for the annual superbowl party and declaration of the Fantasy Football Trophy (my name gets engraved this year! wahoo!)

3. March - Went on a "Last Fling Before the Rings" (titled by our dear mother, we even got luggage tags with the phrase...I can sense your jealousy) cruise with the all the girls. It was a great time...though I learned that cruises are not my favorite vacation.

4. June 20th - I got married to my best friend! (sorry he's not in this picture...I have an entire post of the wedding if you desire to look...)

5. June - Celebrated our marriage in the great city of Zihuatanejo, Mexico. The best vacation I've ever been on.

6. June - Moved for the first time into a home I can call my own. I LOVE having a home!

7. July - We came back just in time to celebrate the marriage of my sister, Caitlin!

8. August - Started back to work...:(

9. September - Celebrated my older sister, Amy, getting married!

10. October - My good friend, Faith, got married! (Lots of weddings this year! What a blessing!)

11. My family grew twice as large in a matter of just a few months (this is at Thanksgiving)

12. December - Still taking it all in...but I quit my job at the school (for a massive myriad of reasons, but the quality of my life is going to vastly improve now). Guess I'll be starting off the new year looking for a new job...

13. Matt and I took a trip to New York City for the Christmas holiday. I've always wanted to go during Christmas time (I had never been before) and it was Beautiful! Freezing, but beautiful! (here we are in Central Park after the monumental snow storm)

14. We arrived back in DFW a couple days before Christmas to celebrate with my family, and then headed to Oklahoma to celebrate with the in-laws. It was wonderful to see everyone and spend time with them, though now I'm finally getting a chance to relax from our vacations!

I cannot believe that tomorrow starts the new year. It will be different than last (and hopefully a little slower paced!), but I look forward to what God brings. I do pray that I can learn to rest solely in His presence again, as the crazy, changing year has wound me up a bit:). I want to bask in God's joy and peace and continually remember that He is faithful. I think it's going to be a good year. ;)

Dickens on the Strand 2009

A couple weekends ago, Kelsey flew into town to celebrate her birthday in Galveston. Due to unexpected snow storm in Houston and various other events, I ended up picking her up from the airport (a day late) and traveling with her down to Galveston to see Caitlin and Karl. We spent the day at this unusual event in downtown Galveston...who knew it was such a big deal! There were people everywhere dressed up from that era in hoop skirts and top hats...I mean EVERYWHERE! Entire families - grandparents, children, wee-ones. It seemed quite ridiculous, but interesting...I tried to document the event, but they just don't do it justice!

We got there right as the parade was starting...

...of course you have your bagpipe band....

....you've got your Pope Saint Nicholas...:)

...you've got your audience...no, they were not in the parade. Just chillin' in their costumes...

...the ship (don't remember the name) from that time period...

...on the ship (it was freezing!!)...

...this is when pre-almost-getting-killed by the "mates" pretending to be sailing the ship while docked...

....and it wouldn't all be complete without an elephant ride. $5 for 20 seconds of excitement...why not?

Thanksgiving Pictures

I finally got some pictures stolen off of facebook from Thanksgiving! We didn't get any in Oklahoma, but these are from my mom's house in Fort Worth...My grandfather likes to bring his "backdrop" consisting of black butcher paper for our annual pictures. Got to love him! :)

The new and improved family!

Then we each got our turn...

Matt and Me

Caitlin and Karl

Amy & Matt Z.

Kelsey and Me -

her stand-in until future happenings
(so she doesn't have to be by herself)

My adorable grandparents - Gramps and Mimi

Matt and I trying to get Mocha to pose for the camera...

it obviously wasn't working out that well. :(

Oh the Power of a Teacher...

“I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It's my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de-humanized.”

Eventful Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was eventful. My falling asleep at 9pm last night on the couch and not even remembering Matt ushering me to bed might be a good clue to how I need a vacation from my vacation!

We spent a good couple days in the very cold state of Oklahoma (well compared to Houston, it was frigid!). We baked, watched some good "25 days of Christmas movies", hot tubbed, enjoyed a wonderful meal.

Then we headed to Keller. This is where all plans when awry.

1) Watched some Aggie football. My mom had graciously recorded it for us since we were driving back while it was on, but didn't tape the last 5 minutes of the game...and it was actually a good game! At least we caught the highlights afterwards.

2) Friday the girls went shopping. I did buy some awesome boots for like 60% off! That was a perk. But the boys were supposed to meet up with us for lunch a couple hours in. What my mom didn't know was that while she thought they were watching football...they were actually installing her new dishwasher that we all chipped in for her for Christmas. She hasn't had a working one in about 6 months. Their couple hour project - took closer to 5-6 hours!! Not their fault, just a series of unfortunate events. So no lunch or coffee or shopping for the boys...but we did get back just in time to eat dinner with them. At least it's in and working now!

3) Saturday morning we planned on picking up a piano that my grandparents were passing down to Matt & I. It's very special and sentimental, but if you've ever tried to move a piano - it's ridiculously heavy and awkward. We recruited the new brother-in-laws to help us out before the Heine Thanksgiving meal and go get it. We headed 30-45 minutes towards Dallas to pick up the Uhaul trailer. Well, we get there and the only one they have it all beat up and not suitable to drive a piano all the way to Houston. We were there over an hour arguing with the people, before they sent us to south Dallas (another 30 min away) to get another trailor. We wait in line forever... I was seriously about to jump the next Uhaul worker that even looked at me - I was so livid. Then they didn't even have our reservation that the lady at the other one had just made!! Well, by that time it's already noon...we had left the house at 9am...we were supposed to eat at 1:30 and we hadn't even tried to load the piano yet or get it home. The task was just not working out for us. We gave it up. Canceled our reservation. Called it a loss. Drove the hour home. Sad day. Frustrating. Oh well...better luck next time. I hope.

4) Sunday we headed home. Not having a lot of family time over the couple days. But thankfully we'll be back in a few weeks.

A better note...On our way we saw a dad and 2 little kids on the side of the road with a blowout tire. Matt and I decided to flip back around and help them out. The poor kids looked scared to death standing on the side of the road. I had never done that (b/c it's really not safe as a girl), but it was really cool to help out another person in need. Matt helped change the tire while I talked with the kids. They were a sweet family and the dad seemed shocked that anybody would be willing to stop and help out. It was nice to put a smile on a stranger's face.