A year in review...

I can't believe it has already been a year and I have been a slacker in keeping our blog updated! So my pre-new years resolution is to keep the blog updated! So much has happened in the past year and I thought I would just highlight a few things...

The new house! (above: the back, below: the front)

In April we purchased our first home! It was quite a process dealing with banks and Realtors and all the legal garbage to boot! We love our house and it has been so much fun cleaning it up and decorating. Our neighborhood is wonderful and we are right in the middle of everything. It doesn't take us too long to get just about anywhere. The house had been empty for a number of months so we had the great task of de-winterizing everything and cleaning the yard. It has been fun to plant things and watch things grow. There were surprises all spring long as plants grew and bloomed. Aaron and I were both busy with school and work so we did the minimums as far as yard work but we have since put in a garden space, removed some dead trees and bushes and planted a few things. We have also painted some of the interior.

We both celebrated our birthdays in May by going to the Boise Zoo to check out the new African Plains exhibit. We saw the Lions and Tigers and Giraffes. It was fun to wander around and see all the animals and enjoy the day together! Through out the summer we enjoyed wandering the Boise greenbelt and playing in the various parks.

We also had the opportunity to take a long weekend and head to the Sawtooth Mountains for a much needed break from everyday life. We met up with my mom and siblings in Stanley and set up camp in one of our favorite campgrounds. We spent the days playing in the creek and hiking the trails and the nights lounging around the campfire.

Aaron and I were also able to sneak away toward the end of the summer to visit his parents in Pocatello and surprise my sister, Lara, in Jackson Hole. We spent the day with her wandering the town and enjoying the beautiful Teton Mountains.

Fall is always a fun time for homeowners, we decided that we needed to trim up some trees and clean up the yard a bit so we enlisted the help of my mom, brother Justin, and Grandpa and Grandma Beal to help.

(Above: Grandma Beal taking the hedge trimmer to the roses, Below: Justin and Aaron fixing the back gutter)

Fall also brought some major changes. I finished my schooling at Apollo College in late October and began my internship with a local Medical Group. With the end of my schooling also came the end of my employment with Franklin Covey. I couldn't keep the hours needed for work or the internship so we decided we would struggle through with one income and do our best to make it as short a time as possible. Graduation was October 30, 2009 and I was asked to be a class speaker. I was overwhelmed with the opportunity to share my thoughts with my classmates and be such a part of their college experience. Overall I graduated top of my class with honors. My internship lasted about 6 weeks and I learned more than I ever thought I would and made some great new friends.

Shortly after I started my internship Aaron was laid off from his job. We had no warning. It just happened. So now we are both unemployed and trying to figure life out again. So many thoughts run through your mind when things happen and so many "what ifs" but we have grown closer than ever as a couple and redirected our sails to make it through.

Soon after Aaron was laid off we also found out we were expecting our first child! We couldn't be happier and more excited! My greatest desire and ambition in life is to be a mom. Because of my diabetes we immediately got the "medical team" on board and started doctors appointments. We were planning on telling the rest of our family for Christmas, but Heavenly Father has a different plan for us. Our little angel was only with us for 7 weeks before going back to be Grandpa's baby. I had a miscarriage in early December, we couldn't be more heartbroken. Our faith has been tried yet again and we are leaning on family and friends for support. There are so many unanswered questions and so many thoughts, but we know that Heavenly Father knows what we need and He has a plan for us, and all the things that we are going through is for a reason.

As we near the end of the year and the Christmas season we couldn't be more thankful for our family and our faith. Our knowledge that Families are Forever and that we are given trials to help us grow. The past year has been a tough one, but looking back we have learned so much and grown closer to our family and strenghtened our faith in God and His plan for us. One day I hope to be able to look back on these tough times and see the lessons we were to learn.

Everyday we get up, put one foot in front of the other and move forward. Learning, growing, struggling, and relying on the faith we have.