2009 Recap!

My dad took this photo on our trip to Japan in September

Looking back on this year has been interesting. A lot of great things happened! I can't believe it was only a year ago that Peter decided to stay home and take classes at Valley instead of in MN. We even got to take a class together! That semester is somewhat of a blur. Lots of writing, because I was in the honors program. I felt very tunnel-visioned in on school, which was tough, but I did well in my classes, and the honors program reimbursed my tuition, so that was great! The greatest part of last semester came a week or so after classes ended--PETER PROPOSED! The post engagement high is fabulous, let me tell you!

This summer was one of the busiest and most packed I've ever had! While taking two classes online at Valley throughout the summer, my family and I went to Baltimore, Maryland and New York, New York for a week! Three days after I returned from that trip, Emily, Lindsay, Peter and I took a road trip to South Carolina and spent a great week in the sun with the Jones! A week after we returned from that, my church went on our annual camp out on Lake Michigan! That was a blast and I really enjoyed it. From there my family minus me went up north to Cedar Campus, while I spent that week home with my Great-Grandma (one day I went out to Gull Lake with Peter's family) and then that weekend Lindsay and I drove up north to join my family at Cedar Campus!

August began the preparations for school. (Buying books and making the decision to not continue the Honors Program. Though my time in it was excellent, I was burning myself out.) Right before classes began, I went on the New Day Women's Retreat, which was fantastic. I got to meet a bunch of wonderful ladies from South Carolina as well as spend great time with my sisters from church!

This past semester school-wise has been good but also busy, even without the Honors Program. One of the greatest things that happened was my trip to Japan with my sister, Papa, and 19 other people from my church! It was incredible.

Probably the most important thing that happened involves relationships. This past semester especially deepened my relationships with my family and my friends. God blessed me by letting not only my relationship with Peter deepen exponentially, but I also have incredibly better relationships with the girls in my life, like Lindsay, Caitlin, and Hannah! My relationship with God has grown amazingly as well, but I'll write about that later. =) I also met people all over the US and the world, and even though I may not see them often or even ever again in person, many of them are my brothers and sisters in our faith, and that means we will have eternity together with the one thing that unites us all--Christ!

2009 was a wonderful year full of so much life and adventure and I cannot wait to see what 2010 will hold.