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...1...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! As 2008 comes to an end, I thought it was only right to do a year in review! So here goes, 2008 in review...

You win some and you lose some and sometimes you call it a draw. For 2008, I think it would be called a draw. This year, I married the man of my dreams on October 11 and we had the fairytale picture perfect wedding. Our wedding was everything that we had imagined and so much more. I want to thank my parents, my family and those friends out there that stood by my side, supported me and helped me keep things in perspective. Matt and I are very excited about this new chapter in our life and sharing the rest of our lives together. After our wedding, we went on an amazing honeymoon in Jamaica and things couldn’t be better-him, me, the beach, romance…life with him gets better and better every day!

So while we began our lives together, we also said good-bye to Matt’s grandfather this past summer along with two other friends of his family. My dad had full shoulder reconstruction, Sally’s mom found out she had cancer and Matt hurt his back. All three are working on getting better but it’s a long road for all of them.

In January, we gained a new member to our family. His name is Shadow and he’s a black lab. He had some bad habits when we got him (like eating anything on the counter) but he’s learned and is a very good dog. He and Emma get along very well although Shadow likes to shred her bandana! In August, we found out that he had heartworms but we got him treated and so far so good. We take him back around March for a final all clear and then he should be good to go!

In June, I finished my Masters in Business Administration from Lindenwood University. Luckily, the program was quick and painless and definitely well worth it! Work this year has been a learning and growing experience. Never do we stop learning-if we do then we stop growing.

So 2008 has definitely been a year of ups and downs but, overall, it was a year of understanding…understanding that the good comes with the bad, that true friends stick by your side and what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. Here’s to 2009!!! Happy New Year!

(Here's a picture of Matt and I at our rehearsal dinner-never before seen!)