The end of 2009(her)

Christmas was awesome. We traveled to just outside of Chicago and stayed in a resort that had an indoor water park and amusement park. The kidos had an absolute blast. My favorite amenity though was right inside of our bedroom; the whirlpool. Unfortunately, we had to come back home. We did stop at a fun museum on the way back though. The best part about our trip… we didn’t have anywhere to be at any time. We could lounge around whenever we wanted. It was truly a fabulous Christmas, and I think I am sensing the start of a tradition.
I uploaded some of the photos from our trip on flickr, so be sure to check them out.
Christmas Photos 2009

We celebrated the new year in a neat way. We co-hosted a wine and hors d’oeuvres party and traveled to a few other homes for yummy food and good times… another tradition in the making.

Next week life will tumble back into a normal routine (whatever that means), and 2009 will be just another book on the shelf. It was a crazy story, with the best of chapters. We found Imago and God has blessed us with new and wonderful friends. We moved into the hood, where God has taught, blessed, challenged and strengthened our faith on a day by day basis. The boys started attending morning classes at the elementary (and I have had more time than I am disciplined enough to use well). Stephen began a new position at AEGON and we finally developed and have stuck to a budget. I have taken up photography. We spent a month over the summer at Young Life camp. We got our Blackberry’s. 🙂 Stephen turned 30 (and I am only one year away. sigh), and our baby turned one.
Yes, it was a crazy year. Difficult and wonderful. Our family made some tough choices and saw some rough moments, but God has proved good throughout each. I can’t tell you how much God has shown His love to us in the past year. I have come to understand that it is not for the love of God that I live, but because of it. As a wise and wonderful friend has been reminding me… God loves me, and there is no one in the world who can fulfill His place in my life. I can’t imagine the last year without Him.