2010

Oh, 2010 was definitely an interesting year filled with laughter, tears, love, joy, grief, fear, doubts, hope and everything in between. Here's a quick[ish] recap.

January: The year started out with a Ducks Rose Bowl loss. Not the best way to start off the year, but it could always be worse. We found out my grandma had cancer, she had surgery and is now cancer free. January was a really emotionally draining month though.

February: There wasn't a whole lot that happened this month, but this is pretty much when I decided that I wanted to be a nurse for kiddos. I love kids, they love me, and I can't think of a better way to help people than to help hurting children. It'll be a very rewarding job.

March: March is when I got my Taurus. I love it, and it's been a reliable car. Minus the random things that happened, but that's for later on in 2010 ;) I spent a lot of time working and spending time with family and friends.

April: This month I helped my mom celebrate her 48th birthday, and my grandma had a birthday as well. I'd tell you her age, but when a person gets past 50, it's rude to share. This was a pretty emotional month. I contacted a person from my past for the first time since we had our falling out. The first conversation we had was very rude and short. The second one was a little better, but left me with a lot of questions and a lot of hurt feelings. I got through it though.

May: May started out with a trip to Eugene to watch the spring Duck Game with Kori. It was a fun experience, and who knew how awesome my ducks would turn out? Oh wait, I did ;). I did a lot of soul searching this month. I did a lot of growing up, and a lot of letting go. I celebrated T's birthday, and just had a good time.

June: Obviously I celebrated my 2oth birthday. It was perfect. I spent it with some of my favorite people, just hanging out. Nothing special. I didn't need anything special. The easiest things in life are sometimes the best. In my opinion anyways. I spent a lot of time at baseball and softball games and practices. My best friends kids (who are pretty much my nieces and nephews) made it to the All*Stars for the first time, so I helped out with getting them where they needed to be, and of course I watched all the games! What kind of auntie would I be if I didn't?

July: I adopted my kitty Uno on the Fourth of July. There's a secret meaning for his name, but I'm not telling. (And no, the secret isn't that it's one in spanish, that's just a disguise for the real meaning behind his name). I played in a fun softball game with some friends and ended up hurting my groin area. It was no bueno. A few weeks after that, I played in a co-ed softball tournament and had a blast, even though we sucked.

August: I spent most of August at the pool with the boys. I took them to the fair, and one of the boys won a bike. I went and saw Casting Crowns in concert with a friend and fell in love with them even more. They're not your usual christian band. They're home from Saturday through Wednesday so they can be with their families and their church. I think it's awesome and I have a ton of respect for them. They practice what they preach, that's for sure.

September: September started out with a little camping trip with Kori and the boys. It was fun to just get away and do nothing. I freaked Kori out in the tent though when she was falling asleep. I've seen a ton of scary movies so I have crazy things happen in my mind when I hear the smallest noise and I made her paranoid. It was kind of funny though, even if I did think there was a man standing out there ready to kill me. I finished up watching the boys, because they started school full time. It was sad, but good at the same time. I'll always have a special place in my heart for those two. I started school on the 20th, and bought a ticket to a duck game for October. A good month, for sure.

October: This month started the best way any month could possibly start. I took a trip to Eugene to spend time with family, AND go to the Stanford game. I didn't go to sleep Friday night before the game, so I would be awake at 4 for College Gameday. It was fun, but I had a creepy stalker guy following me around. The game was awesome (aside from the first quarter) and I had a blast, even though I went by myself. The drive home that night was kinda scary. Looking back I should have definitely stayed in Eugene for the night. I almost fell asleep behind the wheel more times than I can count. I pulled over in a small town and took a nap. Got home safe and sound. I just really focused on school and football in October. I did end up caving and contacting Michael again. This time it was a much better conversation, even if I did hear some less than pleasing news. It did however, leave me with even more questions. And it made me miss him even more.

November: This month was pretty busy. I celebrated my church's second birthday, took some mid-terms and spent time with family. We headed over to Eugene for Thanksgiving. It was some good time with family, and the day after thanksgiving, I went to the Ducks vs. Arizona game with my brother. It was awesome. Obviously we won ;) I also had to decide whether or not I was moving to Bend. I wasn't ready to, so I made the decision to wait. I'm very at peace with that decision.

December: December started pretty good. I finished my classes, took some finals and got A's in all of my classes. I spent a couple days with friends just hanging out and baking cookies and finding out that my Ducks are playing for the national championship (sldkjf;lajds;lfjYAYYYYY!!!klajds;lkja;dslfj). On the 15th though, my grandpa unexpectedly passed away. We were on our way to Eugene when we found out he didn't make it. It was a hard couple of weeks, but it got our family together that hasn't been together since I was two years old. We spent Christmas together, and loved on each other. It was a hard day for my grandma, but she had her family around her to love and support her. I had a good week of quality time with my four year old niece. She's been a blast to hang with. She cracks me up, and we love singing Yo Gabba Gabba songs together (Don't.. Don't.. Don't bite your friends!). I'm spending new years eve with my brother, my grandma and my niece.. I couldn't ask for more.

So bring it on, 2011. I have high hopes for you! And maybe a couple of wishes. For my family and friends, health and happiness. For my brother, to find out what he really wants from life. For those who struggled during 2010, peace and hope to get through 2011. And for myself, love. Whether that's love from friends, family or a special guy, all I ask for during 2011 is love. With love, all things are possible. I'm ready for 2011, and thankful that God got me through 2010 happy and healthy.

Hope you have a wonderful New Years. Spend it with someone special.