Good Bye 2010 - We're Sad To See You Go!

I can't even tell you how many people I've heard say that they are so ready for 2010 to be over. It seems like a lot of the people that we know and love have had a really rough year.

For us, I think it's been one of the best years yet. I'm seriously so sad to see 2010 end. Yes, we've had a few challenges this year, but the good has definitely outweighed the bad.

Is it bad that I'm scared for 2011? It seems like 2010 has been so great, that 2011 will almost certainly seem rough. I don't know why it is, but for some reason whenever life is good, I have a hard time with sitting back an enjoying it, because I always fear that something bad is just around the corner. I know this is silly thinking and so not God's heart for me, but I still have somehow always felt that way. I have found though, that when the tough times do come, it helps to look back on all the blessings of the past and it reminds me that there is a season for everything.

Back to the 2010 that we love so much though! These are some of my very favorite memories:

January - finishing our basement renovations! It seriously felt SO good to have that project done! We also rang in the New Year with friends in St. Louis

February - A surprise visit from Nate. We miss our friend so much and love it when he comes to visit!

March - A girls weekend with Sarah in Milwaukee. Steve and Nich stayed back and painted the baby's room and setup the crib.

April - Celebrating our anniversary in Chicago. We had such a great time. We also went to a Cardinal's game in April - one of my favorite things to do!

May - Baby shower in Madison and then a trip to St. Louis for 2 baby showers there. The baby showers were great, but most of all I loved spending time with our family and friends!

June - what a great month June was! We went to Minneapolis for a hurling tournament and then spent a few days with my family in Eau Claire. I also went on maternity leave June 1st and loved having time to get ready for Asher to arrive.

July - We celebrated the 4th of July in the hospital bringing our little guy into the world. Not only was this the best month ever, but the best moment of my entire life as well. I also put in my resignation at Independent Living in July and choosing to stay home with Asher has been one of the best decisions we've ever made!

August - My mom came to visit and meet Asher. We also had a mini-vacation to Chicago in August and it was so perfect! I also got to see my old friend Kris, who was one of my english students in Thailand back in 1999. We had so much to catch up on - luckily he is now speaks fluent english!

September - A trip to St. Louis to introduce Asher to our family and friends there!

October - A visit from my dear friend Sara that lives in Montana. I finally got to meet her little sweetheart Amelia.  This was definitely one of my top highlights of the year.  We also had a visit from my Dad and Stepmom this month. It was fun seeing them in the "grandparents" role.

November -  A trip to St. Louis to see Nadia get married. We had such a fun time!

December - What a great month to celebrate all that God has done for us in 2010. We spent a day in Milwaukee enjoying being a little family and took Asher to his first NBA game. We also got new windows installed in our house this month - it may not be exciting to some, but it was for us! :)

It has been a very good year and we're sad to see 2010 leave us. We are so excited for everything that's in store for us in 2011 though. Hopefully this will be another exciting year for our family!

Happy New Year everyone!