our year - 2009

2009 was a busy and exciting year for us. There were alot of firsts, plenty of laughs and a few tears. We enjoyed our first year as newlyweds, built our first house, bought our first car, made new friends, traveled, tried new things, became a little more domestic and just enjoyed life. Here are some pictures that highlight our year.

We drove to Tuscaloosa, AL one weekend in January to visit some of my best friends from college. We also watched President Obama's inauguration.

In February we traveled to Destin, Florida for Valentine's Day weekend - the beach was beautiful. These pictures were taken around 10am one morning. So pretty.

We also went to the Mississippi State Rodeo (one of the top rodeos in the nation!).

In March, I started my first blog as a way to document my life with my husband. We also went to the St. Paddy's Day parade in downtown Jackson with a bunch of friends.

Spending time with my mom at her house in April.

Danny started his new job with the bank in May. This is a picture of us enjoying a hot summer day at my parents' house.

We took several trips to the beach over the summer - this was from Orange Beach, AL in May.

In June I spent my first night away from Danny when I had to travel to Memphis for work. I missed him so much. We were also saddened to learn of Michael Jackson's sudden death on June 26.

We spent the 4th of July in Destin, FL with some of my friends from college.

This was taken in mid July. We spent most of the summer playing at the beach and relaxing by my parents' pool.

My mother and I visited my sister who lives in Los Angeles for a girls trip in July. We went to Santa Barbara, Santa Monica and visited a few wineries. This is my sister and I on the pier in Santa Barbara.

In front of the Scooby Doo Van at Paramount.

At the LA Zoo.

We spent the month of August building our first house, cooking meals at home and even took a painting class!

On September 3rd my precious grandmother, Nannie, passed away. This was a really hard time for me. I miss her so much. I know she's with God and that gives me peace.

In October, we celebrated our first wedding anniversary, and closed on our first home. I began blogging more and more often and made some new blog friends.

Danny holding the papers to our new house!

Halloween night we played in our church's annual clue game. Danny and I were Mickey and Minnie Mouse. This is us about to race on the go-carts. So fun.

We celebrated Danny's 23rd birthday in November. We also celebrated Thanksgiving with my family (dad cooked the turkey on his Big Green Egg - see picture) and woke up at 3am on Black Friday to go shopping.

December was super busy. We had our first annual Christmas party at our house on December 12 - it was a success! About 40 of our closest friends showed up and we had a great time. Some of my best friends from Alabama even drove over!

We also went to the annual Belhaven Singing Christmas Tree with some of our friends. It was freezing and it even snowed a little bit!

I turned 23 years old on Christmas day. People always ask how we celebrate both; ever since I was little we do Christmas in the morning and my birthday in the afternoon with my entire family. This picture is me and my older brother with my mom's sweet new puppy.

On December 22nd, Danny left for Costa Rica to visit his family (he hasn't seen them since our wedding in October 2008). He won't be back until January 5th. I really miss him but I am so glad he is able to spend precious time with his family.

All of these things are just a small snapshot of our year. The most important thing that happened to us in 2009 was that we were healthy and happy. We both grew tremendously in our walk with God, and that is what I'm most thankful for. I feel closer to Christ than I ever have before. We found a new church home and everyone was so welcoming. And for that we are forever grateful.

We have a busy year ahead of us with traveling, working and settling into our new home. What do I hope for most in 2010? Nothing more than good health, happiness, and love.