*A side note: This turned out to be REALLY long so if you can't get through the whole thing, I understand. :)
So, here we go...rewinding...
New Year's Day, 2000. I was in San Diego with my friends Ryan and Ann having a blast! It was our first of many New Year's spent together. Unfortunately, we have married (well that's not unfortunate..) and scattered and birthed children so we are not able to be together anymore. I still miss them every New Year's. When I think of the people who God has most used to shape who I am (with the exception of parents and Dan) these two top my list!
Summer of 2000 I spent in Colorado interning with Youth for Christ. Made some of the best friends I've ever had. Didn't sleep enough. Worked a lot. Had a blast. Fell in love with Colorado. God changed my life!
Fall of 2000 found me at APU. By the way, Dan will enter the scene in a starring role very soon but at this point, he was the guy who would show up on my doorstep in Azusa randomly and everyone wondered if he was secretly in love with me.
Summer of 2001 I moved home for the summer and spent a lot of time with Dan, who was working and hanging out in L.A.
Spring of 2002 I graduated from APU! Wahoo! Dan didn't make graduation cause he was in Mexico. I saw him that weekend and poured my heart out to him about my recent broken heart (he just keeps popping up huh?).
I also started working at Hillview Acres Children's Home right as I graduated. It was a wonderful and challenging time in my life. Life changing for sure. Made some of my best friends of all time.
January of 2003 Dan up and moved to the east coast, which really left me very sad, even though I would have said that I didn't care at the time.
March of 2003 Dan returned home for his birthday and we had another "random cuddling incident." Back he went to the east coast and I said to Ryan and Ann, "I think I MIGHT KIND OF like Dan." Ryan celebrated quietly in his own mind as he had been wanting us together for quite some time.
May of 2003. Dan returns home again. During another random cuddling incident he says, "So is this a good idea or does it happen just because its comfortable?" We agreed to think and pray about our relationship. He returned again to the east coast, leaving me near heartbroken. At this point I was definitely "in like."
At this point I was still working at Hillview. That July I flew out to see Dan and attend a conference with friends. When the issue of our relationship came up, Dan said to me, "I love you but I'm not IN love with you." Heartbroken again. The rest of the trip, though, the sparks were flying and I kept thinking, "Ok either Dan was lying to me or to himself."
August of 2003 Dan flies home again and we spend mounds of time together.
August 30, 2003 we start dating.
That next February we got engaged.
In March he moved back to L.A.
November 20, 2004 we say "I Do!!!"
May of 2005 we experience a miscarriage. God really showed me a lot through that but one big thing was how amazing the man I married is. His love and support through that time was incredible.
September of 2006...PREGNANT again. This time, with the Jayden boy!
may of 2007...Jayden arrives!!
November of 2007...a trip to the ER for a possible kidney infection turns into finding out Eli was on his way! 6 weeks pregnant and had no idea. It takes about a week for the shock to wear off.
May of 2008 we moved back to L.A. so Dan could start school in the fall.
Jayden also turns ONE, just a mere seven weeks before his little brother is due to arrive. Craziness!
July 2008...Eli arrives!
November of 2008- The Thanksgiving 2008 Stomach Flu hits our house. Wow, talk about A LOT of people VERY sick at the same time, with two very small children to care for.December of 2008- Our first Christmas as a family of four. We managed to survive the first 6 months of having a 1 year old and an infant. At times it felt like it we might not, let's just say that!
January of 2009- We head to Seattle for a family vacation, visiting the Trumans and Lyndsey and Mark (pictured below). Fun fun fun!!!
May of 2009
Jayden turns TWO!!!
June of 2009. My dad undergoes quadruple bypass, flatlining twice on the table. We're told he might be brain dead. He wasn't. Praise God. Flatlined again in the hospital a few days after the surgery. Got a pacemaker. Had a stroke. Clot miraculously dissolved, leaving him with just a slight limp. We all praise God again.
July of 2009- Eli turns ONE. I marvel at how fast a year can go and simultaneously rejoice that Eli is one and mourn the end of his babyhood. Life is weird like that.
September 2009- Dan starts L.A. Term, a required semester for his Global Studies degree. Four months of exhaustion ensue, accompanied with a nasty bout with strep throat that leaves him with weird tremors. Many medical tests follow- everything comes back clear. Life is weird like that. I am reminded to not take my wonderful, amazing, incredible, handsome, Godly husband for granted!!
November of 2009- Dad lands back in the hospital with blood clots in his lung and his leg. Enough medical stuff already, God!! :)
December of 2009- Dan finishes L.A. Term and the entire world breaks out in rejoicing. Ok, maybe it was just me. Hee hee.
December 31, 2009- We say good riddance to 2009 when it comes to an end!!! Ok that's a bit dramatic. God has used this year to teach us a lot and we are thankful for that. But I would say it has been, by far, my most challenging year yet. Challenges in parenting, in marriage, in trusting God with my dad's life, etc. have continually driven me to my knees, even if to just say, "God forgive me..." for handling it all so poorly. We are looking forward to what God will teach us in this next year while also hoping for less "drama."
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
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