Remembering 2008

What a year 2008 was!! So many exciting things happened last year that made it an extrordinary year! Lots of life changing events occurred to not only us but those who are a part of our lives. January started out with us finding out that I was pregnant and sharing the news with all our family and friends! I wanted it to be special for our family because this was the first baby in my immediate family so I bought rhinestone studded fortune cookies and personalized the fortune on the inside with Congratulations and whatever they were going to be (Grandparents, Auntie etc.) Everyone was shocked and so excited. I was so happy that I could make it special for everyone! In March I got to go to my first Lakers game for Liz’s bachlorette party! It was a ton of fun! In April we found out that our bundle of joy was a baby girl which set us up for a TON of pink that was going to become part of our lives. In May Jon came home safely from Iraq, hopefully he will never go back again! We miss him too much! June was a busy month for us!! Jamie and Victor had their first child, a beautiful baby girl named Alana Rose. Eric and Liz finally tied the knot and we got to be a part of their wedding party on their special day. Shannon and James moved back to California from the east coast. All I can say is, its about time!!!! And Eddie and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary. In July my mom and sister threw me a baby shower. It was awesome! We got EVERYTHING we needed and anything else that you could think of. I am truly blessed with the most amazing family and friends! On September 19 we welcomed our baby girl Grace into the world. I loved being pregnant, but could go without labor pains for the rest of my life. Becoming a mom has changed my life in the best way. I love getting to wake up everyday and seeing a smile on my baby girls face. It has brought Eddie and I closer together as a couple and made us a perfect little family. While being a mom is the greatest experience ever, it is the hardest thing I have ever done. I don’t know where I would be without all the help that I get from everyone. October brought more wedding bells. We got to stand at Jake and Sarah sides as they said their “I dos”. It’s so great that best friends married best friends. For her first Halloween Grace was a Pea Pod. It took me a long time to decide on it, but because I have called Eddie “Sweet Pea” for years I felt that it was perfect. November was just as any year, but I hosted Thanksgiving at my house for the first time for our family. To wrap up the year, December was exciting. My cousins Corey and Jen gave birth to their son Mason. Congratulations to them! Jessica and Rick got engaged at Disneyland!! Its finally her turn! Christmas with Grace was once in a lifetime. Although she didn’t really know what was going on, I did. I enjoyed every minute of opening presents with her and traveling from place to place to get to celebrate the holiday with all our families. I can hardly wait for next year when she will be more aware of what is going on and get to share in the excitement of the season. We rang in the new year with a group of friends at a restaurant in Anaheim called Bar Louies. It was a great night with lots of drinks and laughs. To sum up 2008 in one word I would have to say exhilarating. It is one year that can go down in my book as one of the best ever. I don’t see 2009 being any less great. Though I don’t think there are any weddings in the planning for this year, there will be new babies!! My cousins are expecting their first baby in April, and my best friend Ann is expecting her second child to be born in September. I couldn’t be happier for either of them! Something tells me that there will be another baby too, but I can’t say now for sure. We will all have to just wait and see. You never know what life will bring you, but I know that lots of great things will happen to me this year. Even if its just things like watching my little girl take her first steps, say her first word, or celebrating her first birthday, it is going to be memorable. I hope everyone is as optimistic for the new year as I am!!