2008: How Did I Do All That in Just 365 Days?

To put it mildly 2007 was a really crappy year for us, until about mid-December when it felt like the tides were beginning to turn.  We got engaged, and I booked a flight to Arizona to start at Thunderbird and holy crap - I was going to get my MBA and get married the same year!  And thus began 2008 for us with a great deal of hope that it would make up for how horrible 2006 and 2007 had been for us.  New Years rang in TERRIBLY, however I came home from Thunderbird inspired, excited, and having booked a wedding venue without seeing it.

Overall, 2008 was a year of extremes.  I was being treated miserably at my former job, in fact it wouldn't be a stretch to say I was being treated with hostility by a few people and by the time I left I had a seriously bruised ego, wondering what I had done to bring this on myself.  The fact is that some people just suck and while I know I made some mistakes, I also know I did the very best I could and I deserved better.  Layer on top of that the stress of classes that required about 45 hours a week and wedding planning and suddenly I found myself to be the crankiest person I knew.  I was beginning to think 2008 was going to suck too.  But Dave held my hand when I felt incredibly alone, and he dried my tears when I was frustrated beyond belief, and he ordered our cake tastings with enthusiasm and scheduled appointments like a super star.  And next thing you knew, I was dancing on the chairs to "Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC in my wedding dress just like I'd always wanted.

2009 has a lot in store for us - one of my very best friends is having a baby, I get to see China, my husband will watch me graduate and then there's the excitement of all of the unknown.  I'm beginning to think that maybe this shifting of tides will be slower and more gradual than maybe we both had wanted, but we have even more to celebrate about in 2009 than we did in 2008, and I hope that our ability to build on that will only grow.

Thanks to all our friends and family who made 2008 great, and who loved, helped and supported us through the insanity.  If we could do all THAT in just one year, what else can we do??