Thursday, December 31, 2009

2009: the fullest year of my life!

2009 was one of the most adventure-packed years of my life.  It started with my boyfriend of two years, Justin Chase Moore, asking me to be his wife on January 10th.  Somehow, although I can't explain know why, I knew he was going to propose to me that day! I wouldn't let myself believe it, telling myself it was just wishful thinking. But whatever it was...intuition, a vision or some kind of dream...I was right! I said yes. :)  That evening was a tour of families and relatives, with me showing off my handsome fiancee, and maybe my ring too. ;)

In May, Justin graduated from UNL with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.  Going to his graduation ceremony, the first I'd been to, was wonderful.  He had been working at an internship with a defense contractor here in Lincoln, but at that point, the job market was very lean for engineers, and we didn't know if we'd have to move so he could have a job.  The company didn't officially hire him until after we'd been married for about a month, and we had already had to sign a lease on an apartment, so we were trusting that God would provide something in Lincoln.  Now he is a full time Design Engineer at General Dynamics.  He designs rocket casings. Which is pretty cool. :)



Shortly after the May graduations, my brother Jim married his sweetheart, Kelsey.  He'd proposed to her just a month before Justin proposed to me, so of course they got the first choice of wedding date. :) Jim and Kelsey were married on June 6th, in a beautiful outdoor morning wedding.  God gave them a beautiful day, but the day before (which we hadn't remembered to pray for, I suppose) it had rained like a hurricane in Lincoln. So the ground was a little soggy, but they went ahead and had the wedding in the "Green" of our church.

Less than two months later, Justin and I had our big day, and I married the love of my life on July 31st, at 7:00 in the evening.  We put a lot of time and thought into planning our wedding, especially the ceremony and programs (which ended up being 8 pages long!), so it was really great to have everything happen relatively smoothly.  We had an outdoor reception, and God also gave us a perfect evening. A little breezy, overcast, no bugs, the perfect temperature.  However, it did get dark a lot sooner than we'd planned, and the latter part of our reception was quite dark. :)

We honeymooned in Mexico, in the Riviera Maya.  We'd scored some great deals when we booked our flight and resort, and stayed at an all-inclusive hotel for six nights.  It was the low season for Mexico's tourism, so we had a very quiet and peaceful stay. The weather was indescribably beautiful, and we spent lots of time snorkeling, lazing around on the beach, and even doing a little tourism to visit, among other things, Chichen Itza--one of the seven wonders of the world.  It didn't disappoint!

A few weeks after we got home, I began my last semester at UNL.  I was taking 15 credit hours, and working around 15 hours a week.  My employment ended in September or October, and I was really grateful, because I could spend more time at home, and more time with my HUSBAND! :)

Around this time is also when Justin was officially hired at General Dynamics.  A long time ago, I'd promised to take him out for steaks when he got his first job.  Well, it's all our money now, so technically I couldn't take him out, but we had a great evening out at Misty's to celebrate nonetheless.

I graduated college a few short weeks ago, with a major in English and a minor in History.  I took part in the ceremony, which I'm really glad I did.  It's pretty long and dull, but you only graduate with your bachelor's degree once, and it was worth it to have the closure and finality of what's really been seven years of (on-and-off) college.  Wow.  I graduated high school in 2002, and it's taken me this long to complete my degree, since I took a couple of years off to work full time, and also did school part time for several terms.

Out of the blue, no more than a week ago, a former coworker from the Legislature called me up and asked if I needed a job! Seriously?  Yes, I said, I'm looking to work part time. I emailed an updated cover letter and resume to Senator Kate Sullivan, and I'm going to be working for her, starting Monday!  Another big WOW.  Plus, I'll be working with the same district and some of the same coworkers, 8-2, which means I'll still have afternoons and evenings to be home and work on my photography! God has provided so abundantly, and because I have this job, we'll be able to pay off my school loans a lot more efficiently, and still be able to save some.

That brings me to today, and I have to leave in a few short minutes to fill out some paperwork for my new job.  This is a really quick overview of my year, but it is so abundantly evident that God has worked everything together for our good.  He truly cares for our lives, and guides us in everything we do.  I don't know if 2010 will have so many landmarks, but I know God is already there, preparing the path for us.

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