Goodbye 2009 I'll Remember You Always

     This has been the most amazing year and I am so sad that it came to an end so quickly.  On December 31, 2008 I made a New Year's resolution; to make myself happy in 2009.  I have always been a fairly happy person but 2006, 2007, and 2008 were fairly difficult years.  Not terrible but I can honestly say I was not as happy as I would like to have been.  So, I did not tell anyone my resolution.  I didn't even write it down.  I kept it in my head and told myself to keep this resolution. 


     I'll be honest I've never been a resolution setter, much less a resolution keeper.  But I will tell you this that in 2009 I kept my New Year's resolution 110%!  I did so many things, saw so many things, and learned so much!  I learned that it is ok to think about myself from time to time.  At the same time I learned that making other people happy or feel good makes me happy.  And above all I learned how truly blessed I really am.
    
     In 2009 I...

Spent lots of time with my wonderful family and extended family

My brother came home from the Marine Corps

I got to visit (one of) my cousins and my grandmother down in Austin...and more then once!

The only thing that could top it off is if my older sister and her kids could have come home for the holidays

I went to my very first cake competition in Austin, Texas.  My sister-in-law, A, went with me.  My cousin took us down to 6th Street and we had the time of our lives.  We were hurting the next morning, but it was well worth it.  The most memorable trip to Austin, I'd have to say!

My sister and I saw Rent the Broadway tour in Dallas, with two of the original cast members.  It was amazing!  I love the theater, but Rent takes the cake!

I went on an amazing cruise with 3 of my favorite people in the world.  My sister and her husband (above) and Tuck.  We had an amazing time!  Thanks to the swine flu our 5 day Mexican cruise was turned into an AMAZING 7 day cruise to Jamaica and Grand Cayman at no additional cost to us other then the two extra days tasty beverages.  Although I really missed the girls, I would be back on that ship in a heart beat.  I have never seen water so blue.  Jamaica was really pretty but Cayman was my favorite.  We ate lots, drank even more, made some new friends, and had the time of our lives.  The best memories ever! "Ugly Betty this is Dinah, over"

For the Fourth of July my cousin and his girlfriend came up from Austin.  We pretty much hung out at the house but we were accompanied by a pony keg and a nice bottle of Grey Goose.  My cousin's girlfriend beat Tuck at Risk, which made me love her even more then I already did!  Tuck never loses at Risk and she whooped him!  I love that girl!

I made lots of cakes, created my cake business website, and had a booth at my very first Bridal Show in Rockwall, Texas.  You can read all about those adventures on my cake blog.  Up until this year I was 100% self taught, but in February I decided to take a beginner class.  Although I knew all the things that were taught in the class I did learn some neat tips and tricks in the 4 night class I took.

Tuck and I were fortunate enough, not only to get to keep our jobs this year when so many people were out of work, but we were fortunate enough to get to give our daughters fun birthdays that they will enjoy looking back at the pictures and remembering how much fun they had with all the bubbles, tutus, presents, and cake.  Grumps and Gigi (my dad and step mom) blessed us with a nap mat for Teeter's birthday and a playhouse for the backyard for Bowbas's birthday.  The girls LOVE this stuff!  Teeters loves laying on her nap mat in the play room.  Since it has a blanket it attached it's really more like a sleeping bag but she love, love, loves it. "I wanna lay on my mabmat"  Bowbas can't wait to go outside and get in their house everyday.  Teeters loves it too, but Bowbas just loves to take the watering can in there, shut the door, come back out, ring the door bell.

 

We also got to take the girls to the Ringlig Bros Circus.  A perk of going to the circus is riding the train.  Tuck hates riding the train, but the kids love it and it costs $6 to ride all day versus paying $25 to park at American Airlines and sit in traffic to get in and out.  Going to the circus is always a really long day and the girls were pooped afterwards.  They had popcorn, cotton candy, they got stuffed pink ponies, programs, and  spinning light things.  All kinds of wonderful stuff.  Teeters loves elephants so the circus was a highlight of her year.  She talked about it for weeks afterwards, and would look through her program numerous times a day.

And...

I got to see the great Paul McCartney in concert at the new Cowboy's stadium.  It was one of the most amazing nights of my life.  I saw Paul McCartney, live.  I can now justify that he is real and amazing! Hahaha!

Then...

Tuck got a promotion at work.  He had a 5 year goal which I must say he stuck to very well considering that he met his goal in only 4 years.  It has been an interesting transition for him, but he and everyone around him is adjusting.  It has been great for our family and he is now working on his goal for the next 5 years.  I am very pround of him.

Teeters took her very first and possibly last dance class this year.  We went for a month, but she was not a big fan once they moved the class into a room where the parents could not come in.  Either way she had fun at first and we did not force it on her.  Once she begged me to not take her then we were done.

This Halloween was so much fun!  We went to downtown McKinney for Scare on the Square.  There were a lot of people but the Bowbas and Teeter Bees had so much fun! Mimi and Pop (my mom and step dad) and K, J, and Little Cheeky B came with us, the girls got lots of candy in their buckets, and then we ate dinner at Fudruckers.  It was a great time even though I locked my keys in my car. Thank you A for coming to save the day!

I got a very early Christmas gift this year from Tuck.  A new camera that I have been wanting for a while now.  I love it!  There are no words and I can not wait to learn more about it so I can capture the best possible pictures of my daughter's memories.  This type of camera does take a little getting used to since you are responsible for focusing it.  I'm catching on and I love it!

And...

The holidays.  I did so many fun things with my girls.  We went to a tree lighting in Allen, where Bowbas's "Wubbies" was lost.  It was really stressful but still a memory.  We had a beautiful Thanksgiving at home with a few family members.  I spend probably about 10 hours of preparing and cooking for 20 or so minutes of eating, but it was well working it. We went to McKinney's Dicken's Christmas.  It was not exactly what we thought it would be, but we still had fun.  Mrs. S and I took the kids to Crump's Garden in north McKinney to see all the poinsettas.  It was beautiful!  Then Mrs. S and her kids came over the make gingerbread houses (which I had a post about).  We watched all our favorite Christmas movies during the season, baked lots and lots of cookies and other treats, and had a fire in the fireplace more then once.  It snowed on Christmas Eve.  It was a white Christmas morning.  We spent lots of time with family.  And it was all so memorable.

And finally...

I am going into 2010 with the hope that it will be equally as good as or better then 2009.  I am honestly sad to see 2009 come to an end so quickly.  I will always look back on this year with such a fond heart.  Tears come to my eyes when I think of how incredibly blessed I truly am.  Have a Happy New Year everyone!