A Look Back...

As 2010 begins, I find myself amazed that we are beginning a new decade. I also took the time to reflect on the past ten years. It is absolutely incredible to see all that has changed and been accomplished in a relatively short period of time. In these past ten years, Kyle and I both graduated from Linfield, started careers, received promotions, got engaged, got married, bought our first home, adopted a dog, traveled the world a little, had a beautiful little boy, sold our first home and bought our second, welcomed another blessing into our family, watched our son start school, saw many friends marry and welcome children of their own and managed to make many, many wonderful memories. I cannot imagine another decade in our lives where we will do so much and be a part of so many life changing experiences. Mind boggling, really.

Here's a look at this past decade in pictures (it was so fun to look through ten years worth of photos!):

2000 - My graduation from Linfield.

Sad to see four fun-filled years come to an end, but thankful to not have to take another chemistry class!

Here are my two roommates, Melissa and Lindsey - man, did we have a good time!

2001 - Kyle's graduation.

We are so thankful to have shared our college experience at such a wonderful school. Too many memorable times to count!

Kyle and his sisters, Val and Stacy

2002 - Engaged!

Kyle proposed in April...

...and we bought our first home in November

2003 - Married!
On March 15th, 2003, Kyle and I committed ourselves to each other in front of God and many friends and family members.
Our wonderful wedding party made this day even better!

2004 - Jake
We adopted Jake from an animal shelter on our first anniversary. He was just about 10 weeks old and we loved him instantly. He's grown from a hyper, mischievous, sometimes destructive puppy to a greying, mellow, tolerant family dog. Even though we may forget it at times, he really is a important part of our family.

2005 - Exploring the world

Kyle and I knew that we would want to start a family soon, so we took this year to see a little more of the world. In March, we set sea with our friends, Kirstin and Tim, on a Caribbean cruise. We were fortunate enough to visit four islands (Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Maarten and the Bahamas) and have a fabulous seven day vacation with great friends.

Then in May/June, my mom and I took an 18 day trip to Italy. My grandma was Italian and it had always been a dream of my mom's to go and tour the country. I'm pretty sure our trip surpassed most of her dreams. It was amazing. We saw so much, ate so much, drank so much and really relished in the adventure together. It is a trip that I will be eternally grateful for. We started thinking about a return trip on the plane ride home...

2006 - Carter!

The single most life changing miracle one can experience. On April 14th, 2006, we welcomed our precious Carter into this world. His birth was not without drama, but once we were home and began to settle in, we knew that our lives would never be the same. I love him to the moon and back and thank the Lord for blessing us with such a sweet, smart and loving son.

2007 - House #2

In a matter of a month, we had put our first house on the market, found a new home, purchased it and moved about 2 miles up the road. We love our house and have truly made it a home. We see ourselves here for many, many years to come.

2008 - Kennedy!

At 12:00 am on July 9th, I felt the first contraction and just three and a half hours later, Kennedy came into our world. She stole our hearts from the first second we saw her and any fear that we had about adding another child to our family was quickly extinguished. She is a beautiful, strong willed, funny little girl who I thank God for every day.

2009 - Carter starts school

2009 was another year of change as Carter started preschool in the fall. It was quite a big deal, as he had been asking to go to school for about a year. He was so excited, not at all timid and has proven to be a good student. He's such a smart cookie and really enjoys his classmates and teacher.

Our family, 10 years in the making!