My 2009 year in review…

January
I got a new nephew!  My sister, Megan, had a baby boy named Gavin.  She’s a hero-mom of three boys.

Barack Obama was inaugurated as the U.S. President.  I felt proud to watch something that wouldn’t have been possible 25 years ago.  I also started envying Michelle Obama’s arms and her sense of fashion.

February
I turned 23; I had a lot of emotions about getting older.

Kevin and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary since we first started dating.

We signed a lease on our first home.

I got severe heartburn for several days straight.  I had to go to the doctor and be put on medication because I couldn’t eat or drink because it hurt so bad.  It felt like internal torture.

We found my wedding band and it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever laid eyes on.  I raced home from work at night just so I could put it on and wear it around the house.  When Kevin found out, he took it away and put it in our safe deposit box, haha.

March
A deer ran into my car.  No lie.  It just ran into my car.  My insurance company rocked and I got it all fixed with zero out of pocket from me, including the deer fur taken out of the door handle.

I got a Blackberry and realized that I hated it.  I went back to a regular phone + iTouch combo.

I started getting sick, mostly from pre-wedding stress.  I became good friends with my doctor.

April
Many things happened in April.  I got strep throat the week of the wedding and literally could not speak the day before the wedding.  With lots of Vicks and prayers and prescriptions, things started heading uphill by rehearsal time the night before the wedding.  Kevin and I got married on the 3rd on a rarely beautiful and sunny day.

Two days later as we boarded our flight to Mexico, Iowa was hit with a blizzard.  We left it all behind as we hit sunny Mexico for a week.

When we came back, I had oral surgery to have all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed.  I’m quoted as saying that I had been praying that Jesus would put a RedBox at the Wal-Greens and He answered my prayers because there was “miraculously” one there when we picked up my prescriptions post surgery.  For the next week, I went through the worst experience and swore that childbirth would be way better.  Kevin doted on me.

Our roles were reversed after that when Kevin got sick with undiagnosed H1N1 flu.  I say “undiagnosed” because it was just starting to hit the U.S. before the epidemic spread and the hospital said there was no point in coming in; that I should just monitor his temperature and fluids.  After some time, his health improved, and by that time, I felt like we’d been drug through all that April could throw at us!!

May
After an exhausting month, May came with relief.  It was mostly uneventful and the most exciting thing we did was see Up in 3-D (with awesome glasses that we got to keep!) and meet up with old friend/coworker (HG!) who was visiting from California.

June
I saw a baby seal being born on Planet Earth and that video was the best form of birth control invented.  Together, Kevin and I swore off babies for a very long time.  If birthing is natural, it is the grossest part of nature imaginable.

July
I challenged myself to four weeks of running 5x a week.  I was never a runner before, but after about 2 weeks of running, I found myself looking forward to it.  I started increasing my distance and tried shortening my running time.  It was challenging–no doubt about it–but by the end of the month, I felt like I had morphed into a runner.  I had completed 100 miles total and I signed up for two 5k races in the fall.

Kevin and I also took a weekend trip to St. Louis.  We toured the Anheuser-Busch Factory and went to a Cardinals game.  Pujols disappointed me with no home runs.  We went to the St. Louis zoo.  It disappointed me with the sad, forlorn animals that looked so out of place locked behind bars.  After being avid National Geographic watchers, the zoo was a disturbing view of a wishful reality.

August
Things were pretty calm in August.  It was hot, but I continued running.

Kevin and I went miniature golfing, which proved to be a huge hoot.

September
I became a certified Pilates instructor!

I also ran my first-ever 5k.

Kevin and I went to Barnum and Bailey circus and I became horrified over animal cruelty.  I felt like I was stupidly naive before.

October
I got a package in the mail that was one of the most exciting packages I’ve ever gotten: my new camera.  It didn’t take long for me to start practicing with angles, lighting, focus, and settings.

Kevin and I went to see Wicked again!  The first time in Chicago was amazing, but the second time was no let down either.  I came away feeling more changed than ever.  I actually cried during the show; that’s how deeply affected I felt.

I ran my second 5k.  It’s so much better running with friends!

November
It was a busy month at work pulling off our Holiday Open House, but we did it!  What a relief.

I continued taking pictures and found “the perfect tree“.

I did a 3-day fruit diet with my friends.  I discovered that avocados are my new favorite food.

My football boys made me proud; we’re going to the Rose Bowl!!  What a great way to start the new year in 2010!

Kevin and I took a weekend trip to Chicago.  We did a lot of shopping, walking around, and went to see the newest Cirque du Soleil show, which was a disappointment.

Thanksgiving came and we spent it with Kevin’s family.  I ate too much.

The day after Thanksgiving, we put up our Christmas tree!!  I absolutely love Christmas so I couldn’t wait to put up the tree.  I love our ornaments and I’m pretty much obsessed with our tree.

We went to see “The Blind Side” and I sobbed.  I have never been so touched by a movie.  It has changed my perspective on life and people.  It was the best movie I have ever seen.

December
I had an adult snow-day!  With blizzards storming through Iowa, roads were closed, businesses were closed, and I got to spend a day at home watching movies and reading a book.  What a rarity.

I took my niece to see “Annie” for her birthday present.  Both of us had a great time!  We felt like singing the whole way home.  So we did.

I joined the church choir for the Christmas programs.  I met some new friends in choir and I had a fabulous time singing (no joke)!  My new friends introduced me to other new friends and my circle of friends was wondrously expanded.  My Christmas program weekend was filled with laughter, singing, and lots of wonderful ladies.  I felt blessed beyond words.

We went to my little brother’s piano recital.  It took me back to the days of my own and the nervousness I felt before each performance.  Though the jitters decreased over the years, I still remember the backstage nerves before my final senior recital.  I was sad when it was over, but piano will always remain a part of me even if I don’t have recitals anymore.  I am proud that it’s becoming a part of my little brother’s as well.

I took family pictures for my best friend, Michelle.  She has been a wonderful friend to me and we often go to each other with our frustrations and excitements.  We are very similar so if we go out by ourselves, we often lose our car in the parking lot or forget where we were going.  (Marlene said, “We shouldn’t let you two out by yourselves.” after the first time we lost the car.)  We laugh a lot and like to work out together.  We also share the same birthday month and like to celebrate it the “Lincoln, Kelly, & Crall” way.  We got beautiful diamond key necklaces that match because we share secrets with each other.  The necklaces are technically for our birthdays in February, but we couldn’t resist the Christmas sales so we got them early.