I can’t believe it’s that time already.  Time to take down the Christmas tree and wrap the ornaments in their tissue paper.  Didn’t I just take them out and hang them?

If you’ve been following my blog this year, you already know what happened in our lives, but here’s a recap anyway, just to finish off 2010 with some good old bulletpoints.  (How I love a good bulletpoint!)

Please note:  All links in this blog post are to my own historic posts regarding these subjects.  In case you wanna reminisce in more detail.

January

• The Buckeyes won the Rose Bowl! It was the happiest New Year’s Day ever and I cried as the celebratory confetti starting pouring onto the field. Happy Duck hunting, Bucks.
• I tried a new class at the gym called Body Combat and officially got my butt kicked. Ouch.
• I flew to Columbus, Ohio to visit my sister, Carla. We went wedding dress shopping and found The Perfect Dress for her (and a bridesmaid dress for me too!). We also went to Red Lobster and learned just how annoying it is to eat crab legs.
• I got severely sucked into the Hunger Games book series and changed my super hero name to Katniss.

February

• The Winter Olympics took up the majority of my day and night. As always, I cried wastebaskets full of tissues. I was particularly angry at NBC this year for skipping over Uzbekistan in the opening ceremony.
• I was neck-high at my job with the move of the spa to a different location and me in charge of creating the entire software and training for the new location. I felt like I could sleep for weeks and some days didn’t have the energy to even muster a smile. Coffee was like a drug.
• My birthday was a huge production—much more than ever before! Kevin had a cake delivered to the office, my boss brought me flowers, my coworkers gave me a mani/pedi gift card to a high-end nail salon, my little brother made me his magical chocolate chip cookies, my mom took me out for Indian and she gave me flowers, Kevin bought me a new camera lens (angels are singing), and we ended the day with another cake…with butter cream frosting!

March

• My new friends from church, Sara and Rachael, threw a little girl’s night/birthday party for me and we sat around talking for hours. Rachael has since moved to California, but Sara and I still hang out at least once a week and share the deepest secrets of our souls. We’re BFFs.
• Michelle and I drove to Kalona and visited Amish stores. We were inspired to slow down our lives and not be so rushed and hectic. As if God were proving a point, on our way home, Michelle’s car ran out of gas.
• Kevin and I went to our third Cirque du Soleil show, Alegria. I was inspired to have great abs and learn acrobatic jumps. It has yet to come to fruition.
• We purchased our iMac and I welcomed it with almost as much enthusiasm as if it were a real baby.

April

• We celebrated our one year anniversary. I was freaked out about how fast the first year went. Kevin was freaked out about eating the frozen wedding cake.
• My mom made us a quilt. It’s beautiful and has matching shams to go with it. Thanks Mom.
• I purchased my first strapless bra that actually works! After much research and money put into non-working strapless bras, I ordered one from the UK and, let me tell you, they have owmen’s boobs figure out!
• My sister, Carla, and Arneelius got married in Puerto Rico. It was sickly humid, but so beautiful. Kevin and I extended our stay for a few days to soak up the heat and rest our bodies and souls. Every day since I think, “I wish I were in Puerto Rico right now.” True story. Like right now?: I wish I were in Puerto Rico.

May

• My whole family got together in Iowa for Memorial Day. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, more magical than my whole family being together. It’s the biggest circus and makes me laugh to no end.

June

• I got strep throat and then suspected mono. I was put on bed rest and slept like a baby for days.
• There was a huge storm and we lost electricity at work and had to call patients on our cell phones to cancel appointments. Good thing for flashlights. We got to go home early that day.
• Sweden’s Crown Princess got married and it brought back all of my childhood dreams of being a princess.
• I tried McDonald’s new McCafe frappe and loved it!  Who knew that McDonald’s could make great coffee drinks?!

July

• The third book of the Twilight series, Eclipse, came out in theatres and I kind of drooled a little bit as I watched it. I entertained the notion of becoming a vampire.
• We celebrated July 4th in good old American fashion with brats, corn on the cob, and fireworks.
• We had a fire pit at my parent’s house and roasted marshmallows to make s’mores. Both kids and adults were a sticky, hot mess.
• I drove to the middle-of-nowhere, Kansas to shoot a wedding. It was a ten-hour drive by myself, but I kept myself entertained with books on CD and plenty of coffee in my new Canon lens mug.
• I visited my grandma for the first time since she was moved into the nursing home. She didn’t know who I was and it broke my heart. I shook my fist at God and told Him it wasn’t fair. He said that even though my grandma forgot me, He wouldn’t. My body shook with sobs on the way home.

August

• Sara and I went to the pool and I forgot to reapply sunscreen. I got burnt to a crisp and spent the next week trying to avoid the doctors at work because I knew I had miserably failed. I finally broke down and asked for some medicine to help with my burns.
• I visited my grandma again several times and, with each visit, it got easier. She knew me sometimes and most times she didn’t. I became okay with it. I became stronger mentally and emotionally. I just kept visiting and kept loving.
• My mother-in-law hosted Margaritaville. We drank and were merry. It was a fabulous evening with family and I was armed with my camera for most of it. I wanted to drink the night in just like the drinks in our hands.

September

• I went to the eye doctor for the first time ever and got glasses. I felt like my life was in HD suddenly.
• The leaves started changing colors and football season started. The air smelled of fall and I was inhaling deeply.
• I kidnapped Kevin for a surprise visit to the Tipton bakery where we savored the best cream-filled donuts in the world.

October

• Kevin and I went on a hike on a beautiful trail and the leaves were showing off in full costume. I was in awe of nature.
• The Chilean miners were rescued, every single one. I was glued to the TV and skipped the box of tissues to go straight for a roll of toilet paper, that’s how much I cried.
• My grandma knew who I was without any prompting one day.

November

• The Buckeyes came to Iowa City to play the Hawkeyes. We scored great tickets and spent the day tailgating with friends and then jumping up and down in the stadium, both to keep warm and to cheer. It was a much closer game than expected, but the Bucks still pulled out the win.
• Kevin’s birthday was on game day and he got his dream gift: an iPad. His wife is so cool.
• My dad’s entire side of the family came to town for Thanksgiving. We had to rent a gymnasium to contain us all. While they were here, we divided up my grandma’s belongings. I took a trip straight to the early 1900’s with some of the stuff she had saved. I also did a lot of strolling down my own childhood memory lane of visits to Grandma’s house.  (part 1, part 2, part 3)
• We put up our Christmas tree. It is just as beautiful as I remembered it being.

December

• I quit my job at Town Square Dermatology after almost three years there. It was heartbreaking to say goodbye.
• I started my new job at UICMS and, on my first day, passed out, split my forehead open, puked my guts out, and was taken by ambulance to the ER where I got 11 stitches. It was the most embarrassing event of my life so far.
• I sang in the Christmas choir for the second year. It was just as joyful as before.
• Sara and I celebrated our one year BFF anniversary.  We’re looking forward to a lifetime full of more anniversaries.
• Kevin and I sent our first Christmas cards.  We’re, like, officially adults now.

• We put a new plan in place to alternate holidays with our families.  We spent Christmas with Kevin’s family in Ankeny, Iowa.  It was a busy weekend filled with food, family, and movies.  
• ECP finished the year out strong, meeting goals I never expected to actually meet!  New Year’s Eve was spent shooting the last wedding of 2010.  Ring in the new year!