Happy New Year to Merry Christmas!

This year I have decided to do something different. I actually stole the idea from a friend who did something that was similar. It is basically an end of the year synopsis of what I spent my year doing. Although I am always constantly busy, it feels like its not any big events. I must forewarn you that the lack of pictures is due to the sad fact that my camera died. I then found my old camera and then that one died as well. My friends use to know me as the one who has always had her camera with her at all times......but lately I have lost that title. So the pictures from the last half of my year have stopped.

I am still working for the Department of Workforce Services as well as Kinder Care, although my work at KC has dwindled a lot in the past few weeks. Work with the state has increased incredibly. For the past 20 or so years, our main system that we work out of and issue benefits out of is a DOS program and we are going to be switching to a Windows based program. Needless to say there is a lot of work that we need to do to prepare for everything to convert to this new system. Rumor is that this system is easy to work , but I overall have my doubts. I am sure that once I work out of it more, it will be fine, but right now I know our current system(PACMIS) like the back of my hand and know how to manipulate that system better than anything in my life. Recently I have been able to work overtime for a couple hours every other week or so, which has been great for Christmas especially since I procrastinated buying gifts for Christmas to the last minute this year.

My New Year started off in Vegas. I was able to be with my sister, Amy for New Years eve/day. Last Christmas/New Years I was able to take the week off of work between those 2 holidays. So I was able to spend it between Cali, La Verkin, Utah (grandparents home) and Las Vegas with my Dad and Sister. It seems that all my trips lately are to either to Vegas or California. Although, I am planning on going to Ohio next Fall for the Ohio State/Michigan game as well as visit people in Ohio that I have not seen in several years. So that should be fabulous!

In February, Amy came to visit me for her birthday. We were able to go out dancing a couple times, go to a spa and she did some skiing. I have yet to give skiing a try even though I have lived in Utah for 5 years. I also started being a Mary Kay consultant. Time has prevented me from being able to do too much with it. But at this time its been good since my friends and family have been able to benefit from it!!

March was pretty much uneventful. April on the other hand was extremely eventful as it was the month of my 30th birthday. I was able to go to Cali for Easter as well as my birthday. My friends really spoiled me after I got home from Cali. Everything that they did for me was a surprise. The activities consisted of a breakfast at IHOP, then they dropped me off at the hotel room that they got for me for the night, a massage in the hotel room, surprise dinner at Lonestar with about 30 of my friends, comedy club and then the last huge surprise was a SUV limo where abut 16 of us drove around SLC for the rest of the night. Needless to say, I had a great 30th birthday and I have great friends who went to all lengths to spoil me for it.

Later in the month of May I was able to go to Lake Havasu to celebrate Fathers day and my Dad's birthday with my Dad, Jason, Michele, Amy and Kennedy. It was a very nice trip. We were able to take the boat out for the first time this year. Sad to say, it was the only time I went out on the boat all year. I love being able to spend time with Amy and Jason. It is one of those things that I love when we are able to be together, but we are rarely able to do it.

Some of my favorite things this past year was that every Wednesday night became Rockband/Glee night. Kirsten, Sylvia, Mindy and I would get together each Wednesday, make dinner, play Rockband and then watch Glee. Thursday nights then became Volleyball night. My friend - Rachael has access to the Volleyball court at the National Guard, so that's where we went to play. We would play volleyball and then head to TGI Fridays afterwards for dinner.

During the months of Summer I started house hunting. I was able to find a condo in Holladay and so far have loved it. It has 2 bedroom/2 bath. The path to finding the perfect one for me, but I was eventually able to find it. My specifications were pretty limited, but I was able to find it and now I am loving it. My mom was able to come up and help me get settled in and paint. I have also since got a roommate as well. I have not lived with anyone in quite awhile. It's been nice to have someone here.

Just prior to moving into my condo, I was living with some friends. My lease was up at the end of August and at that time I was not too sure on when I was going to get my home, so I moved in with my friends, Sylvia and Kirsten. I only ended up living with them for about 3 weeks. I did love it when I was there. They still consider to be one of their roommates, which is nice!

I was able to to down to Cali for Kennedy's 2nd birthday. The most wonderful thing about that trip was that I found out that Michele was pregnant again!! I am so excited, although I really hope that its a boy. Luckily, I will find out in a couple days on whether its going to be a boy or a girl!

Now I will be able to spend my Christmas with my family. As of right now, I have 2 days of work left before I am able to return home for the Holidays.

I have learned a lot and grown a lot this past year based on the situations that I have been in. The 2 biggest changes in my life was that I lost two very important people in my life due to varying circumstances. Both of which I considered people I was closest to and one of which knew more about me than many people do. You cannot change the way people live their life. The decisions that they made effected me tremendously. I hate to say that I will miss one more than the other. I have come to realize that one of them was more or less a social friend. They make it easy to move on once you realize they type of friend that they were and how they treated you towards the end. The other was someone who knew me on a completely different level than anyone else in my life knew me. Once someone makes a decision and you are not really given a choice in the matter, it becomes a little frustrating. Especially when they did not have the decency to give you the closure that one would need or want in order to move on. The sad thing is that I tend to care about others more than they reciprocate the feelings and I wonder why I care about others who don't seem to care about me at all.

I have learned that there are some friends that are there for you regardless of what has happened in the past. Friends who stop talking to you and let others decide who they should be friends with. Friends who will always be a friends regardless of the distance. And friends who are there for you and consider you a part of their family. And family will be there for you always regardless of how much you get so involved in your own life, that you sometimes forget about them. This year overall has been great and I look forward to a new year!