Goodbye 2009!

2009 has been a super eventful year for our little family, and I'm not sure if 2010 will be able to top it! Here's a quick recap of the year for the L family:

January:

We started the New Year with a kiss while celebrating with great friends

K started her last set of classes before her student teaching.
L ended his first peak season at Target.com successfully!
We also had our engagement photos taken by Bryan Newfield of Studio Blue Photography

February:

We celebrated our last Valentines day as non-married people.
K visited EO with EK & R in Platteville, WI at the end of the month

Lastly, we finalized our wedding cake at Bread Art Bakery in Bayport, MN

March:

K started student teaching full-time at Champlin Park High School, and taught 9th grade Honors English to a great group of kids.
L continues to do a great job at Target.com :-)

April:

LKMB attended the last Twin's home opener at the Metrodome!
K attended her first real job fair at the Minneapolis Convention Center

On the 18th, we celebrated our 6th year together as a couple and the 1 year anniversary of our engagement at the Science Museum, Rice Park, and Pazzaluna.

May:

We attended the last wedding that stood between us and our wedding in Arizona for a good family friend of L's family.
M hosted a bridal shower for me at the end of the month

June:

K finished her student teachingK and L had their bachelor/ette parties on the same night, but in different cities. The ladies took on Downtown Minneapolis, while the guys invaded Paynesville, MN.
None of the guys would release photographic evidence from the bachelor party...

July:

We attended the final wedding that stood in the way of ours, and had a blast at my cousin's wedding in Lake City, MN

Then it was OUR weekend! It started with the rehearsal dinner at Brines in Stillwater, MN, complete with good food, drinks, and a pinata filled with goodies for our tropical honeymoon.
After a sleepless night, and hours of getting ready and endless photos, we finally became Mr & Mrs L at the Water Street Inn in Stillwater, MN and had a fantastic reception with lots of dancing!
Photo credit: Studio Blue Photography
The next day, after opening gifts, we started our 14 hour journey to Aruba and spent way too much time in airports. We stayed at the Aruba Occidental Grand All Inclusive for 5 nights and had a perfect honeymoon that included a life-risking jeep tour around Aruba, a submarine dive, and way too many strong drinks and tasty meals to count.

It was an amazing way to end 15 months of wedding planning!

August-November:

I turned 23 and L turned 24, we tried new restaurants (such as Fogo de Chao and Heidi's), and had fun turning older. I finally started subbing in a couple of school districts and L started his second peak season at Target.com. K took a trip down to Decorah, IA to visit EO with EK and R again.
These were also the months of house hunting and when I started this blog. There were lots of ups and downs during the house hunting process (scroll back through my entries if you want details), but eventually we found THE one.

December:

We took a trip up to Lutsen, MN with a group of friends to celebrate the start of H's 24th year and had a lot of fun! Of course we made him wear a silly hat when we ventured into Grand Marais for a few hours.The next weekend, we closed on our little bungalow and officially became residents of Ramsey County! We had 9 days after closing to prepare to host our very first Christmas Eve party with both my family and L's family together. It was a success and we'll probably end up hosting again next year!

This has been one hell of a year, and I'm looking forward to what 2010 has in store for us. While it is guaranteed to not be as busy as 2009, there will still be changes and challenges throughout the year, and we're excited to meet them head on and have a fantastic year.

Happy 2010 everyone!