Year in Review.

I normally do this on New Year's but since we were on the other side of the globe, it was impossible and I had to hurry up and post on the New Year's Resolutions so I would actually start doing them (making some good progress by the way:). I am doing it without pictures which I regret, but bear with me.

January 26th Caleb and I went to Fond du Lac, WI for a weekend in the snow with a great youth group.

February 2nd was Charlotte's Baby shower, though we didn't know at the time that she was in fact a Charlotte.

February 8th was our 5 Year Anniversary.

March 3rd Beckett North Douglass was born.

March 24th Charlotte Marie Carruth was born.

May 11th I graduated with my Master's Degree in Counseling.

May 17th we were in D.C. to watch Carrie graduate from Nursing School.

June 12th was Charlotte's first day in Mexico with Mission Discovery.

July 11th was Charlotte's first time to put her feet in the sand at Seal Beach in California.

July 14th was Charlotte's first trip to Disneyland with her cousins.

July 20th we had Ella's early birthday party since they were moving to Morocco.

August 11th was the day that Scott, Diana, Ella, & Beckett went to Morocco.

August 20th was the day that my husband lost his father, I lost my father in law, and Charlotte lost her beloved grandfather when he passed away.

August 25th we said goodbye to Caleb's Dad with a beautiful memorial service. 

September 18th Caleb and I had our first Home Group meeting at our home.

October 31st we dressed up like Charlotte's Web for Halloween.

November 2nd was Charlotte's first trip to College Station and more importantly, Sweet Eugene's.

December 6th was the day our good friends Lindey, Ryan, & Espen moved back.

December 9th I learned that I was going to be an aunt to another precious niece or nephew.

December 25th we left for Madrid to meet Diana, Scott, Ella, & Beckett after 4 1/2 long months.

2008 was a year of extraordinary blessing and extraordinary loss. It's crazy that our lives are these journeys...some parts of which we know the way, and some parts that are unknown to us. Had we known the way last year would go,  we may not have been able to stand up under it all...but God reveals a little at a time and faithfully walked us through each step (even when we couldn't see the way). God is good...all the time. I can' tell you how many times these words came out of my mouth last year...sometimes because I felt it and sometimes because I needed to feel it.

So I'm raising my glass to a New Year, to first birthdays, first steps, first Easter, new life, growth, 6 year anniversary, 30th birthday, and all of the other thousand of things that are planned for our family. Thanks for walking with us.