I was reading the blog of my dear friend, Elissa, and after reading her New Year post I came to the conclusion that writing on my blog a recap of my life in 2008 was a perfect way to begin the New Year. I will say that this year has flown by! I hardly know where to start! Someone told me that the older you get the more quickly time flies, which is really a disappointment. Shouldn't it be the other way around? ;-)

So to begin, 2008:

January - The husband and father of my dear friends, the Davis family, passed suddenly into Glory. I prayed so much for them during this time that I remember it with much clarity. The Lord gave and the Lord took away. Blessed be the name of the Lord! Also in this month was the birthday of my dear sister, Melissa, who turned 20.

February - My very first nephew, Joshua, was born!! Hmm...Tiff and I spent Valentine's Day at Culvers. :-) We happened to have 2 free coupons from some kids meals so we used them to get free custard. :-D It wasn't a very romantic way to spend Valentine's Day, but it was memorable. *grin* Tiff turned 22 in February...where has the time gone? Also we attended the Erber/Hill wedding in Rockford, which was beautiful. I'm so glad that we were able to attend and be witnesses to the vows of Josh and Abbey!

March - Brought lots of events! There was a Hymn Sing, A wedding (that we weren't able to attend. :( ), Easter Sunday, The Serven Family's visit, Liberty Day, and the baptism of the Ryken children! Virginia Grace turned 7!

April - A trip to Indiana, a visit from our old friend, Merisha (who was just married yesterday), a visit from Mr. Pudewa, William turned THREE, and I think that was the month we started to make "ahead" plans for May!

May - My cousin, Lisa, got married, The Lovett's arrived for a visit, The baseball game in which the Pickles, the Davises, the Hectors, and Dr. Sproul Jr. arrived! And I can’t forget the Presbytery meeting and the historic ball, in which we were able to fellowship and have a marvelous time with friends...old and new!! Most of our guests left afterwards, which was a bit sad, I do so hate to see people go! :( We were soooo thankful that the Pickles stayed a day extra so that we, along with the Davises, could go see Prince Caspian with them. It was so much fun! Elissa and I even got a hilarious picture by the knight at the theater! :-D) And the Davises also stayed a few days extra, which was splendiferous! The Hectors also came to visit us bringing Pie and Ice Cream with them which was wonderful and we had an exciting time visiting with them! It was such a beautiful month...I wouldn't trade it for the world! May was definitely one of my favorite months in 2008!

June - Josh Sanford married Jennifer! Unfortunately, we couldn't fly to Italy to attend. Though personally, I would have loved to go to Italy! Ah well! Our baby chicks arrived, Christa arrived with Joshua for a visit, Abigail turned 10, and my dear friend, Elissa, turned 16. In addition to that, the weather became warmer and warmer....

July- Daniel arrived! My Great Grandpa turned 91!, We celebrated July 4th at the Sanford family's house, Joshua was baptized, and we had an exciting visit from Jordan and Melissa Niednagel.

August - James turned 25! My grandfather passed on, and my parents and Emma flew to California for the funeral. I watched "Call Me Madame" and the BBC "Robin Hood" for the first time and loved them. :-) I attempted to read a few books that I ended up sending back to the library. Blah. Tiffany visited the Chancey family in Alabama for 10 days. And the anniversary of our move from Texas was in August. My dear friend Melinda also turned 18 in August and I had a beautiful time at her birthday party! Oh, and my other dear friend Lily had a birthday as well (17)! :-)

September - Mom had a birthday, Caleb turned TWELVE, and there was a dance in Bloomington. Lily and Melinda stayed the night with us overnight and we had a marvelous time eating Whoopers, Milk Duds, watching movies and learning the Cha Cha. :-D (How thankful I am for friends!)

October - Emma turned 6 years old, and we celebrated our first Sunday in the Morton United Methodist building! (No more "Christian Center" for us!) :-) Christa turned 24, my great grandma had a birthday, and I turned 18. The Serven family arrived for a visit, which was followed by the Reformation Day Faire (which was beautiful and oh so much fun)! I voted early in October for McCain/Palin...and, of course, Aaron Schock. :-) Tiff, Mel, Caleb, and I went to see "Fireproof" at the theatre, which was wonderful! We visited the Erber family and attended a ladies' tea while there. Oh, and the Ryken family moved into the area! We also saw "Fireproof" in theaters which was a splendid movie, by the way! Life Chain Sunday is the last event that I can remember...

November - Election Day, and the announcement that our friend, Garrison Sanford, was leaving to join the U.S. Marine Corp. We had a party for him, bade him goodbye, and wished him well! November also brought NaNoWriMo, which had me writing furiously with a smoking pen (alright, keyboard; but, pen sounds far more romantic.) deep into the wee hours of the morning. I was relieved and oh so happy to complete my deadline of 50,000 words, thanks to, I will say, dear family and friends who encouraged me the entire race. Thank y'all! We had our Elder/Deacon meeting as well, along with the "painting of our deck" party, in which a handful of wonderful friends from church came and helped us stain our deck! Thank y'all!

December - Dad had a birthday!!! I think that one of the most precious memories I have of December was the kindness and blessings of my family in giving me a surprise birthday party for my 18th year of life! I am so thankful to have such a large group of family and friends who I can love so easily! Thank you, y'all!!! December also brought our trip to Chicago and to the Civic Opera House where we attended the "Messiah" (which was spectacular)! Following that was an impressive ice storm! Also Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Eve (and then, of course, today! :-)

So that is the year of 2008 for us. I am sure that I missed many things, so please forgive me, but my memory isn't in perfect working order these days. :-) May the Lord bless you exceedingly this year and in all the years to come! May you remember that, though we do not always understand what the Lord is doing or why He is doing it, He is good and He is in control and He loves His children. How thankful I am this new year, as in past years, that I can confidently call myself a Child of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! May the Lord bless each of you!

In Christ Alone, Jessica

I Am Feeling:Nostalgic
I Am Feeling: Rejuvenated