2010 Year-In-Review

Dear Friends & Family,

I thought I would take a minute to re-cap my year, 2010, for you. It was, overall, a fun year, with lots of things making up the highlights. I decided to go back through my blog and figure out what was the most exciting moments of 2010 and share them with you all. I hope this gives you a nice little picture into my year. What will next year bring? Only time will tell....

But in 2010.....

JANUARY
Nothing terribly exciting happened in January. I kept busy at work as the company was going to be at several tradeshows in February and March and there was lots to get done for that. Other than that, I pretty much filled my days with my normal routine - Awana, college group, and work.

FEBRUARY
In February I celebrated my 23rd birthday. I also got to go to a Spokane Chiefs hockey game with my brother and cousin, which was an absolute blast, and I coached the Awana Bible Quiz team. This was my first year to coach the entire thing by myself, and it was a challenge but a lot of fun. However, I think the highlight of my February was getting to go to a Josh Turner concert. My first "real" concert was seeing Mannheim Steamroller a few years back, but this was my first country concert, and I couldn't have wished for a better concert. It was worth every penny and if Josh Turner ever comes back to town, I want so badly to go again.

MARCH
Honestly, March wasn't too terribly exciting, unless you count the fact that I was excited about spring's arrival. :) Plus, I got to attend the Rock and Worship Roadshow, which is a $5 concert featuring some big names in contemporary Christian music. The highlight of that event, for me, was seeing MercyMe live in concert. They were phenomenal.

APRIL
I don't remember what month it was, precisely, but sometime last year I discovered Christian fiction about the Amish. And from then on I was hooked. I do know that in April we received some more snow, which wasn't terrible considering we had a record LOW year for snow!

MAY
In May I made a trip to Boise with some friends for my friend Val's graduation from Boise State. It was a whirlwind weekend, complete with a trip to an old mining town, the graduation, eating at Baja Fresh, and eating lots of other delicious food. We played games, watched movies, talked and stayed up way too late and just in general had a great time. It was worth it! Also, I went to see Stars on Ice with some friends. If you don't know already, I really, really, really like Evan Lysacek, and watching him skate live was amazing. The rest of the skaters were incredible as well, but, well, Evan was the best. =)

JUNE
The highlight of June was buying my dream camera...a Canon Rebel T1i. I LOVE it. I have been wanting a DSLR camera for years and finally decided to take the plunge and get one. I am so glad I did.

JULY
Ah, July. The month that finally allowed me to go "home" to Sunny Southern California for a glorious week. It was amazing. Catching up with old friends. Going through my grandparent's cedar chest with my grandmother and aunt. Eating In-N-Out. Shopping at Trader Joe's. Eating more In-N-Out...and ice cream from Rite Aid. Going to American Girl Place (something I've wanted to do for years). Seeing the stars on Hollywood Blvd. And visiting the Reagan Library. Ah, I can't wait to go back again.

AUGUST
In August, I was laid off from my job. This was not completely unexpected, but the timing was a bit of a surprise. However, being laid off allowed me time to be involved with an independent Christian movie that a friend was filming. The movie, called Slow Fade, should be out in 2011, and I got to be an extra in several scenes, as well as help with props and things like that. I also got to go to our local fair & rodeo, which was awesome!

SEPTEMBER
In September, I think one of my favorite activities was a photoshoot with my friends. A chance to use my new camera, practice using photoshop, and hang out for the day. It was great! I also went to a Michael Card concert, which was interesting, considering I didn't really know much about Michael Card before I went. But I enjoyed the concert immensely. :)

OCTOBER
As of October, 2010, we have lived in Idaho for 7 years. It seems a lot longer, but I guess that is about right, considering we moved here in 2003. :) I got to take senior pictures for a friend, which was lots of fun. I also took another trip to Boise, because my friend was moving home again and needed someone to drive home with her. So I spent a week down there hanging out and watching movies and episodes of Five Mile Creek. I also got to go to a Tenth Avenue North Concert...and let me tell you, it was powerful. They are an amazing band with a real heart for  the Lord, and it was so awesome.

NOVEMBER
November...the month of Thanksgiving, and getting ready to start the Christmas season. It got pretty cold during November....like, sub-zero cold. Also, we had our world-famous (that might be a bit of a stretch...but we did get on Good Morning America a couple years ago, so nationally-famous might be more accurate) Holiday Lights Show in my area. Totally amazing.

DECEMBER
December has had its ups and downs. I did a lot of baking and did some fun stuff, like attend a mystery dinner put on by a friend of mine. And, I started taking a ballroom dancing class.

But it also had its downs. My grandfather passed away on December 22, in Louisiana. My mom has been away from home for over a week because it became quite obvious that this was the end, so she went to be with him. She should be returning sometime this next week (assuming weather does not delay too many flights!) and then we can do our family Christmas celebration. The good news is, the excitement of opening presents and watching everyone open the gifts I got them has been delayed so there is still anticipation, rather than everything being over with already. It was weird to go after-Christmas-sale shopping, though, before we even celebrated Christmas.....

New Years Eve promises to be fun with a couple dances to go to and a traditional New Years party at a friend's house. And I hope 2011 will be a fun, safe year. :)

Merry Christmas...and Happy New Year!

- Laura -
P.S. This is my 100th post in 2010. :)