Goodbye 2008

This is a hotel across downtown from our house and this is what we see everynight. It is gorgeous. It also makes me reflect a little on this past year.
To say that this year had ups and downs does not even cover it.
~Hai and I rang in the New Year without Lee (in Afghanistan) or my sister (in Kosovo).
~Lee came home in February. It was the most amazing feeling ever!!
~Sold the Mazda Tribute. Our first family car we bought when we were 8 mon preggo with Hailee. It has seen us through alot. It sounds silly to be sentimental over a car. But it literally took us through alot of changes as a fam. Bullet chewed the seatbelts as a puppy and was also the cause of why the rear windshield wiper never worked. It drove us home from the hospital with Hai. It drove us across country when we went to flight school. It was literally the first big purchase we made as a married couple. Wow- this paragraph is longer than the one about Lee coming back from war!! (BTW- we bought a gorgeous Accord)
~Took Hai for a week to Disney World in Fl. Had a blast!!
~Sold out beloved Jeep Wrangler! It was both our dream cars! But as gas prices steadily climbed to $4, it was time to face the news that a lifted Wrangler with big tires was not the most practical car. Bought my perfect little Civic with my built in Pioneer DVD player/Nav system. Awwwweee....
~In a matter of 2 weeks in June/July- we got orders to Germany. Got our house on the market. Brenna had surgery. Lee left for 6 weeks school in Alabama. Got our entire house into storage. Sold the house. Had my parents for a visit. Shannon came home from Kosovo and we got to have her with us for awhile!!
~August was tough. As much as I was ready to leave Fayetteville, it was tough leaving our first home as a family. Fayetteville is where Lee and I met. Where we got married. Where we bought our first home (the second time there). In August we lost Bulley. He had been struggling for awhile and we could not take him to Germany with us. So in the end it was a blessing in disquise. He was Lee and I's first baby! We got him when he was like 12 weeks old. He was the absolute BEST dog ever. I miss my fat head!! Anyways- the rest of August brought me signing at the closing of our house (Lee was still in Alabama). He did return the last week of August though. Just in time to have the movers pick up our stuff from storage to ship to Germany and to take our car to Charleston to ship it over. We lived with our dear Ry and Crystal for a week. Then Hai and I had to move to Pat and Eds (my in laws) so Hai could start Kindergarten.
~Sept saw us all living at P and E's. Lee left the 3 of Sept for Germany. Hai and I stayed and loved being able to spend so much time with Gigi and Papa before we flew across the world. Hai and I also were able to fly home to Cali for a week to see my parents and friends before we left. We also did the Gondola ride up at Heavenly so that my sis and mom could do the zipline at the top of the hill.
~Oct saw Hai, Bane (our dog) and I heading to Germany. We left the 1 of Oct, arriving in Nurenberg on the 2nd. I fell in love with our house. It made it even sweeter when Kim and all the kiddos arrived two days later! We saw castles, walled cities and ate German food. Two weeks later we were able to spend 24 hrs with my inlaws and Lees fabulous aunt & uncle. They had planned a trip months ago through Austria, Poland, Switzerland and Germany (before we knew we were moving there!) So they altered their trip a tiny bit to be able to stay 24 hrs with us which was awesome!!
~November brought lots of adventure. There was a ton of snow this month!! We took a trip at the end of the month to Euro Disney in Paris for Hais birthday. She had no clue! Literally no idea until we arrived! It is only 6 hrs away. We also found out that there is a Chili's in Ramstein Air Force Base (2 1/2 hr away). I thought I had died and gone to heaven! We also spent an AMAZING day touring downtown Paris. We saw the Louvre. Went up the River Seine on a boat. Went up the Eiffle Tower. We also found out that Kim and Jay were not only moving onto Bleidorn Housing (where we live) but in our building!! WOOHOO! Hai started girl scouts and is having a blast as a Daisey Scout!
~December has gone quick. Brenna finished her 5 UNCP classes for the semester (all A's!!). Lots more snow this month!!! Hai started cheerleading and is absolutely adorable! We have not had a single day in like 3-4 weeks that there is not at least remnants of snow on the ground!! But it has pretty much snowed for like 3 weeks straight! We got our household goods delivered. Made such a difference seeing our couches/kitchen stuff/table etc. Kim and Jay moved in finally next door and they are currently trying to sort out their household goods. Keep them in your prayers- lol. We just found out that Lee is going to school (again) in Alabama in March. We are a week from Christmas and 2 weeks from the new year.


**So at the end of the year, all I can say is whew! Was a good year but glad it is over! Ready to see what next year has for us. February will bring us Hailees godparents. They are not only moving here also but coming to Lees company! Which means that Crystal and I will once again deal with a deployment together!! Looking forward to some visits from both sets of parents in the summer, my bestie in spring. This year will also bring us a trip to Austria and Italy for sure. Hoping to make it to Ireland before Lee is scheduled to deploy again this next November/December timeframe. Hais will finish Kindergarten and be a big first grader. We will continure to keep you updated!!