2008 was a great year to be alive. So many things happened. Some good some not so good but overall God has big plans and its fun to watch them come to fruition. January started a little down with Dad being diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, which is a progressive degenerative neuromuscular disease. But he and I both know that our God is bigger than any doctor’s diagnosis and we are believing for his full and complete healing. Also, just recently there has been a lot of news about a new drug called IPLEX which looks extremely promising in helping cease progression of ALS and even reverse some symptoms!
What happened next? Hmmm…. I got a promotion in February and started working in the City Clerk’s office at City Hall in downtown Grand Rapids. It turns out that I love what I am doing and I got a decent raise. It also got me out of the cold as I was a Parking Violations Checker before that (which means I walked around in the sun, rain, snow, sleet… you name it…. And wrote parking tickets… people loved me).
Because of the new promotion I was able to move out of my parent’s house for the first time into my own place! I got an apartment in Byron Center all by myself and I love it. It also means that I am only a few short blocks away from my bff. I moved the first week of April and all my friends and family were so amazing in giving me things for my apartment that I wasn’t lacking in anything.
I had been bugged for a number of months by a lady I worked with in Parking Services to meet her nephew. I hadn’t started dating yet and had a really bad breakup before, I was engaged and everything. So I was really, really nervous about that prospect of getting back into the dating world. But after months of me putting it off, Linda finally emailed me a picture of her newly again single nephew Aaron… after I saw his picture I decided it would be ok for him to email me. That’s when it all started :)
Aaron and I emailed back and forth a couple times before our first date on May 3, 2008. I had been single for about a year and a half. We talked a lot after that and were officially dating on June 14, 2008. It has been the most amazing 6 months of my life. I found my soul mate, my completer, my other oar. I have never experienced the kind of love that Aaron and I have ever before. I have never gotten along and clicked with someone like I do with Aaron. We are so alike and yet different enough to make it very interesting. I love the way he makes me laugh and it seems I am always smiling when he is around. Who knew that being set up by a former co-worker could turn into your happily ever after?
We went camping over the Fourth of July weekend with Aaron’s roommate Brandon Hood and his girlfriend Rachel. We camped up in St. Ignace, MI which is in the UP right when you cross the bridge. It was so fun! I love camping. We went to Mackinac Island and Mackinac City and everything was so perfect. Then on July 22 Aaron turned into an old man by turning 25… half way to 50 mind you :) We went camping again Labor Day weekend at Yogi Bear State Park in Grand Haven, MI with our friends Brandon Witte and his girlfriend Dayna. I can’t wait until it starts to get warm out again so we can go camping.
My best friend Rachel planned a surprise birthday dinner for me in October the weekend before my birthday. She got Aaron and his mom and sister and friends and my dad and step-mom all involved! It was so amazing of her to do that! She is a sneaky one but that’s why I love her! Aaron was driving long haul truck and wasn’t going to be there on my birthday so it was perfect! He even got me the comforter set that I wanted so bad (that I only mentioned to him once!) and got my spare key from my mom and put it on my bed before I got home from work!!! He is amazing and I am so blessed to have both he and Rachel in my life.
Thanksgiving was good and it was the last time our whole family got to be with my Grandpa. Grandpa Thompson passed away on November 30, 2008 and I miss him so much. I am glad that he is no longer in pain however. He had battled cancer for a number of years and coupled with strokes, pneumonia and a severe bowel infection he said goodbye.
Aaron got a new job and started in the beginning of December. He now Works for the City of Grand Rapids plowing the streets third shift. It makes me happy because now he is always home :) not gone for 10 days at a time or more.
What happened next? Hmmm…. I got a promotion in February and started working in the City Clerk’s office at City Hall in downtown Grand Rapids. It turns out that I love what I am doing and I got a decent raise. It also got me out of the cold as I was a Parking Violations Checker before that (which means I walked around in the sun, rain, snow, sleet… you name it…. And wrote parking tickets… people loved me).
Because of the new promotion I was able to move out of my parent’s house for the first time into my own place! I got an apartment in Byron Center all by myself and I love it. It also means that I am only a few short blocks away from my bff. I moved the first week of April and all my friends and family were so amazing in giving me things for my apartment that I wasn’t lacking in anything.
I had been bugged for a number of months by a lady I worked with in Parking Services to meet her nephew. I hadn’t started dating yet and had a really bad breakup before, I was engaged and everything. So I was really, really nervous about that prospect of getting back into the dating world. But after months of me putting it off, Linda finally emailed me a picture of her newly again single nephew Aaron… after I saw his picture I decided it would be ok for him to email me. That’s when it all started :)
Aaron and I emailed back and forth a couple times before our first date on May 3, 2008. I had been single for about a year and a half. We talked a lot after that and were officially dating on June 14, 2008. It has been the most amazing 6 months of my life. I found my soul mate, my completer, my other oar. I have never experienced the kind of love that Aaron and I have ever before. I have never gotten along and clicked with someone like I do with Aaron. We are so alike and yet different enough to make it very interesting. I love the way he makes me laugh and it seems I am always smiling when he is around. Who knew that being set up by a former co-worker could turn into your happily ever after?
We went camping over the Fourth of July weekend with Aaron’s roommate Brandon Hood and his girlfriend Rachel. We camped up in St. Ignace, MI which is in the UP right when you cross the bridge. It was so fun! I love camping. We went to Mackinac Island and Mackinac City and everything was so perfect. Then on July 22 Aaron turned into an old man by turning 25… half way to 50 mind you :) We went camping again Labor Day weekend at Yogi Bear State Park in Grand Haven, MI with our friends Brandon Witte and his girlfriend Dayna. I can’t wait until it starts to get warm out again so we can go camping.
My best friend Rachel planned a surprise birthday dinner for me in October the weekend before my birthday. She got Aaron and his mom and sister and friends and my dad and step-mom all involved! It was so amazing of her to do that! She is a sneaky one but that’s why I love her! Aaron was driving long haul truck and wasn’t going to be there on my birthday so it was perfect! He even got me the comforter set that I wanted so bad (that I only mentioned to him once!) and got my spare key from my mom and put it on my bed before I got home from work!!! He is amazing and I am so blessed to have both he and Rachel in my life.
Thanksgiving was good and it was the last time our whole family got to be with my Grandpa. Grandpa Thompson passed away on November 30, 2008 and I miss him so much. I am glad that he is no longer in pain however. He had battled cancer for a number of years and coupled with strokes, pneumonia and a severe bowel infection he said goodbye.
Aaron got a new job and started in the beginning of December. He now Works for the City of Grand Rapids plowing the streets third shift. It makes me happy because now he is always home :) not gone for 10 days at a time or more.
Christmas was amazing. Aaron got me a beautiful peridot journey necklace (not my birthstone, just my fav
orite stone because I am a green freak). I got so many other things too and got to spend time with those I love. It was all perfect. To celebrate the birth of our Lord and the reason that we all have hope of a better life here on earth and one in eternity. It has been an amazing year with so many blessings that I cannot even list them all (this is already way too long!) and I am so looking forward to 2009 being even better. Keep your eyes on Him and trust that He is smarter than you :) 
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I like the last line!
ReplyDeleteI am SO glad you are blogging!
Love you!