End Of The Year Letter.

Dear family, friends and random stalkers,

2009 was a big year for us. Pretty darn huge. A lot of things happened, and looking back, its a little surreal that they all happened in one year.

• I turned 21 in Las Vegas on March 9th. Nothing that happened should really stay there, because we don't gamble or drink. I did try to complain about the fire alarm going off at 3 in the morning and the hotel receptionist made me feel stupid for trying. It was my first and last effort to complain in a public arena.
  
• Jeff graduated in May! He earned various accolades and honors, but I really can't remember what they are. Let's just say he's smart. Good job, Little Buddy!
• To celebrate Jeff's graduation, birthday and our first anniversary, we went on a cruise. It was super cheap but pretty fun. We were supposed to stop in Ensenada, Mexico, but a little craze called Swine Flu prevented that and our only stop was Catalina Island. Which is a little lame, but turned out to be really fun.
• I took summer classes (a first) and worked all summer. Jeff spent all of May relaxing and in June got a job. I wanted him to work at Chili's, but he was convinced he should get a job where he could use his degree. Crazy guy actually did. He works at the university's PR office and writes for Utah State Magazine. He wrote this huge article about USU's president.
  
• We went to Oregon to go to my family reunion in July. It was just an awesome trip.
• In August, Jeff took the GRE and did amazing! (He's not one to brag, but I am. He got a perfect score on the writing section, in the 96th percentile of the verbal section and got in the 80th percentile for the math section.)
  
• In early September, I got pregnant. Wowza.
• Jeff's appendix burst in October! Luckily, he healed fast and we got lots of hospital assistance because his insurance had lapsed a month before. I don't understand how people think that the health care system is ok. I can understand that people are against socialization or the proposed plan, but the US is the only country in the world where people can declare bankruptcy due to medical bills. That's a little crazy. And so was the amount we were charged.
• In mid-October, we found out that I was pregnant. Double wowza.
• Ever since we have known that I was pregnant, I have been so sick. Sooo sick. I threw up about 5 times a day for about 8 weeks. At 17 weeks, I still throw up (4 times yesterday), but things have definitely calmed down.
  
• I also have started getting migraines, which never happened before this baby business. I don't know why all this bad stuff has happened to me, but I think it means our baby will be extra cute.
• ALSO, I've had a lot of cramping and some bleeding. Baby is fine, but I really need to change some of my routine to make time for rest.
• But hey, in November, we went to New York with Jeff's family! That was amazing. Jeff had the opportunity to interview at 2 universities there and both went pretty well. We also saw not one, but TWO Broadway shows, the Lion King and South Pacific. I don't know how I got so lucky to marry into this wonderful, generous family. Both families have been incredibly good to us.
  
• In December, Jeff applied to grad school. Or most of them. I don't think I'll list all of them, just in case some grad school googles him and is turned off by my lack of tact. They are almost all on the east coast, so we expect a cross-country move next August.
• In December, we spent an amazing Christmas with my family (highlight: my brother John singing "My Heart Will Go On" ). The next day we made the drive to Sun Valley to spend the rest of the holidays with Jeff's family (highlight: heated floors). This is where we are now and life is pretty good.

2010 will definitely be a contender for the biggest year of our lives. There are a lot of dates for you Jeff and Sarah fans to remember: Jan 19 is our gender determining ultrasound; March is when we will decide where we spend the next few years of our life; June 8 is the day our this little little buddy in my womb debuts; and the end of August is when we move. I'll be sure to keep you all updated better, because I don't throw up as much as I used to and can thereby employ my blogging skills with greater finesse!

Best wishes and love,

-Sarah