Our 2008 "Journey"

I saw this on my friend Tiffany's blog and thought it was a great way to quickly sum up this last year for our family. As seems to be tradition since Jacob and I were married, we are (as Obi-Wan Kenobi would say) "Always on the move". So, here's the recap of our Jerdon Journey for 2008.

We started the year at my Uncle Tom and Aunt Kathy's house in California watching movies, eating pizza and popping about a million of those confetti poppers.
We ended the year at home in Oregon letting the boys test just how late they could actually stay up (since they test me every night anyways), while having an original Star Wars trilogy marathon and eating candy (very nutritious, but hey).

We started the year with a two-year-old that was just getting the hang of toilet training and learning to dress himself, and following Caleb's every move.
We ended the year with an independent nearly-four-year-old about to attend Primary just like Caleb (still following his every move), who knows how to load and run my dishwasher and can tell you all the names of the characters and planets from Star Wars (where did my little baby go?).

We started the year with a five-year-old that was growing in social confidence in kindergarten, was just learning how to read and was a huge Star Wars fan.
We ended the year with a six-year-old, first-grader that is testing out his talents learning how to harmonize with mom (Angels We Have Heard on High, baby), drawing endlessly, loving school and math and is still a huge Star Wars fan (some things may never change).

We started the year with me being a big slacker and barely able to run half a lap around the track without stopping to walk, gasping for breath.
We ended the year with me able to run five miles+ at a time and ever on the road (or treadmill, as it were) to better fitness (I still don't love working out, but the fact that I CAN do it seems like really something. Now, maybe if I didn't love food quite so much...)

We started the year in U of O student family housing (Spencer View) with Jake taking post-bac, pre-med classes, starting his MCAT prep course and researching which schools to apply to.
We ended the year in "real" apartments ('though still in Eugene) with Jake taking interviews at schools, finished with classes (at least until next summer/fall) and purging himself of old science textbooks (those things take up so much space!).

We started the year (both Jacob and I) without callings and reveling in the freedom, while missing feeling needed and having the opportunity to get to know the other members of our ward better by serving.
We ended the year as the "secretarial first family" of the ward with each of us working to keep the leadership organized, and being at the forefront of goings on.

We started the year livin' on love and the GI Bill (thank you US Air Force) making every penny count.
We ended the year still livin' on love and making every penny count, but grateful that PeaceHealth is a part of our lives and payin' the bills (Jake is an expert vampire...er...phlebotomist).


And so....we are starting 2009 at this point, eager to see what lies ahead on our journey. We feel blessed to have come through 2008 all healthy and happy. We've grown closer as a family and as a couple, having had the trials and experiences that we've had, and (as we've ended up doing since being married) doing it without the ease of family nearby to help. We are grateful for supportive family and wonderful friends. We're excited to think that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for Jacob's schooling and that "real life" will be in the not-so-distance future. Happy New Year!