year in review

january: i started off the new year at home, ringing in 2008 with gary and our upstairs neighbor, amanda. unhappy with myself, i started a diet and found the occasional time to work out at the gym. in the span of 5 months, i lost nearly 40 pounds. gary and i celebrated our 2nd year together. i was still unemployed and debating if i should get a part-time job until the notice for training came. my family received the unhappy news that my grandma was diagnosed with lung cancer. she started radiation therapy and later chemotherapy. i was able to visit my new nephew, anderson, who was born at the end of 2007.

february: i continued to apply for part-time jobs, including a position as an academic manager at an educational center, an admissions advisor for an online university, and as a flight attendant for a commuter airline. while i had a few interviews, they didn't pan out. perhaps it was because i was still positive that i would hear some news from the airline i was waiting for. i went to albuquerque on an overnight with gary. i met a new friend who i had been talking to through a future flight attendant forum. it was nice to finally meet mark and continue to get to know him as we both waited for a training date. i taught junior achievement in my former colleague and friend, catherine's, classroom. it was nice to teach a group of students without dealing with all that other "stuff". grandma went through her first round of chemotherapy and remained positive and seemingly in good health.

march: gary and i went on a mexican cruise with a mutual friend, colleen. it was a nice relaxing 7-day trip as went went to mazatlan, puerta vallarta, and cabo san lucas. we attended pilates and spinning classes while on the ship. what a workout from gio! after our cruise, we met our friends, andrea and amanda, in seattle where we spent a few days. gary and i went to cleveland to visit his family. grandma went through her second round of chemotherapy and fell very ill. she was put in the hospital, where she stayed for the next two months. fortunately, i was able to go home many times to see her and help my family out. lilly came to chicago with us to spend a couple nights with uncle adam and uncle gary. i think she had a great time! while in indiana, gary and i made a huge decision about possibly building a house in greenwood. while it was a hard decision, we knew that it was the right choice and knew we belonged in chicago.

april: i started the month in indiana where i spent time caring for grandma. she was back home and sadly, her health was continuing to deteriorate. my indiana hoosiers got a new coach after the NCAA tournament. we were excited about the prospect of tom crean turning the program around. my dear friend teresa's kansas jayhawks celebrated a championship! (they're getting closer to indiana's ncaa wins!) gary and i went to las vegas to see elton john's 'red piano'. it was truly amazing and fantastic to see! i FINALLY received the news i had been waiting for - i would be headed to flight attendant training in may! it was truly a sigh of relief!

may: i spent the beginning of the month tying up loose ends before i headed to dallas for four weeks. we went to indiana the weekend before i left for lilly's 2nd birthday. grandma, who was now in a wheelchair because walking was far too difficult, was able to make it to mom's house and sat outside with all the guests to celebrate lilly's birthday. when i helped grandma into the car as she was leaving, she and i shared a special moment, one that i shall never forget. the next day i headed for dallas where i spent the next four weeks in flight attendant training.

june: gary was able to come down to dallas towards the end of my training. we spent a very relaxing weekend at our friend mike & jimmy's house where we laid by the pool for two days. i graduated on june 13, otherwise known as gary's 30th birthday. i truly appreciated him giving up his important day so that he could present my wings to me. we luckily made it back to chicago that evening where a group of our friends were waiting to celebrate with both of us. we continued the celebration throughout the weekend where we had a bbq on our large deck. during my time in dallas, gary and i moved into a new apartment with andrea and amanda.

july: since i was based in baltimore, i spent a majority of the month commuting to baltimore and flying around. i was enjoying visiting new cities as part of my "job". because i was working, i missed my 10 year class reunion. it would have been nice to see some of those i went to high school with, but ultimately i wasn't too upset about missing it. thanks to facebook, i've been able to reconnect with those that i've missed since our time in school together. my college friend, erin, had her baby. emma was adorable from the minute she was born! i made it home once this month to see my grandma who was now bedridden. fortunately my mom was there everyday to help my grandpa take care of her.

august: i continued to commute and work a lot. i did take a break to visit my good friend teresa in north carolina. we celebrated her first day of NOT going back to school. we had a great visit with good food, good wine, and great company! the month ended on a sad note. grandma took her last breath after a tough battle. it was just how she would have wanted it - with her family at her side. since i was just starting a trip, the great company that i work for flew me home on the first flight so i could be home with my family. it was a tough time, but i was with my loving family.

september: this was my last month being based in baltimore - i was finally coming home to chicago for good! andrea became an aunt once again. her nephew, evan, was born! gary and i went to key west at the end of the month for an enjoyable weekend with some friends. the weather was nice, even though we barely used the pool at the cottage we stayed at.

october: gary and i made a trip to fort wayne to see my sister and the kids. it's nice to be so close to take a quick trip if we so choose. as always, we had a great time with the kids! a group of friends went with us to see kathy griffin. she's always so hilarious to watch! the long-lasting election race was coming towards the end. while excited about the upcoming change, i was definitely ready for the election season to be over.

november: we celebrated barack obama's election victory in grant park with the other 225,000 people. it was truly amazing. when the results came in, the city erupted and it sent chills down my spine. it was amazing being there as history was being made. our friends ann & eric got married. it was a beautiful ceremony and i'm glad that i was there to celebrate with them. even though gary and i were both working over thanksgiving, we were able to have a late thanksgiving dinner the following weekend. as always, i enjoy entertaining!

december: we had a fantastic holiday party at our place at the start of the month. we decided to have a "naughty or nice" theme. everyone brought fantastic food in there nicest party gear, while the gifts they brought were naughty! it was a very fun time and one that i hope becomes and annual tradition. for a quick weekend get-away, gary and i went to boston. we were lucky enough to see erin & jeremy along with their cute daughter emma! we visited the JFK presidential library while we were there - very interesting! we split christmas again, visiting gary's family the weekend before christmas and mine the weekend after. gary and i both work over christmas, getting rerouted over and over due to the horrible winter weather that struck chicago. we celebrated new year's eve with friends at our home. it's always nice to ring in the new year in comfort with friends and pajamas!

HAPPY NEW YEAR. MAY 2009 BE GREAT TO ALL!