Happy New Year! Today is the last day of 2009. In just a few hours we will be in a new decade. I get excited every year during the holiday season knowing that I will soon have a chance to start over. I realize that I could do this any time of the year, but being slightly OCD, I like to have a time that is the beginning of something. (Kind of how I only like to get out of bed if the clock is on :00 or :05...but that is besides the point). The following is a list of some of my favorite things from 2009:
This year really started off with a bang. On January 24, I was tricked by the one that I love the most. Rory proposed on this freezing day on top of a breezy mountain. It was freezing. He took me up there to "show me the valley." As soon as we reached the top a storm blew in and we waited...and waited....and waited for it to blow over. I was totally clueless, but when he finally got me out of the car and I saw the giant sign saying, "Abby Shai, Will you marry me," it made it all worth it. If you ask Rory, he will tell you that I was more excited when a week later we saw Clay Olsen at an Aggie basketball game and he told me he was going to ask Jen to marry him. I have to admit I was pretty excited about this. Jen Adair is one of my very best friends in the world and the best roommate ever. Clay is a lucky guy!
The next few months were marked by wedding plans and shopping for a wedding dress. Then crying when I either: a) couldn't find a dress, or b) could never get one in the store to fit me.
One of my favorite parts of 2009 was going to Santa Fe, New Mexico to see my sister, Katie, graduate from the Institute of American Indian Arts. Santa Fe has such a good vibe. There is so much to see and do, and it is full of culture. The graduation itself was pretty amazing. There is just a spirit there that is different than you will find anywhere else. I don't know how to describe it.
My summer was spent on a mountain with delinquents. Good ole Mountain Homes Youth Ranch. At the time this stressed me out to the max. Between trying to finish my final 13 credits, planning a wedding with 2 receptions, and working for 8 days at a time, I went a little bit crazy. Looking back, it was the best job I have ever had. It was fun to camp and make fires and eat nothing but tuna and pop tarts. I loved the hiking and the wildlife. Literally living with the students gave me an opportunity to really get to know them (sometimes in ways you really don't want to). It added a whole new dimension to what we did and how we interacted with them. It was really nice to be part of a program that really seemed to make a difference in some lives.One of the best parts of being on the mountain was that I got to read...a lot. Here is a brief list of some of the best reads of '09. Everything is Illuminated: This is one of my absolute favorite movies. This year Rory got me the book for my birthday. I loved it. It was amazing. It brought the story to a whole new level. It is about a boy who is on a search for his Jewish grandfather's home town in Ukraine. My Sister's Keeper: Oh Jodi Picoult...you really know how to rip a girls heart out. This book is so good and also sad. I bought it at the airport on my honeymoon...bad idea because all I wanted to do was read it. Such a sweet story about a family dealing with the effects of cancer. The Alchemist: This book was on the required reading list for the kids on the mountain. I read it one week when one of my students had to read it. Honestly, I found the beginning really boring, but the end made it all worth it. The Harry Potter Series: I just never get tired of these guys. I started reading them again around Halloween and they still get me excited and keep me reading. I just love Harry Potter. He is the man. The Lovely Bones: This is the book that I have finished most recently. I couldn't put it down. I loved every second of it (ok...well...there was one or two parts that I was kind of weirded out by). I would highly recommend it. Although, I am now afraid when I turn off the lights that there is a ghost in my room, and I have to get in bed really fast. *This is a highly condensed list, but these were some of my favorites this year.
On 09/09/09, I was married for time and all eternity in the Logan Temple. It was pretty amazing. There are only a few things that I would do different if I had the chance, and most of them deal with being nicer to people and less bridezilla. (Though for the record-and mom and Lisa may dispute this-I was really only bridezilla for like the two days before).
The best part about getting married was the honeymoon! We went on our first cruise to the Bahamas! It was amazing. I love the sun and the ocean. I could have stayed there forever, though I don't think Ror would have appreciated that much. It was kind of a wild adventure sometimes, but it was great. 
And probably the final and greatest achievement of 2009 (drum roll please......): I GRADUATED COLLEGE! I guess at this point I should clarify...Most people think my biggest achievement of 2009 should be getting married. I personally don't think that getting married is an achievement. It is a great thing. It is a wonderful life experience, and I would even agree that it is probably my biggest life moment of the year and I couldn't be happier about it. I have the best husband ever. Without his love and support I would never have reached my goal of graduating. I got all of my classes done in the summer, and on the last day of classes in Summer semester I failed one stinking test. After retaking it two times...I finally passed. And I'm done. I am so proud of myself!
I hope everyone had a year as great as mine. It has been awesome and I am glad I got to spend it with family and friends.
