2008 In Review

Sorry to go MIA for a week, but I was thoroughly enjoying time in Charlotte with my family and Jose, and time in Corpus Christi with Jose and his family. I started the last entry with a photo of my family, so I might as well start this one with a photo of Jose’s family since they’ll be my in-laws soon. His whole family got together on New Year’s Eve and it was quite the party. There was foosball, darts, air hockey and after midnight, lots of dancing. (It seems that we will have to play some Tejano music at the wedding for his side of the family. But that’s not all bad — I laughed so hard on New Year’s Eve that my cheeks hurt the next day.) His youngest aunts — identical twins — turned 40 on December 30 so it was also an “over the hill” birthday party for them with balloons, cake and presents.

2008 went by SO. FAST. Seriously. I remember being a kid and thinking that a year was just about equal to forever, but the older I get, the more quickly they seem to pass. Some of the highlights:

• I ran a bunch of races, did a ton of triathlons, and even took home some Athena awards
• I took 4 classes, putting myself very close to my M.S. in Digital Media Studies
• I got four paying design gigs
• Jose earned his private pilot’s license in February
• I ran the Texas Independence Relay with a bunch of my running buddies in March
• I flew on the Vomit Comet with an awesome group of high school teachers
• I turned 30!
• I was a bridesmaid in Karen and Brian’s wedding in April
• I worked my first shuttle mission in the rendezvous back room (STS-124) in June
• Jose and I went to Alaska in July/August
• Hurricane Ike hit us in September and while we were lucky, others were not
• I started training for the front room of Mission Control in October
• Jose and I went to Japan in November — and got engaged!
• In December, it snowed! And then the shuttle flew over JSC!

It will be hard to top 2008 and its huge events — especially the once-in-a-lifetime part where Jose asked me to marry him. But I already have a good feeling about 2009. It’s going to be a big year for us.
In lieu of all the usual resolutions, I’ve got only two this year: one small and practical, and one large and awesome. First, I want to clean the study in my apartment. It’s been an absolute wreck since I moved three months ago; I’m essentially paying rent on a room I can’t use because it’s packed with stuff. My computer is on the dining room table, instead of in the study where it belongs. So that’s the small and practical one.
The bigger one is the impending wedding. I adore Jose and can’t wait to be married to him. I want it to be the most awesome day ever. I’m pretty sure that I could do almost nothing and it would still be the most awesome day ever, even if we just got married at City Hall. So that “resolution” shouldn’t be too hard. 🙂
Happy New Year everyone!