runlindsayrun

It Was a Very Good Year (Part 1 of 2)

January
My little sister Jessica married Kevin in January 2007, and it was a craaazy weekend. It was the first wedding in our family - and the last in his - so there were lots of emotions. Plus we were trying to save them as much money as possible, which meant getting dirty and helping out with all kinds of things. It also meant that we got to know Kevin's immediate family really well, which was very cool. Especially because they're Jessica's family now too, and a huge part of their life. Oh, and as an added bonus, I got to be a foxy maid of honour.

In January, I also reconnected with a very special friend who I'd lost - or lost track of - a long time ago, making me look at all the relationships in my life just a little bit differently this year.

February
Would you believe that I celebrated my first *real* Valentine's Day in 2007? For a girl who's been dating (sometimes a lot) since she was 15, it was a statistical impossibility. But it's true. I was rather painfully dumped just before V-Day one year. And I started dating someone on February 15 another year. But the stars finally aligned in 2007, and Geoff and I spent a VERY romantic V-Day: I was sick with probably the worst cold in history, running a high fever, and coughing so much I actually damaged my ribs. Now if that doesn't say romance...

March
This was an incredibly exciting month for me, because Geoff and I decided to get married - and went ring shopping. We also went house shopping, and made an offer that was accepted on a beautiful house in River Heights. And we booked tickets to go visit his family in May (which we knew was the immediate precursor to a proposal). It was SO HARD to keep my big mouth shut around family and friends because I was so very happy. March also marked a full year that I'd been healthy enough to work full time - so there were lots of things to celebrate.

April
My little brother Aaron graduated from Red River College's Digital Multimedia Technology program. I was so proud of him. And a little bit sad for myself, because his new job at Manlab waaaaay down Portage meant that we wouldn't be three blocks away during the day anymore - I'd gotten very used to calling him up and meeting for lunch over the past two years. I still miss it.

April also marked the final days and weeks of my 'trial by fire' year of the most difficult living situation I have ever endured. It's not really something I felt comfortable blogging about, but I know that I learned lots about myself in this situation - and there were days when the word 'grace' tattooed in the middle of my back felt like a heavy burden to carry.

May
The beginning of May marked our (ahem, GEOFF's) possession date on the house. I remember waking up early that morning. Geoff picked me up and we went to go visit the house before work - we were just too excited to wait. I remember every moment as we drove down the street and parked, walked up the front sidewalk, and turned the key in the door for the first time. We walked through this big empty house, and at one point we stopped and looked at each other - and burst out laughing hysterically. This big empty house was going to be our home. It was on this morning that Geoff presented me with my much-adored Tinkerbell house key. So sweet.

May was also the month we travelled to BC so that he could introduce me to his family. We spent 10 days with his parents and Carole's family in Abbotsford, and with Joanne's in Kamloops. We also had the privilege of attending Rob & Vicky's wedding on the first weekend we were there, and Jason & Amy's on the second weekend. Romance must have been in the air, because in between all those weddings, Geoff popped the question and we made everything official. It was a very good week. But my highlight wasn't even the proposal (though it was perfect). It was two days later, as we drove the looooong way home from Kamloops through the Fraser Valley. We talked and laughed and spent an incredibly fun day on the road - just the two of us - and in a comfortably quiet moment on the highway, I just knew that this was the person I wanted to grow old with.

I ended the month on another incredibly happy note: I raised over $5,000 in donations to The Arthritis Society in a single night, putting me over my goal for the Athens Joints in Motion marathon.

June
This was an extreme happy-and-sad month, and I felt like I was on a roller coaster. This was the month that we all lost Joey, and it feels like every single person I know has been changed irreversibly by that horrible news. I know that - having been only an acquaintance of his - I live my life differently now. So many others who I love have been affected so much more profoundly, and I still cry for them.

And just when I thought I had no tears left, I pulled out some (okay, LOTS of) incredibly happy ones for Anja & Kyle on their wedding day - which was a definite highlight of this year.

Labels: Family, Jason and Amy, My Life, Rob and Vicky

posted by Lindsay @ 9:53 PM