Good Things About 2009 #1 - Friends

I was considering writing a blog about why I am glad that 2009 is over, but I decided to take the high road and write things each day about why it was a great year. So, withour further ado . . . .

Good Things About 2009 #1 - Friends

I have such a fantastic group of friends. I mean it, I frequently think my girlfriends and I don't realize just how lucky we are to have each other. I have what I consider to be a relatively large group of very close girlfriends. These friendships have sustained years of growing up, marriage, divorce, babies, deaths, job losses, moves across the country, sickness, heartbreak and some tough situations; yet we all seem to come back to each other. I think that each one of us has "another" circle of friends but at the end of the day, when the chips are down or I have wonderful news to share, I want Christine, Sarah, Anne, Kim, Summer or Shelley. They are all so unique and yet I love them all the same. This was a "growing" year for me and I learned so much about myself and I really feel like my friends were so supportive and patient with me. I couldn't have made it without them and all of their prayers, phone calls, emails, texts and love. I am so grateful for them and feel amazed and blessed that God has given us such an amazing gift. We are all doing a Girls Weekend this February and I can't wait!

I also am grateful for my Small Group girls, Lyndsay, Jen and Megan. I guess we are technically no longer in a Small Group together but I will probably always consider them to be that. I did not know any of them until we started meeting and now I can't imagine life without them. I miss them sooooo much since we do not meet regularly. There is a safety and accountability with them that fills a distinct need in my life. They are all intelligent, witty and attentive girls. Again, I can not believe God blessed me with them. Hungry Howies Forever!

Europe 2010

Next year Christine and I will be heading to Europe for 5 days in Paris, 3 days at Disneyland Paris and then we fly to Milan to meet up with the group from http://www.themeparkreview.com. We will go up through Germany and end the trip in Amsterdam. We went with this same group through the South last summer and had a blast. I am so excited and really hope to blog about this trip either while we are there or after. This week we secured an apartment in Paris! It is cheaper to rent an apartment than to stay in a hotel, plus we will have a mini-kitchen and the experience of living more like a true Parisian. The cost was only 120 dollars per night, which is pretty good. We have to walk up a million stairs to the front door and there is no elevator (our room is on the 4th floor) but hopefully we will be in great shape by then!

Here is the link to our place: http://www.vacationinparis.com/images/100_bed.jpg



It got some great reviews on TripAdvisor, whom I consult before booking any hotel. We will be staying in the 5th Arrondissement on the Left Bank. This is where the famed Latin Quarter is, it is the oldest neighborhood in Paris and where most political uprisings have begun. I am so excited!