2008 in Review

I know we still have almost a week left in the year, but I have had an end-of-year post brewing, so I thought I would write it now. 2008 has been good to me in many ways: H and I both got tenure (hooray!), which included a promotion (and BIG raise). Considering how things are rough for so many people right now (including many of our family members), we feel extremely fortunate to be doing so well financially. H also became a U.S. citizen on 08/08/08 and voted in his first U.S. election (and got to help our swing state turn blue this year!) We are all healthy, D is still growing like a weed and becoming an amazing person- it scares me how fast she is growing up. 

Despite all of the wonderful things that have happened this year, there has been bad news, too. As you know, I found out that I was pregnant in late February (excellent news), but had a miscarriage in April. This took a toll on me personally and I feel like the rest of this year was spent recovering from it emotionally, and coming to terms with being a one-child family. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's hard, and sometimes I am filled with regret. I was then told that I had skin cancer by a quack dermatologist office, finally had surgery to remove the moles in November- then learned they were all benign. I am very happy about that, but quite disturbed that I was misled. About a month later, I really screwed up my neck and visited a chiropractor for the first time. This was actually wonderful and my neck has fully recovered. I really have nothing to complain about, since all of these issues were resolved- the skin cancer really threw me, though and for three months I thought I *did* have skin cancer. We've also had bad news about friends and family this year, but so far everyone is doing OK.

I have hopes that 2009 will be better in many ways. That I will snap out of my funk, start exercising more, eating better, and being a more productive person again. When I think back to where I was 10 years ago, a LOT has changed. I was a single PhD student and when it turned 1999, I yelled "this is the year that I will be ABD!" Little did I know that I would ALSO get married and have a baby that year. Now, I am a tenured associate professor with a 9-year-old daughter. In 2009, I will celebrate 10 years with H and D will also turn 10! Like 10 years ago, my PhD alma mater has just won a bowl game (the first one since then!!). 

Here's wishing everyone a happy, healthy 2009 (and rest of 2008!)