A Year of Change.....

A lot happened in my life in 2006. It was a year filled with laughter, tears, joy and sadness. Here's a recap:

Bryce and I left our beloved NoPo for suburbia. We miss the seedy bars, the coffee houses ran out of the owner's home, and the walks we would take along the waterfront. We miss running along the Bluff, seeing friends pop up a random places, and taking public transportation. I have faith that in a few years we will end up back in the heart of Portland. Until then, we are forced to enjoy it on weekends rather than on a daily basis.

I welcomed some new friends into my life and got back in touch with some childhood friends. I went to private schools my whole life: First Holy Rosary for grade school, Bellarmine Preparatory School for high school, and finally The University of Portland for college. I never had much growing up because my parents put all of their money towards my education. For them, it was important that I receive a good education rather than the coolest pair of shoes - and I will always be grateful for that. However, at times I did find that it was difficult for me because I was definitely the odd one out: I was a female, a minority, who grew up in one of the rougher areas of Tacoma, and was attending a very ritzy private school. As a result, I always felt a little out of place. But when I got back in touch with my grade school friends they said they will always remember me as the girl with the sunny disposition. I was so insecure growing up (and being so different from everyone), it was nice to hear that they never noticed.

I lost my father in June to lung cancer and that was a difficult time for me. However, it also made me find a deeper strength within myself that I never knew I had. I'm thankful for the wonderful friends and family that were there for me.

In August Bryce and I got married after a year and a half of planning, more planning, and just general stress. It's a nice feeling being able to say that I've married my best friend. We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon and had a blast. I don't know how to swim and what do you do in Hawaii? Hang out on the beach and swim. We ended up purchasing matching life vests (Bryce knows how to swim but bought one to be supportive) and had a great time snorkeling and running around on the beach in them.

We just celebrated our first official Thanksgiving as a married couple and we managed to make a great meal. We also purchased my first real tree for Christmas. My parents always put up a small artificial tree around the holidays so this was a new experience for me. I love the pine smell in the morning! However, Bryce and I keep calling it the Charlie Brown Christmas tree since we only have about 9 ornaments total. But it is the holiday season.