Highlights of 2009

To see the highlights from 2008, click here.

January: Jon and I rang in the New Year with our good friends, Allison and Ryan, at a schwanky hotel overlooking the Baltimore Inner Harbor. We explored the option of selling our condo and got the bad news that we were going to lose money, a lot of money. I also hoped right along with many other Americans for change and peace and love. 

February: February found us on our annual Caribbean cruise where we visited Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. John, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados. We went to the Virginia Wine Showcase with a group of friends where I ran into my favorite wine pourer yet again! This was the month we put our condo on the market and I gave you all a virtual tour of our home. And finally, Jon caught me off guard with a difficult question that I think I came up with a pretty good answer for.

March: I wrote about my infertility struggles, a topic that I had been avoiding although it was heavy on my mind. Amazingly, we accepted an offer on our condo in March after being listed on the market for just 24 days! I experimented with a few fun recipes and finally shared our engagement story after promising to tell it for a very long time.

April: I fretted over a job interview for a position that I didn't ultimately get, but it sure did rise my blood pressure at the time. We packed up our home and moved everything to my parent's house, though we stayed in our condo to the bitter end to avoid the dreaded D.C. commute. I also paid homage to my beloved Holly, whose absence still stings.

May: I had interviews for two fantastic job opportunities in the Baltimore area and ultimately accepted an offer with a federal agency. We went "camping" with friends at Harpers Ferry where we made delicious magical omelettes and I came across my best yard sale find ever: a vintage pink beach cruiser for only $15!

June: Jon and I spent the weekend in Ocean City, Maryland while I recovered from oral surgery which involved a sinus augmention; a freaking sinus augmentation! I got to catch up with college friends and teammates at Sherry's bridal shower and got completely lost (and panicked!) on the Garden State Parkway. We finished June up at our first Jimmy Buffett concert of the summer in New Jersey where I made friends with parrots and pickles and pirates! Shortly thereafter, I found out I was pregnant!

 

 

July: I suffered from major writer's block this month as I wanted nothing more than to share the news of our pregnancy with you all, but I did manage to come up with a few unofficial rules of house hunting based on personal experience. Jon and I went to Honfest, one of my favorite Baltimore traditions, and then finally (FINALLY!), I shared the crazy story of how I got knocked up! Unfortunately, I also caught the swine flu this month and it was more devastating than anyone expected.

 

 

August: We attended Sherry and Matt's wedding in New Jersey...it was the first and last big event of my pregnancy. August was overwhelmingly shadowed by the news that I lost our sweet baby. Writing was therapeutic for me as I recovered from the D&C and the shock and pain of losing the pregnancy.

 

 

September: Jonathan and I celebrated our third (3rd!) wedding anniversary with a mini replica of our delicious wedding cake. I co-hosted a bridal shower for my fabulous now cousin-in-law, Amanda, and had fun with the beachy theme. We were given the green light to start trying to get pregnant again which we were both happy and fearful about. Jon and I officially started house hunting and managed to find our dream home on the very first day out. I also started my new job and celebrated my birthday, all on the same day!

 

 

October: I put my toes in the water of the proverbial infertility world by taking my first round of Provera and Clomid, all the while trying to keep from drowning in work and anniversary and birthday celebrations. My hair got chopped and we found out that another offer was accepted on our dream home. (Boo!) Jon and I celebrated our 3rd anniversarymoon in Key West where we managed to stumble into a nude bar by mistake! We continued our anniversarymoon in Orlando at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival and finished up our Florida roadtrip in Naples at my cousin's gorgeous wedding on the beach. October also marked one whole year of our journey to become parents.

 

November: Jon and I had a big decision to make between two homes in our desired neighborhood. After a nerve-wracking offer and counter offer battle, our offer on the house was finally accepted! My infertility journey continued after a failed first round of Clomid which earned me an increased dosage and a wish for a Christmas miracle.

 

 

 

December: I wrote about my Thanksgiving recipe experiments and got great news about our home's value. We got ready for Christmas and I shared my apprehension about this month's cycle of Clomid and when to share the news of a possible positive outcome. The biggest thing to happen to us this month? We became homeowners again!

 

 

Looking back on 2009, I'm amazed by all of the difficult times we went through yet we still managed to keep our humor, our optimism and most importantly, our love, alive. I just know that 2010 must have wonderful things in store for us. We'll make sure of it.