Reflecting - my longest yet most sentimental blog yet.

Guys, 2009 has been quite a year for me! There are lots of things that I'm grateful for and a few things I wish never really happened...but did. This blog I'm only reflecting on the good things. You may want a cup of coffee, tea, or hot cocoa while you're reading this.

Let's start at the beginning. After spending a great Christmas and New Year's break with my oldest sister and husband and their 5 children I was glad to be home. They were thanking me for spending over a week with them and I was thanking them for having all of those children and helping me realize that is not what I'm trying to have any time soon. :-) I remember getting home at the beginning of January and just forever grateful to God for allowing me to be single. I was determined to make 2009 a great year. At the time it was just me, God, and my pet cockatiel, Disney (he is no longer in my care...we'll get to that later). Anyway, for the first time I was super content with being absolutely single!!

As the weeks of January started to pass by and was getting close to February I somehow made a decision to make a trip to the most wonderful place on earth. That's right, Disney World!!! I make this trip at least once a year. As I was doing all of the fun planning (not so fun to some people but I LOVE planning vacations) I decided I would take my youngest nephew who at the time was 6 years old (now 7). He had never been and I believe everybody should experience a WDW vacation. This kid pulls at my heartstrings more than anyone would ever know. He doesn't have the best parents in the world and he's being raised by my parents who are doing the best that they can with him. I knew his spring break was coming up in March and that meant my mother would've had to spend all day everyday for a week straight with a 6 year old. I love my mommy dearest so I figured I'd give the old lady a break. I spent all of February and part of March planning the perfect (and cheapest) Walt Disney World vacation a kid could have. While I was doing all of that I was still content with where I was. At least I thought...

March rolls around and I started to realize that I was getting very, VERY tired of Bloomington, IN. I felt like nothing good was coming out of me being in this town and therefore was trying to see what I could do to get the heck out. Little did anyone know I had boxes in my apartment and some packed. My plan was to go away after I returned from my vacation to Orlando. In the meantime, an innocent little conversation between me and a certain someone began to take place on Facebook maybe about a week before I was to go on vacation. It truly was innocent and I had no serious interest in this guy. Little did I know, this guy aka Carmund White was very interested in me. As a matter of fact it was IU's spring break that he and I talked quite a bit on Facebook and once we did a live chat on there. It just gets better...

On Sunday, March 22, 2009 my nephew, Ronald, and I flew out of Indianapolis airport at about 6am to go to Disney World. I must say it was one of my best trips to WDW. He was so cute and excited about going and his first flying experience on an airplane. We had 2 layovers (maybe the worst part of the trip) but we finally made it to Orlando that afternoon. Got the rental car, checked into the hotel, and off we go to explore the wonderful world of Disney. Our first stop was Mickey D's. This kid loves their french fries and ketchup. Anyway, we spent 4 days and 3 nights taking in all the sights of Disney World. Best trip ever!! While at the airport waiting for our flight I decided to pull out the laptop and check my emails and stuff. For whatever reason the hotel we were at didn't have a connection to the internet that week. Anyway, I got on Facebook and saw I had a nice little message Carmund had written on my wall. It said something to the effect of him wishing me a fun and safe trip. Now that I think about it I was getting sick right before I left going on this trip so his message had something to do with me feeling better too. Ahhhh memories...it's all coming back to me now.

I remember getting home from vacation on Wednesday, March 25, 2009. Carmund and I continued to send messages through Facebook into the weekend. Finally, that Saturday, March 28th I realized that this guy continued to make a conversation last for whatever reason and therefore I felt compelled to give him my phone number. I remember that Saturday afternoon telling Carmund to give me a call sometime. He replied with him wanting to give me a call that evening at 8pm. Sure enough he calls right on time. We stayed on the phone for nearly 5 hours talking about any and everything. It truly was the start of a beautiful relationship. And still it gets better...

We had our first date on Thursday, April 2nd at Soma (a coffee shop on Kirkwood). We were there for hours just laughing and talking. As a matter of fact we were the last to leave. He was a complete gentleman and still is. ;-) We talked on the phone every single day and saw each other as much as we could at the time. Then comes Easter Sunday and I was completely honored to hang out with him and a tremendous group of people from South Africa. We all went to Brown County that day after church and had a marvelous time. The South Africans were here to do a production of Shakespeare's The Tempest along with Carmund and other students at IU. I really got to know them quite well. It was a blessing to meet them and to this day call them my friends. The love continues to run deeper for me and Carmund...

My birthday comes around, June 21st. I was to go on a business trip on my birthday (a Sunday), so that Saturday Carmund surprised me with a wonderful gift of a massage at the spa. It was perfect timing because my great friends Sean and Samaria got married that weekend and I had helped plan and coordinate that day. That was a lot of work but soooo much fun!! An hour long massage the next day couldn't have been any better. Afterwards, we head to Indianapolis to go to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Love that place!! We also had lunch at a pizza place in town but I can't remember the name of it. Anyway, that was great too. All this time from the first conversation it felt like I had known Carmund my whole life.

Carmund's birthday was next, July 3rd and so we spent it at Holiday World. From the beginning I knew he loved roller coasters and swimming. What better place to incorporate both loves?!?! I had never been there and he hadn't either but I figured he needed something where it was nothing but fun. We get there and it was an absolute blast. We rode one of the craziest coasters there maybe like 4 times. Probably could have ridden more times but I ended up getting a headache. Best day and weekend ever because he also got to meet my whole family!! Everybody loved him!

In August I got to spend a week with Carmund and his family in the DC area. That was a lot of fun and according to him everybody loved me! :-) I also ate some of the best crab legs to ever be cooked and served to me. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Lots more good things to talk about that has happened over this past year but I'm going to leave it at that for now. I will say this, everyday has truly gotten better than the day before. God promised that to both Carmund and I at the beginning. I remember I was a little skeptical of that at first because I couldn't figure out how that was remotely possible. Well guys, it gets better...

I am excited about spending 2 weeks with Carmund and his folks for Christmas and New Year's. I am super excited about the good things to happen in 2010. I am excited about all the things God has promised me and how they really will happen. I didn't expect to fall in love in 2009 but it happened. I didn't think that there really was a man perfect for me but he's here. I didn't think a lot of things were true or going to happen but boy was I wrong!! I definitely didn't expect for this blog to be about Carmund when I initially started to write but he really is the best thing to happen to me this year and he was right beside me for every good and bad thing. What can I say? That's just the way it is...

To Carmund, with all my love. "It was not into my ear you whispered but into my heart; it was not my lips you kissed but my soul." -Judy Garland