My Year in Review!

So this post is coming 10 days after New Years! But better late than never!! He's my year in review!!

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? Hopped on a plane and headed to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where we met our beautiful son face to face for the first time.
2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't make New Year's resolutions because I'm too much of a perfectionist to handle the effects of not keeping a resolution. Haha. But I would like to read more. I love books but don't make enough time for them. Plus, I get tired after about two pages and want to go to sleep. Haha.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes!! Much Baby Love! Jon's sister Meghan and her husband Josh welcomed their 1st child Owen Simeon in January 2008.
Our friends Brian and Naomi welcomed their 3rd daughter Mia Faith right before we left for Ethiopia. 4. Did anyone close to you die? Praise the Lord, no.

5. What countries did you visit? ETHIOPIA!!!

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? continuing to grow in wisdom

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
May 8th- Jon graduated from Seminary! WOO-HOO!!!!
May 29th- Finished my teaching career (for now) to be home with my baby
June 7th- Last day of internship for Jon's seminary degree
June 29th- Passed court in Ethiopia making Mekonen Jack Oren our legal son forever!!!
August 21st- Met our son face to face at the Wanna orphanage in Ethiopia!
August 27th- Went to our son's hometown Dire Dawa, Ethiopia
August 30th- Stepped off the plane in Indianapolis as a family of three! Mekonen meets his Grandparents and Auntie Jess for the first time.
September 4th- Mekonen meets his cousins and aunts and uncles!!
November 26th- Mekonen's 1st Thanksgiving
December 25th- Mekonen's 1st Christmas
December 28th- Mekonen turns one years old!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Making it through my Research Design class in graduate school with a big, fat A! Completing chapter one of my thesis.

9. What was your biggest failure? hmm...I don't know. It will depress me to think about.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Praise the Lord nothing major! I got sick our last day in Ethiopia and our poor baby was sick with ear infections, pneumonia, bronchitis, and a lung infection! Oh my!

11. What was the best thing you bought? All the things we bought getting ready for Mekonen. That was the best!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Totally my husband's! He puts up with so much being married to me! :) He loves me and takes care of me no matter what...even taking a super mundane job for a few months during a job transition in order to take care of us. Also, my sister Amy who I literally owe my Research Design class to, and the fact that we couldn't have made it through the adoption process without her. Love you!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Some in our lives who find it humerous to say racist jokes and stereotypes.

14. Where did most of your money go? For the 2nd year in a row... Ethiopia!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Definitely our trip to Ethiopia to get Mekonen. I was so excited I actually got ulcers the week before we left and could not sleep!

16. What song will always remind you of 2009? The song about adoption "When Love Takes You In" by Steven Curtis Chapman.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? happier!

b) thinner or fatter? the same!

c) richer or poorer? poorer! But we don't care. We have what we need and that's all that matters!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? same as last year... READ! (this is always my "sort of resolution")

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? same as last year... WORRY!

20. How did you spend Christmas? This year was crazy, fun, and exciting! We spent the week before Christmas in PA with my family, then spent early Christmas morning just the three of us, at our house in Indy, then spent Christmas morning at a soup kitchen, and then the rest of Christmas day with Jon's family.
21. Did you fall in love in 2009? Yes, most definitely...with a little Ethiopian babe named Mekonen Jack. The first time I fell in love was on March 26th when we opened his picture in our email.Then all over again when I held him in my arms on August 21st.
22. What was your favorite TV program? And still it remains...Law & Order: SVU and yes, I have to admit it, the Bachelor.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I have never truly hated anyone. I don't plan on it either.

24. What was the best book you read? Hmm...not sure. Here are a few good ones I read this year... "My Sister's Keeper," "Adopted for life," "Instructing a Child's Heart," parts of "Death by Love" (haven't finished it yet), and started "The Year of Fog."

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? I don't know that I'd call it the greatest musical discovery by any means, but before we left for Ethiopia, Jon took me to a Brad Paisley concert. It was so much fun! Jon says my song by him is "Waitin' on a Woman." Haha. (Yes, you know you love our cowboy hats).
26. What did you want and get? My baby boy from Ethiopia!!
27. What did you want and not get? Seasons of Friends on DVD

28. What was your favorite film of this year? Most definitely "The Blind Side." If you haven't seen it yet, you must see it!!! I also loved "The Proposal"

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Haha. I don't even remember! Most likely I went out to dinner with Jonny! I turned 26 on March 14th! I am officially "old" cruisin' past the mid-20's, into late 20's and downill into 30! Oh my! Haha.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Seeing more of Ethiopia than we could fit into 10 days. What a priceless trip.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Same as last year. No clue. You tell me. I wear whatever... Jon thinks I'm cute and that's all that matters!

32. What kept you sane in 2008? It was quite of year of needing MUCH sanity control going through an adoption. Totally Jon...he always brings me back to reality and always has me laughing in the end haha. Definitely my sister Amy and our friends from AAI throughout our whole adoption process.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Haha. All the crazy people that go on the Bachelor and Bachelorette. horribly entertaining.

34. What political issue stirred you the most? I'm not sure of the specifics of it, but whatever policy that was passed that allows adopted children with HIV to go through the process of adoption and travel much quicker and smoother. We know people who have adopted children with HIV and this was HUGE.

35. Who did you miss? Definitely my family in PA. Mom and Dad, Bek & Tom, Natalie & Jane, Amy & Meade, Manny & Aderyn, and brother Aaron.

My Mom & Dad (Grandpa Jack & Grandma Missy-although she HATES being called that)

My sister Rebekah and brother-in-law TomTheir girls: Natalie
& JaneMy brother-in-law Meade and niece Aderyn and nephew Manny.
My sister Amy and Mekonen.

36. Who was the best new person you met? Hands-down, Donovan and Julie Witmer! We experienced the deepest part of our son's story with them, along with our entire Ethiopia journey, and beyond! We can't wait to see all that God does in our families from here on out! We will be friends forever. We love you! (And Mekonen says he loves Sosina).37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.

• God always provides. We've had some rough job situation stuff, lots of medical bills, and pretty much just a crazy time where so much felt unstable. But we hold fast to what we know about Jesus and we keep on with doing the next right thing. We are immensely blessed in more ways than we can count.
• Love knows no bounds of DNA, culture, language, skin color, country, or anything else. I have experienced a love with my son that runs deeper than I ever knew existed. He is mine: altogether, always, unconditionally forever.