Oh 9...thanks for the good time

Has 2009 gone by fast for anyone else??!!

I cannot believe that we're entering 2010!

Just like everyone else, 2009 went by soooooo fast! When I look back on this past year, a lot of big and little things made the year go by quickly. Here are a few things that will greatly stick out as defining moments in 2009!

* January- Rae Toller was born
* February- John was offered a new job at Sentara in Hampton
* March- we moved back to Hampton Roads
* April- we closed on our current house
* May- I got offered by job as a teacher in Newport News Public Schools
* June- my best friend from NY (Wendy) got engaged
* July- our good friends David and Angela got married
* August- we took our second trip to Mexico
* September- another awesome school year started
* October- Evan McDade was born
* November- hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner, and shared it with awesome friends
* December- went on an awesome weekend getaway to NYC w/John

New car!

This is the key to the car. I only took a picture b/c it's H-U-G-E!

John and I bought a new (new to us) car!

We've been saving for the last 4 months or so, and bought a 2006 Volvo with really low mileage! We LOVE it! It's totally practical for us b/c there is lots of room for traveling, and Kaya can go in the back perfectly!

This will be my car, which means John will be driving the Elantra. He's been driving his old Ford truck, which we lovingly named 'Gordy'. Gordy doesn't do too well on cold winter mornings, (b/c he's a Diesel) so it'll be nice for John to have a more reliable vehicle. Gordy will be taking a rest for a little while, and I'm sure he'll get used again pretty heavy in the Spring when we start doing some more home imporvement projects.

Visit at a Glance

My sister Rebecca and I

Evan McDade

My nephew Sam, and niece Stella

John, Arlo, and Brett

Emily and I

Our yearly visit to NY for Christmas was great! It was shorter than usual, because of John's job this year. We still had a great time visiting both families, and old friends! Here are some pictures...

Matching Sweaters :)

I finally got to meet baby Evan on Wednesday night! And look...matching sweaters! I mean come on...how great is this? I think that if he could talk, he'd say...

'Auntie Leah...what's with this weird seat everyone calls a bumbo...and why do people love taking pictures of me in it??'

Merry & Bright

I cannot believe that Christmas is just a few days away! This time of the year always flies by fast, but for some reason...this year in particular is flying by!! John and I leave Tuesday afternoon for NY. We go up every year to visit family, and friends. It's a pretty long drive, about 10 hrs, but totally worth it! Both our families live in NY (about 45 minutes apart from each other) and all our friends from growing up and college. Every Christmas, John and I are spread thin between two families, and friends...but we love it! I can't imagine Christmas anywhere else. We'll be driving back on Monday, because John has to report back to work on Tuesday. Things we're looking forward to:

* Stewarts Convience Store
* Spending Christmas with BOTH families in 1 day!
* My best friend Wendy (and getting to talk about wedding stuff!!)
* Seeing old friends
* The annual Curtice Christmas party
* Driving around old familiar roads
* Seeing Evan McDade (finally!!!!)
* Hanging out with my niece and nephew

Wishing you a Christmas season that is MERRY & BRIGHT!

Calling All Superheroes

John as Banana Man, Daniel as Mr. Caffeine, and Matt as a Gorilla

Some of the crew hanging out

Captain Granny Panties...Saving the world one parachutte at a time!

Dance party!

Last night, I threw a birthday party for two friends: Katey and Virginia. The theme was 'Superheroes', and people had to come dressed as a NEW superhero, not one that already existed. It was really funny to see the costumes. Not everyone had a superhero theme, and just used it as an excuse to dress up...which is fine by me! Here are some pictures:

NYC Trip!

We had such a GREAT time in NYC this weekend! We had a busy weekend full of walking and sight-seeing, and the little toe on my right foot is proof!

We arrived on Long Island late Thursday night, and stayed with one of my mom's friends for the weekend. We took the train into Penn Station and watched two shows on Friday. We saw the Christmas Spectacular in the morning at Radio City Music Hall, and Phantom of the Opera at night on Broadway. They were both amazing!! During the day we walked around Central Park, Times Square, F.A.O. Shwarts, and Rockefeller Center. We had a lot of time to kill between the shows. My feet were hurting baaaaaaaaaaad!

On Saturday, my parents and sister drove down and met up in the city for the afternoon! We went to Brooklyn to Little Italy for lunch, and walked around for a little while. John had never been before, so he was a little boy in a candy shop when walking around the meat and cheese market! We caught another show Saturday night: West Side Story! I LOVE that show, and I've always wanted to see it on Broadway!

We slept in a little this morning, and left Long Island around 10am. The drive back was uneventful.

We had an awesome weekend, but are glad to be back home!